About Smile Train
Smile Train is the world’s largest cleft-focused organization with a sustainable, local model supporting safe, high-quality, free cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care. Over 25+ years it has supported 2 million+ cleft surgeries and trains local healthcare professionals to expand access to care globally.
Focus Areas
Cleft surgeryComprehensive cleft careSpeech therapyNutritionHearing careOral health/dentalMedical training and capacity buildingSafety and quality systems
Who They Fund
infants and children with cleft lip and/or palateadolescents and adults with craniofacial differencesfamilies and caregivers of individuals with clefts
About Smile Train
Smile Train Inc’s recent giving is anchored by a $2,265,110 training grant to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, a single award that is far larger than its other disclosed recent grants and points to a strong emphasis on clinician capacity. The foundation’s grantmaking is built around cleft care: training, research, education, equipment, and U.S. cleft-care support appear across the recent awards list, with several recipients returning in multiple years. Smile Train Inc also funds work tied to the full treatment continuum, including medical training and quality systems, rather than only surgical procedures. Among the larger recurring recipients, Lifebox Foundation received grants in both 2023 and 2024, and Global Smile Foundation also appears in consecutive years. The foundation’s 2024 filing shows substantial annual grantmaking and a large asset base, indicating an institutional grantmaker with sustained program support. Its disclosed program menu includes patient logistics, nutrition, awareness, comprehensive treatment, and data support, which aligns with the recent emphasis on training and clinical infrastructure.
What Smile Train Funds
Smile Train Inc supports several distinct parts of cleft care. Training is a major theme: Vanderbilt University Medical Center received $2,265,110 in 2023 for training, and Seattle Children’s Hospital Foundation received $151,310 in 2024 for training. Research is another strand, with the University of Washington receiving $100,000 in 2023 and the University of California Santa Cruz receiving $35,556 in 2024. The foundation also funds education, as shown by a $22,867 grant to University of Mississippi Foundation in 2024. Beyond academic and clinical institutions, it backs U.S. cleft-care work, including grants to West Virginia Univ Foundation, Every Smile Has a Story, Kansmile Foundation, and Medical University of South Carolina.
How Smile Train Gives
Smile Train Inc’s disclosed recent grants are spread across a wide range of sizes, from a p25 of $13,320 to a median of $22,366 and a p75 of $134,277. The pattern includes both large anchor grants and many smaller awards, suggesting a mix of major training investments and more modest program support. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Lifebox Foundation, Global Smile Foundation, Seattle Children’s Hospital Foundation, University of California Santa Cruz, and West Virginia University Foundation. Smile Train Inc is a regular funder rather than a DAF, and it accepts unsolicited requests through multiple grant programs, including Education and Training Grants, Patient Logistics Grants, Comprehensive Treatment Grants, Nutrition Grants, Outreach Grants, and Equipment & Supplies Grants.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$1.8M
Total Assets
$423.9M
Total Revenue
$121.7M
Total Expenses
$97.5M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $13K and $134K, with a median of $22K.
25th Percentile
$13K
Median
$22K
75th Percentile
$134K
Geographic Reach
National14 states funded
About 10% of grants go to recipients in WA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
SUSANNAH SCHAEFER
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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