About the Trust

Created in 1989, the Trust stewards the charitable intentions of May and Stanley Smith beyond their lifetimes.

Building on the successes and learning opportunities from the Trust’s prior strategic plans, the Trust’s 2024-2028 Strategic Plan renews the Trust’s commitment to serve the same four populations—Adults and Transitioning Youth with Disabilities, Foster Youth, Older Adults, and Veterans—with an even greater focus on those disproportionately impacted by inequities and injustices. The Trust strives to work collaboratively with our grantee partners to achieve significant, lasting, positive changes that promote well-being for individuals and communities, and to strengthen and improve the systems that influence and shape their lives.

Vision

The May & Stanley Smith Charitable Trust envisions a just society that values each individual as vital to the strength, richness, and well-being of the whole, and in which systems are deliberately structured to provide the opportunities and resources that each person needs to reach their full potential.

Mission

The Trust supports efforts aimed at the individual, community, and systems levels that empower people, including those that have been historically marginalized, to reach their highest potential.

Values

The Trust is guided in all its activities and grantmaking by the following values and beliefs.

Dignity

We believe every individual possesses an innate dignity and when people are valued, included, and respected, and are able to live their lives with autonomy and support, they can realize their potential and overcome adversity and hardship.

Respect

We value diverse perspectives and treat others as we would like to be treated—with kindness, courtesy, professionalism, and fairness.

Humility

We understand that the Trust's progress and success are inherently dependent upon the steadfast work of our partners. Thus, we strive to celebrate, learn from, and show consideration for the achievements, viewpoints, assets, needs, and welfare of all those we encounter, especially those with lived experience in areas where we do grantmaking.

Interdependence

We believe change is possible and is most likely to come about as a result of strong communities whose diverse members are universally included and empowered to contribute their talents and resources.

Stewardship

We honor the legacy of the Trust's founders through attentive management of the resources and relationships entrusted to us; this includes a commitment to mutual accountability with our partners.

Justice

We recognize that many types of injustice prevent individuals from reaching their full potential. Our work is guided by the belief that justice is the essential condition for equitable opportunity, self-determination, shared prosperity, and the acknowledgment of human dignity.

For the term of the Strategic Plan, the Trust has identified the following focus populations:

Descriptions of the Trust’s current programmatic interests for each of these populations begins on the Funding Priorities page. In all of its grantmaking, the Trust is interested in supporting organizations that promote the dignity, agency, and self-sufficiency of individuals within its focus populations, and that strive to achieve a lasting difference in the lives of the people they serve.

Discretionary Grantmaking

Each year, the Trust allocates a portion of its grantmaking budget to support activities that fall outside its four main program areas but that represent relevant, timely, and valuable opportunities. These include grants for disaster relief, support for philanthropic or nonprofit sector-wide associations, and grants for emergent opportunities that serve the Trust’s mission. Other discretionary grants honor specific interests of its founding donors.

Unsolicited inquiries are not accepted for the Discretionary Grantmaking program.