Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation

What Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation does

The Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation is a private family foundation established in 1970 by Richard A. Smith and Susan F. Smith (of blessed memory), headquartered in Newton, Massachusetts. The foundation deploys approximately $16 million in grants annually and has awarded over $276 million since 2004, operating across five giving areas: Health, Medical Research, Education, Community Giving, and Jewish Giving. Its geographic focus is Greater Boston (roughly within Route 128) plus seven Eastern Massachusetts Gateway Cities (Brockton, Chelsea, Fall River, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, and New Bedford), with a recent extension to Cape Cod. The foundation's asset base originated from the sale of family businesses Harcourt General and Neiman Marcus, and two generations of the Smith family currently serve as trustees under the leadership of Chair Debra Smith Knez.

The foundation operates a hybrid grant-making model. Small Capital Grants ($25,000-$100,000) and Community Capital Grants ($250,000-$3 million) accept open applications through the SmartSimple online portal. Education, Health, Jewish Giving, and Medical Research grants are awarded by invitation only, following research and relationship-building with nonprofits, community leaders, experts, and peer funders. Signature programs include the Smith Family Awards Program for Excellence in Biomedical Research (239 investigators, $58.2M since 1992), TEAM UP for Children (behavioral health integration with The Klarman Family Foundation, reaching 126,000 children), and Early College investments ($16M+ deployed). Capital projects include a $10M leadership gift for the NICU at Brigham and Women's Hospital and over $100M cumulative support for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

The foundation does not generate revenue; its operating model is endowment-funded grant disbursement. Grant management is facilitated through the SmartSimple third-party platform, and the foundation distributes its work via its website (rssff.org), Stories of Impact case studies, and direct outreach. The foundation practices engaged, multigenerational family philanthropy aimed at creating permanent positive change in Greater Boston, particularly in economically disadvantaged communities.

Name

Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation

Legal name

Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation

Website

https://rssff.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation is a private family foundation established in 1970 that deploys approximately $16 million annually across five giving areas (Health, Medical Research, Education, Community Giving, Jewish Giving) to nonprofits serving Greater Boston and select Eastern Massachusetts Gateway Cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Family Foundation / Philanthropic Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI), Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

Keywords

• Private family foundation
• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Nonprofit funding programs
• Charitable giving areas
• Community health grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Newton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grant Disbursements: As a private family foundation, the organization distributes grants to nonprofit organizations rather than generating revenue. The foundation awards approximately $16 million annually in grants across five giving areas: Health, Medical Research, Education, Community Giving, and Jewish Giving. The foundation has awarded over $276 million since 2004.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation is a private family foundation that distributes grants to nonprofit organizations across five giving areas: Health, Medical Research, Education, Community Giving, and Jewish Giving. The Foundation awards approximately $16 million annually, totaling more than $276 million since 2004, to 501(c)(3) nonprofits serving Greater Boston and select Eastern Massachusetts Gateway Cities. Capital grants use open online applications while Education, Health, Jewish Giving, and Medical Research grants are awarded by invitation only.

Product overview

Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation is a private family foundation, not a technology product company. Its offering consists of grantmaking programs across five giving areas: Health, Medical Research, Education, Community Giving, and Jewish Giving. The foundation awards approximately $16 million annually to nonprofits serving Greater Boston and select Eastern Massachusetts Gateway Cities. Grant management is facilitated through SmartSimple's online application portal. There are no commercial technology products or services offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Health Giving

Quantifiable outcome

• Early College students are 2x more likely to enroll immediately in college than non-Early College peers
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, major and core.

• The Klarman Family FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership in TEAM UP for Children initiative. Together with Smith Family Foundation, co-funding the TEAM UP Scaling and Sustainability Center at Boston Medical Center.
• Boston Medical CenterflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024$4,450,000 commitment to establish TEAM UP Scaling and Sustainability Center, expanding behavioral health services to 126,000 additional children in 29 clinics across Massachusetts by 2028.
• More Than WordsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018$1 million lead gift for 2018 Boston bookstore expansion. Multi-year capacity building grant supporting social enterprise program model for youth in foster care, court-involved, homeless, or out of school.
• Broad Institute of MIT and HarvardflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016$3 million gift to support Food Allergy Science Initiative (FASI) researchers tackling food allergy science. Initiative has produced 6 patents, 113 published research projects, and 6,150+ citations.
• SmartSimplecoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party grant management platform used to accept and manage applications from grant seekers. Applicants register and apply through the SmartSimple online portal.
• Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoston's lead Jewish philanthropic entity receiving the majority of Jewish community-related giving. CJP manages pooled relief funds and coordinates community-wide initiatives including the Anti-Poverty Initiative, communal security, and Israel connections.
• YMCA Cape CodmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner$2,000,000 multi-year commitment to support construction of 68,000 sq. ft. Upper Cape YMCA including Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation Wellness Center and integrated health and wellness space.
• Y2Y Network (formerly Phillips Brooks House Association)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner$500,000 commitment to support overnight shelter for young adults experiencing homelessness in Harvard Square. Y2Y employs youth-to-youth model for safe and affirming environment.
• Brigham and Women's HospitalflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner$10 million leadership gift (combined with private gift from Richard A. Smith) for Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU), doubling its size.
• Dana-Farber Cancer InstituteflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 70 years of family support totaling more than $100 million. Susan F. Smith Center for Women's Cancers named in honor. $2.5 million gift for Living Biobank.
• Massachusetts Community CollegescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with four community colleges to build Apprenticeship Degrees in health, behavioral health, education, and other sectors. Supporting proof points to encourage adoption by other institutions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• George Kaiser Family Foundation: Large US family foundation with a much larger endowment and broader geographic reach, but analogous model of multigenerational family philanthropy with targeted, evidence-based grantmaking in health, education, and community.

Others

• American Endowment Foundation: Large donor-advised fund administrator that services individual philanthropists and family foundations; relevant as an enabling peer for how private family foundations channel and administer grant capital.

Direct peers

• Barr Foundation: Large Boston-based private foundation with comparable annual grantmaking scale focused on climate, arts, and education in Greater Boston, employing a similar strategic, invited-proposal approach.
• Hyams Foundation: Boston private foundation focused on economic and social opportunity for low-income residents of Greater Boston and Chelsea, sharing geographic and programmatic priorities with Smith Family Foundation's Community Giving area.
• One8 Foundation: Massachusetts-based private foundation with overlapping focus on education and workforce pathways, including apprenticeship and Early College-style programs in the same regional ecosystem.
• The Boston Foundation: Greater Boston's community foundation with overlapping regional grantmaking priorities in education, health, and community economic development, and a similar focus on Gateway Cities.
• Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP): Central Jewish communal organization and channel for the Smith Family Foundation's Jewish giving; a comparable pooled Jewish philanthropy vehicle operating in Greater Boston with similar programmatic priorities.
• Cabot Family Charitable Trust: Massachusetts-based family foundation with similar regional focus on Greater Boston and Eastern Massachusetts, supporting education, health, and community-based nonprofits.
• Klarman Family Foundation: Boston-based private family foundation co-founding TEAM UP for Children with the Smith Family Foundation and operating with similar multigenerational, evidence-based grantmaking across Massachusetts.
• Highland Street Foundation: Massachusetts-based family foundation with comparable annual giving scale and a regional focus on Greater Boston nonprofits across education, health, and community services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation