Guidelines

Proposals will be considered only for the following purposes.

• MEDICAL RESEARCH
  Specific basic, medical research projects dealing with cancer, heart disease or AIDS
  
  
• COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS
  Only four-year universities and colleges with MSCHE accreditation having financial aid programs for needy, worthy, full-time undergraduate students (No request ever is accepted directly from an individual student.)
  
  
• FOOD CLOTHING AND SHELTER
  To provide shelter, food or clothing for children age 18 or under (including needy families with dependent children) or the elderly age 60 and above

The Trustees endeavor to keep abreast of the needs and conditions in the area served by the Trust and variations from these policies may be made at their discretion.

Grant proposals must be received no later than June 15 for Cancer and AIDS research and no later than September 15 for Heart research. When these dates fall on holidays or weekends, the Trust’s deadline is 5 p.m. on the last business day before that holiday or weekend. Each application must be submitted in quadruplicate and accompanied by a copy of the most recent audited financial statements for the researcher’s institution.

Projects to be funded should be for one, two or three years. It is Trust policy that proposals not request funds for equipment alone. Copies of all published material relevant to a proposed research project should be made available to the Trust both before and after a grant is made. Unused grant funds must be returned to the Trust promptly so that other scientists may benefit from the relinquishment of those funds.  more >>

Proposals for grants to colleges and universities are by invitation only, must be received by April 1, and will be awarded at the May Trustee meeting. Colleges are required to screen financial aid applicants and award the Trust’s scholarship funds only to full-time students, in good academic standing, who are considered most needy and worthy, and are permanent residents of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties as well as the City of Camden, New Jersey.

Proposals should detail the selection process suggested to identify qualified students whose financial needs are not being met by existing policies. Each Smith Scholar, Prize-Winner and SEA participant is required to write the Trustees a thank you letter.

Recipient institutions are visited annually by Trust staff and/or Trustees. No grants are made for endowment, equipment, construction, capital campaigns, annual giving or other purposes. Two-year community colleges are not eligible. more >>

• Grant requests for food, clothing and shelter for needy children and/or the elderly
• Organization must be a non-profit
• Organization and/or service should be located in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and/or Philadelphia counties as well as the City of Camden, New Jersey
• The W. W. Smith Charitable Trust summary should accompany each proposal

Proposals are accepted on a continuous basis for consideration at the March and September Trustee meetings. Those proposals received by December 15 will be reviewed by the Trustees in March; proposals received by June 15 will be reviewed in September. When these dates fall on holidays or weekends, the proposal must be received in Trust’s office by 5 p.m. on the last business day before that holiday or weekend.

Information Necessary for a Complete Food, Clothing and Shelter Proposal
Failure to include all documents will delay processing of proposal.

On separate pages please enclose:

1. A cover letter stating the amount requested, including description and justification of the proposed project
2. Completed W. W. Smith Charitable Trust Proposal Summary Sheet, from the above link
3. Description of the project and explanation of how the grant will affect your program
4. Project budget and timetable
5. A current fiscal year operating budget for the organization
6. List of top sources of funding (up to 5) in the last fiscal year for the organization (Other than federal or state funding) and amounts
7. Current Board list, including members’ employment affiliations, constituencies and years of service
8. Summary of how the Board functions:
   1. Is it a working or fundraising board?
   2. Do all members participate and how?
   3. How many times do they meet in a year?
   4. Describe committees, if applicable.
   5. Do you have a strategic plan? Explain
9. One paragraph description of key staff, including qualifications relevant to this request
10. An Audited financial statement for the organization’s most recent fiscal year (if budget is greater than $100,000) or most recent IRS Form 990 (if budget if less than $100,000). Submit a self-reported financial statement only if an audited report or a Form 990 is not available. (Financials must be as current as possible.)
11. A copy of the organization’s most current tax determination letter.
If you are classified as a Supporting Organization (or Supported) 509(a)(3), please contact the Trust’s office for additional information.

Plan ahead, apply early, and submit all necessary required documents and information so that the Trust’s office can schedule a site visit in a timely manner.

• Minimum requested grant amount is $5,000.
• Grant term is ONE YEAR.
• If an organization is approved and receives grants for THREE consecutive years, TWO full years must pass before that organization can apply for a new grant.
• Applicants are limited to one proposal at a time and one grant per calendar year.
• The further away any request is from direct provision of literal food, clothing or shelter benefiting needy children or the elderly, the less likely funding will be granted.
• Normally excluded for consideration are: capital campaigns, salaries/benefits, summer camps, YMCAs, YWCAs, adult day care, child day care programs, pre-development expenses for housing projects, purchasing or enhancing computer systems, requests for purchasing vehicles, and requests for new building construction.
• No proposals are considered for retroactive funding of non-emergencies
  more >>