Pete and Sally Smith Foundation

Mission

To support charitable causes in the areas of education, environment, and medical research/disease management in Rhea County, Tennessee and Oconee County, South Carolina.

Annual application deadlines

June 30

Program areas

Education
Environment, animals
Health

Program limitations

The foundation primarily supports charitable causes in the areas of education, the environment, and medical research/disease management.

States served

South Carolina
Tennessee

Geographic limitations

Rhea County, Tennessee
Oconee County, South Carolina

Trustees

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.

The foundation primarily supports charitable causes in the areas of education, the environment, and medical research/disease management in Rhea County, Tennessee and Oconee County, South Carolina.

Requirements

• To be eligible, organizations must qualify as exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Limitations

The foundation intends to limit the number of grants awarded each year to ensure that the grant amounts are meaningful to the scope of the selected projects.

The foundation typically does not fund requests for:

• Operational support
• Multi-year grants

The foundation does not fund requests for foreign grants.

Grantmaking priorities

Preference may be given to requests for the following:

• Funds will be directed to scholarship programs and/or educational programming in the areas of Hospitality, Culinary, Horticulture, Landscaping, Entrepreneurship, Math and Liberal Arts. Education funding may be directed to K-12, technical schools and/or undergraduate programs.
• Funds will be directed to land conservation, wetlands protection including habitats for wildlife, ornithological protection, public site improvements and beautification efforts such as for public parks and marina-based sites. Municipal entities and/or non-profits that focus on these areas will be considered.
• Grants to research institutions that expend efforts in the areas of kidney disease and Alzheimer’s will be considered as well as entities that serve individuals afflicted with kidney disease and Alzheimer’s.

Annual application period and deadlines

Applications are accepted year-round. Applications must be submitted by June 30 to be reviewed at the annual grant meeting that occurs in September.

Communications

Applicants will receive an automated email confirming their submission. Grant decisions are generally communicated by October for applications received by the deadline.

Required agreements and reports

Except as otherwise specified when a grant is awarded, a progress report must be submitted within 6 months after receiving funds.

About the Foundation

Pete Smith was born in 1908, and Sally Smith was born in 1906. They both were originally from Michigan. Each completed undergraduate studies at Michigan State University, Pete with a degree in liberal arts and Sally with a degree in math. Pete went on to earn an MBA from Harvard University.

The majority of the couple’s working lives were spent in Tennessee in the area of Rhea County, where they operated the Watts Bar Resort for many years. The resort was located on property leased from the TVA. There were cabins on the property which had been renovated by the Smiths, and the resort operated from spring through fall. The Smiths also traveled extensively, and there was a game room at the resort featuring Pete’s safari trophies. The resort offered horseback riding, boating on the lake, fishing, and swimming, as well as an on-site restaurant. Landscaping was maintained at a high level, and bird feeders were provided. The Smiths were also car aficionados.

The Smiths spent their later years in Seneca, SC (Oconee County) where they were closer to some of Sally’s family, one of whom suffered from Alzheimer’s. Pete Smith died in 1979 of kidney disease, and Sally Smith died in 1992.