The Smith Family Foundation is a private grant-making Institution, founded in Trenton, NJ in 2016. Our Mission is to Empower our community, Cultivate leaders and Transform lives by providing Funding and Leadership Development to Trenton based organization.

The family of eight — matriarch Pearlie Mae Smith and her seven adult children — didn’t throw away their winnings on expensive new houses or luxury sports cars or write checks willy-nilly to the dozens of long-lost friends and relatives who came out of the woodwork. Sure, they treated themselves, but from the beginning, they knew they wanted to do something meaningful with their newfound wealth. Since they chose the cash option, their prize came to about $284 million, split eight ways. The family members each gave a portion of their winnings to help start the Smith Family Foundation, a grantmaking fund with which they hope to give back and make a difference in their hometown of Trenton and elsewhere for years to come.