The Smith Richardson Foundation is a private foundation based in

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that supports policy research in the realms of foreign and domestic public policy. According to the foundation's website, its mission is "to contribute to important public debates and to address serious public policy challenges facing the United States. The Foundation seeks to help ensure the vitality of our social, economic, and governmental institutions. It also seeks to assist with the development of effective policies to compete internationally and to advance U.S. interests and values abroad."

History

The Smith Richardson Foundation was established in 1935 by H. Smith Richardson Sr. and his wife Grace Jones Richardson. Richardson transformed the

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, a firm created by his father, Lunsford Richardson, into one of the leading over-the-counter drug companies in the world. In later years, Richardson-Vicks also became a major force in the market for prescription drugs as well as a wide range of consumer products. In 1985, the Richardson family sold the company to

Procter & Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer he ...

. In 1973, R. Randolph Richardson assumed the presidency of the Foundation. Richardson was particularly interested in supporting free-market and pro-democratic causes. During his tenure as president, the Foundation played an important role in supporting think tanks and scholars who were active in public policy debates over issues such as defense policy, tax policy, education reform, and regulation. The Foundation also supported pro-democracy organizations in Central and Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, and Central and South America. In 1992, Peter L. Richardson, a nephew of R. Randolph Richardson, assumed the presidency of the Foundation, while

Heather Higgins Heather Richardson Higgins (born September 21, 1959) is an American businesswoman, political commentator, and non-profit sector executive. She is the CEO of Independent Women's Voice and chairman of its sister organization, Independent Women's F ...

, the daughter of R. Randolph Richardson, became president of the

Randolph Foundation The Randolph Foundation is a New York-based charitable foundation that first operated in 1972 as the H. Smith Richardson Charitable Trust. It transitioned to independence from the Smith Richardson Foundation, assuming the name of The Randolph Found ...

Assets and grant making

At the end of 2013, the foundation had assets totaling $521,570,780 according to its federal tax return. During that year, it awarded a total of 411 grants totaling $20,695,903 . SRF has awarded grants to major think tanks and university research centers. Some of the foundation's major grantees include the following: * American Enterprise Institute *

Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution, often stylized as simply Brookings, is an American research group founded in 1916. Located on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., the organization conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in e ...

* Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments * Center for Strategic and International Studies *

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is a nonprofit organization that is independent and nonpartisan. CFR is based in New York Ci ...

* Center on Irregular Warfare and Armed Groups *

Freedom House Freedom House is a non-profit, majority U.S. government funded organization in Washington, D.C., that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom, and human rights. Freedom House was founded in October 1941, and Wendell Wi ...

* Hudson Institute * National Institute for Public Policy *

Nonproliferation Policy Education Center The Nonproliferation Policy Education Center (NPEC) is an American nonpartisan think tank founded in 1994 to educate policymakers, the media, and academics about how to control the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). NPEC's p ...

* Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins * Pepperdine University *

RAND Corporation The RAND Corporation (from the phrase "research and development") is an American nonprofit global policy think tank created in 1948 by Douglas Aircraft Company to offer research and analysis to the United States Armed Forces. It is financ ...

* Urban Institute * Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Trustees and officers

;Trustees * Peter L. Richardson, Chairman of the Board * Stuart S. Richardson, Vice Chair * Marin J. Strmecki Sr. V.P. and Dir., Progs. * Ross F. Hemphill, V.P. and C.F.O. * Arvid R. Nelson *, Secy. and Gov. * Michael Blair * W. Winburne King, III * Adele Richardson Ray * Lunsford Richardson Jr. * E. William Stetson III

References

{{Authority control Anti-communist organizations in the United States Political and economic research foundations in the United States