Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Family Foundation

Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Family Foundation

The Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Family Foundation was established in 1993 by the Smith family of Greenville, North Carolina. Eddie Smith Sr. built National Wholesale Company and Eddie Smith Jr. built Grady-White Boats; both operating businesses remain under family ownership. The foundation's grantmaking focuses on education, health, the environment, and human services within the state. Capital is deployed across public equities, private equity secondaries, and direct real-asset holdings. Confirmed positions include a stake in Equinix held through Safe Harbor Family Capital and limited-partner commitments to Willowridge Partners Amberbrook IX and Plexus Capital. Geographic exposure centers on North Carolina and the broader United States. The foundation also owns the Spencer Bay Tract, a 2,921-acre coastal property conserved with the NC Coastal Land Trust, and funded the Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Tower at ECU Health. The foundation reports 302 million dollars in assets. It maintains no additional offices. Adjacent vehicles include the family's 100 percent ownership of Grady-White Boats and Safe Harbor Family Capital LLC, the latter co-founded by the late Chris Smith. Eddie Smith Jr. serves as a trustee of the International Game Fish Association and past chair of The Rams Club. No operational events for the foundation itself have been recorded in the last 24 months. Investment decisions remain inside the family with Safe Harbor Family Capital providing advisory services since 2006. This keeps sourcing, allocation, and governance within a single ownership group rather than delegating to external managers or multi-family platforms.