$109,826,906 granted in the past
The Helen Macpherson Smith Trust was originally endowed with £275,000 ($550,000) in 1951. By June 2015, this had grown and generated sufficient income to allow the Trustees to approve $109.83m in grants.
The astute investment and management of Helen’s original bequest has enabled HMSTrust to approve average annual grants totalling more than $5 million over the past 15 years.
By June 2015, 4,556 grants totalling $109,826,906 had been approved by the trustees. Adjusting for inflation, this has the equivalent buying power today of $164 million.
Helen’s personal philanthropy has guided HMSTrust’s grantmaking strategy from its earliest beginnings. Helen M. Schutt appears regularly in the listings of charitable donations made to various causes in The Age and The Argus newspapers from 1916 to 1944. Helen’s commitment to health, children, disadvantaged, regional Victoria and community renewal are reflected throughout HMSTrust’s grantmaking history.
Helen Macpherson Smith’s spirit of generosity has touched countless Victorians over the last six decades and will continue to do so in perpetuity. Hers is a truly amazing legacy.