Kirstin Smith
2026 Recipient of the Distinguished Award for Foundational Contributions
Every February, R CITY honors one person who has been influential to the work and growth of R CITY. Awarded at the Black History Celebration, R CITY's Distinguished Award for Foundational Contributions recognizes an individual whose work has been integral in the success of R CITY. This year's awardee is Kirstin Williams Smith.
Kirstin Williams Smith serves as a Senior Program Officer at the MIGMIR Fund, a faith-centered foundation committed to advancing equitable philanthropic investment across Chicago’s South and West Sides and the Global South. A Chicago native, she has championed community-centered development since 2007 through the intersection of public policy, education, and public health, expanding programs in underserved communities across Chicago, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Throughout her career, she has led the creation of workforce pipeline initiatives, managed state-level programs, directed seed funding to community-based organizations, and secured more than $55 million in grants supporting educational and equity-focused efforts. Kirstin earned her bachelor’s degree from Spelman College and her master’s degree in public policy from the University of Chicago’s Irving B. Harris School of Public Policy.
When we asked Kirstin if she would be open to being honored this year, she was hesitant, saying she was just doing her job, but doing her job well has brought growth, resources and flourishing to non-profits all around the city, including us. While R CITY has benefitted from grant funding through MIGMIR for Harambee since 2017, we have had the blessing to know Kirstin as she began her tenure at MIGMIR in 2022. Through her work there, she has recommended connections and resources during our leadership transition and for my own development as a young Executive Director and cared about very practical needs our organizations face as we do our work in an ever-changing world. It is apparent that the care, attention and networking skills she has brought to her relationship with R CITY are the same gifts that have been a blessing to so many organizations across Chicago and globally.