Our Story

Built for This Moment —
Where Literacy, Technology, and Community Converge.

Mission Statement

Founding Story

J Merrill Foundation was founded by Jackie Smith Jr. as the community impact layer of J Merrill One — a multi-brand enterprise spanning publishing, financial services, media production, and faith-based operations. From the beginning, the Foundation was designed to be intentionally broad in its mission scope. Literacy, in all its forms, was the anchor.

The Foundation's earliest programming began with the Thanksgiving meal program in partnership with the Byron Saunders Foundation, grew to include ESL classes and Mid-Ohio Food Bank volunteering, and reached its highest expression with the Chillicothe 8th Grade publishing project — where students became published authors.

Through board changes and the disruption of COVID-19, the Foundation paused. In 2025, it is relaunching — not as a restart, but as a maturation. The programs are proven. The technology is live. The mission is clearer than ever.

Our Position in J Merrill One

The Foundation is the Community Impact Operating Layer of J Merrill One — the enterprise that also includes J Merrill Publishing, J Merrill Financial, J Merrill Productions, and Agape International Cathedral. Every Foundation program connects to this broader ecosystem.

The Foundation holds the Microsoft nonprofit technology grant that powers the entire J Merrill One enterprise — including Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Azure, and Microsoft 365. This is not a small nonprofit scraping for technology access. It is a literacy-centered infrastructure platform operating on enterprise tooling.

Leadership