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Foundations that fund nonprofits in Iowa
In the IRS filings in CivicVane's data (tax years 2021–2025), 4,692 grantmakers listed 36,091 grants totaling $1.2 billion to 12,546 organizations in Iowa. 4,244 of them are private foundations reporting on Form 990-PF and 448 are grantmaking public charities, such as community foundations, reporting on Form 990 Schedule I. 709 are based in Iowa; the rest give in from other states.
The median grant to a Iowa organization was $5,000. Polk County received the most grants (6,133, from 993 funders), followed by Linn County (1,999) and Johnson County (1,716). Matching grant purposes and recipient names to cause areas, the most common were education & literacy (4,874 grants), children & youth (2,632 grants) and health & mental health (2,005 grants).
New Charitable Foundation (Fort Dodge, IA) funded the most different Iowa organizations: 435, through 637 grants with a typical size of $500.
The 15 grantmakers that funded the most Iowa organizations
Ranked by the number of different Iowa organizations each funded in its filings for tax years 2021–2025. Typical grant = median of those grants. Donor-advised fund sponsors, workplace-giving and matching-gift programs are left out.
| # | Funder | Grants to IA organizations | Organizations funded | Typical grant | Most recent tax year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Charitable Foundation Fort Dodge, IA · EIN 45-2633915 | 637 | 435 | $500 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 2 | Land O'lakes Foundation St Paul, MN · EIN 41-1864977 | 441 | 310 | $1,250 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 3 | Pella Rolscreen Foundation Pella, IA · EIN 23-7043881 | 448 | 290 | $1,150 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 4 | Iowa Health Care Association Foundation West Des Moines, IA · EIN 42-1326564 | 287 | 287 | $9,150 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 5 | First Interstate BancSystem Foundation Inc Billings, MT · EIN 81-0465899 | 276 | 232 | $2,500 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 6 | Lsb Foundation Reinbeck, IA · EIN 20-1653464 | 386 | 191 | $1,200 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 7 | Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque Dubuque, IA · EIN 42-1526614 | 188 | 187 | $14,135 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 8 | First Citizens Bank Charitable Foundation Mason City, IA · EIN 42-1451615 | 226 | 177 | $2,750 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 9 | Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation Cedar Rapids, IA · EIN 42-6053860 | 167 | 167 | $20,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 10 | Max and Helen Guernsey Charitable Foundation Cedar Falls, IA · EIN 42-1460664 | 255 | 157 | $20,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 11 | Vermeer Charitable Foundation Pella, IA · EIN 42-1087640 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 218 | 140 | $5,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 12 | Ef & Sylvia Schildberg Foundation Greenfield, IA · EIN 42-1282794 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 206 | 139 | $2,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 13 | Quad Cities Community Foundation Bettendorf, IA · EIN 42-6122716 | 139 | 139 | $16,150 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 14 | The West Bancorporation Foundation Inc West Des Moines, IA · EIN 20-0523259 | 258 | 134 | $2,500 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 15 | Spahn & Rose Lumber Co Charitable Fdtn Dubuque, IA · EIN 42-6234027 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 206 | 124 | $1,500 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
Counties with the most grants
| County | Grants | Funders | Total listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County | 6,133 | 993 | $215.9 million | Top 5 funders |
| Linn County | 1,999 | 350 | $67.0 million | Top 5 funders |
| Johnson County | 1,716 | 509 | $66.3 million | Top 5 funders |
| Dubuque County | 1,701 | 261 | $61.7 million | Top 5 funders |
| Black Hawk County | 1,375 | 150 | $37.4 million | Top 5 funders |
| Scott County | 1,197 | 262 | $25.5 million | Top 5 funders |
| Cerro Gordo County | 1,030 | 77 | $15.6 million | Top 5 funders |
| Woodbury County | 917 | 163 | $31.5 million | Top 5 funders |
| Story County | 843 | 310 | $47.2 million | Top 5 funders |
| Marion County | 769 | 93 | $27.2 million | Top 5 funders |
County = where the recipient's ZIP code is.
Cause areas
Grants whose purpose or recipient name, as filed, contains keywords for each cause area. A grant can match more than one, and many grants (such as "general support") match none.
| Cause area | Grants matched | |
|---|---|---|
| Education & literacy | 4,874 | Top 5 funders |
| Children & youth | 2,632 | Top 5 funders |
| Health & mental health | 2,005 | Top 5 funders |
| Arts & culture | 1,696 | Top 5 funders |
| Environment & conservation | 1,267 | Top 5 funders |
| Food & hunger | 1,263 | Top 5 funders |
| Basic needs & anti-poverty | 822 | Top 5 funders |
| Housing & homelessness | 771 | Top 5 funders |
| Animal welfare | 712 | Top 5 funders |
| Older adults | 298 | Top 5 funders |
| Disability | 290 | Top 5 funders |
| Jobs & workforce | 133 | Top 5 funders |
| Immigrants & refugees | 93 | Top 5 funders |
Want the funders that fit your organization? Grant Prospect Report, $149
Tell us your mission, county and budget. You get at least 20 ranked funders that give in your service area, ranked by fit with your mission and budget, with each one's contact, deadlines and application rules as filed with the IRS, plus matching federal opportunities from Grants.gov. PDF by email within 2 business days of payment and a complete order form.
Order a Prospect Report for Iowa ($149) See a full sampleSource: grant lists on IRS Form 990-PF (private foundations) and Form 990 Schedule I (grantmaking public charities) from the IRS e-file releases of 2024 to 2026, tax years 2021–2025, one filing per funder and tax year. Filings are often one to two years old, and a past grant doesn't mean a funder will accept your application or fund you. CivicVane is not affiliated with any funder listed.