To advance jurisprudence and the administration of justice through education and research; to support access to justice, legal education, and public understanding of the law.
The Iowa State Bar Foundation’s largest recent awards went to the Iowa State Bar Association, including $61,500 in 2025 and $60,000 in both 2023 and 2024 for funding. That repeat support points to a foundation that funds legal infrastructure as well as programmatic work across Iowa. Its stated mission is to advance jurisprudence and the administration of justice through education and research, with support directed toward access to justice, legal education, and public understanding of the law. Recent grant-supported programs show that scope in practical terms. The foundation backs Iowa Legal Aid, indicating sustained attention to civil legal services for people who need help with legal problems. It also supports the ISBA Center for Law & Civic Education’s Iowa Mock Trial Program, which serves middle school and high school students across the state. Other supported efforts include Know Your Constitution and family-law related services such as Kids First and the Iowa Center for Children’s Justice. The result is a funder that links legal aid, civic education, and youth-facing legal learning within a single statewide grantmaking pattern.
One clear strand of the Iowa State Bar Foundation’s grantmaking is civil legal aid. In 2025, it gave $10,000 to Iowa Legal Aid, one of the groups it supports for legal services tied to access to justice. Another recurring area is law and civic education. The foundation awarded $55,000 to the ISBA Center for Law & Civic Education for the Iowa Mock Trial Program, which serves middle school and high school students across Iowa. Family-law and child-focused legal services are also part of the portfolio. It provided $7,500 to Kids First Law Center for Early Neutral Evaluation and Child & Family Reporter services for divorcing and high-conflict families. For younger children, the Iowa Center for Children’s Justice received $5,000 for its divorce workshop program for children ages 6–16 whose parents have recently filed for divorce. The foundation also supports Know Your Constitution as a grant-supported program.
Typical awards are modest to mid-sized, with a p25 of $10,000, a median of $10,000, and a p75 of $60,000. The recent grant list shows repeated support to the same recipients across multiple years, including the Iowa State Bar Association, Iowa Legal Aid, and Cady Learning Center, which suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-time gifts. The foundation gives through an annual grants program and also supports named grant streams and programs. It accepts unsolicited applications for some active programs, including Iowa State Bar Foundation Annual Grants and Justice for All.
$100K
$3.3M
$363K
$171K
Most grants fall between $10K and $60K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$60K
GARY STREIT
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Grantmaking is entirely in Iowa: 100% of grants go to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state. Recent recipients include Des Moines-based organizations such as the Iowa State Bar Association, Cady Learning Center, and Iowa Legal Aid. The foundation also supports Muscatine Legal Services in Muscatine, showing that its awards extend beyond the capital city while remaining statewide in scope. The recipient-country distribution is exclusively U.S.-based.
It funds access to justice, legal education, and public understanding of the law. Recent program areas include civil legal services, children’s justice, law and civic education, mock trial, legal clinics, and pro se assistance.
Typical awards cluster around $10,000, with a p25 of $10,000, a median of $10,000, and a p75 of $60,000. Recent grants include both smaller program awards and larger funding awards.
Yes, for some programs. The Iowa State Bar Foundation Annual Grants program accepts unsolicited applications, and the Justice for All program also accepts unsolicited applications.
Iowa Legal Aid and Muscatine Legal Services are both supported grant streams tied to civil legal services and access to justice. The foundation also supports the Lavender Legal Center, which is listed as a grant-supported program.
Yes. It provided $55,000 to the ISBA Center for Law & Civic Education for the Iowa Mock Trial Program, and it supported Justice for All, a one-day program for female high school students from underrepresented populations considering legal careers.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Current and upcoming funding from Iowa State Bar Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Collaborative event involving The Iowa State Bar Association, the National Association of Women Judges, and Des Moines Public Schools; funding for the annual Justice for All event.
Deadline: Applications due February 25 (annual).
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IOWA STATE BAR ASSOCIATION | DES MOINES, IA | $65,000 | 2026 | FUNDING PROGRAMS |
| CADY LEARNING CENTER | DES MOINES, IA | $10,000 | 2026 | FUNDING |
| IOWA LEGAL AID | DES MOINES, IA | $10,000 | 2026 | FUNDING |
| KIDS FIRST LAW CENTER | CEDAR RAPIDS, IA | $7,500 | 2026 | FUNDING |
| NATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $7,500 | 2026 | FUNDING |
| IOWA STATE BAR ASSOCIATION | DES MOINES, IA | $61,500 | 2025 | FUNDING |
| IOWA LEGAL AID | DES MOINES, IA | $10,000 | 2025 | FUNDING |
| CADY LEARNING CENTER | DES MOINES, IA | $10,000 | 2025 | FUNDING |
| IOWA STATE BAR ASSOCIATION | DES MOINES, IA | $60,000 | 2024 | FUNDING |
| CADY LEARNING CENTER | DES MOINES, IA | $10,000 | 2024 | FUNDING |
| IOWA LEGAL AID | DES MOINES, IA | $10,000 | 2024 | FUNDING |
| IOWA STATE BAR ASSOCIATION | DES MOINES, IA | $60,000 | 2023 | FUNDING |
| IOWA LEGAL AID | DES MOINES, IA | $10,000 | 2023 | FUNDING |
IOWA STATE BAR ASSOCIATION
$65,000FUNDING PROGRAMS
CADY LEARNING CENTER
$10,000FUNDING
NATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION
$7,500FUNDING
IOWA STATE BAR ASSOCIATION
$61,500FUNDING
CADY LEARNING CENTER
$10,000FUNDING
IOWA STATE BAR ASSOCIATION
$60,000FUNDING
CADY LEARNING CENTER
$10,000FUNDING
IOWA STATE BAR ASSOCIATION
$60,000FUNDING
