Charged with fundraising for Iowa State University by matching donors’ passions with university needs to support scholarships, faculty, facilities, research and student opportunities in service of the university's land‑grant ideals.
Iowa State University Foundation’s recent giving is defined by very large transfers to Iowa State University itself, including $165,625,651 in 2025, $119,331,142 in 2024, and $116,519,840 in 2023. That pattern shows a funder built to move major donor resources directly into the university’s priorities rather than to a broad external portfolio. The foundation’s stated role is to match donors’ passions with university needs in support of scholarships, faculty, facilities, research, and student opportunities tied to Iowa State’s land-grant mission. The foundation’s work touches multiple parts of campus life. Scholarships and student support sit alongside faculty support and professorships, research, capital projects, and student experiences such as study abroad and internships. It also supports veterinary and health-related programs. Its beneficiary base includes undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and researchers, university departments and academic units, and industry partners and regional economic stakeholders. Leadership is listed under Emily Hager, and the organization is classified as a regular funder.
Scholarships and student support are one of the core areas in the foundation’s portfolio. That emphasis appears in its stated focus on undergraduate and graduate scholarship recipients, student support, and student experiences such as study abroad and internships. Faculty support is another clear theme. The foundation backs faculty support and professorships, with beneficiary types that include faculty and researchers, plus university departments and academic units. Research funding is also part of the model, along with commercialization. The topic taxonomy points to research funding and commercialization, while the existing focus areas connect that work to university priorities and land-grant ideals. Capital projects and facilities round out the picture. The foundation’s focus areas include capital projects and facilities, and its stated purpose links donor gifts to university needs across the campus environment.
Typical grant size is unusually large: the 25th percentile is $117,925,491, the median is $119,331,142, and the 75th percentile is $142,478,396. Recent giving also shows repetition to the same recipient across consecutive years, with Iowa State University appearing in 2023, 2024, and 2025. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The grantmaking pattern is structured around donor-aligned gifts for university priorities rather than open solicitation.
$165.6M
$2B
$143.2M
$205.3M
Most grants fall between $117.9M and $142.5M, with a median of $119.3M.
25th Percentile
$117.9M
Median
$119.3M
75th Percentile
$142.5M
About 100% of grants go to recipients in IA.
EMILY HAGER
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Giving is entirely local and concentrated in Iowa. Every recorded grant in the recent sample went to a recipient in the United States, and 100% of grants were to recipients in the HQ state, Iowa. The recipient city that appears in the recent grants is Ames, with Iowa State University receiving the foundation’s largest three grants there across 2023, 2024, and 2025.
It supports Iowa State University priorities, including scholarships and student support, faculty support and professorships, research, capital projects and facilities, student experiences such as study abroad and internships, and veterinary and health-related programs.
The beneficiary groups named in the data include undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and researchers, university departments and academic units, and industry partners and regional economic stakeholders.
Its grants are very large. The 25th percentile is $117,925,491, the median is $119,331,142, and the 75th percentile is $142,478,396.
The recorded grant distribution is local, with 100% of grants going to recipients in Iowa. The recent grants listed are all to Iowa State University in Ames, IA.
Yes. Iowa State University appears in the recent grants list in 2023, 2024, and 2025, indicating repeated support over multiple years.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY | AMES, IA | $165,625,651 | 2025 | SEE PART IV |
| IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY | AMES, IA | $119,331,142 | 2024 | SEE PART IV |
| IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY | AMES, IA | $116,519,840 | 2023 | SEE PART IV |
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
$165,625,651SEE PART IV
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
$119,331,142SEE PART IV
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
$116,519,840SEE PART IV