Grant funders / Iowa / Higher Education
Higher Education Grant Funders in Iowa
914 foundations with a documented higher education focus have made grants to Iowa nonprofits in recent years, together directing $311.0M to organizations across the state. Below are the most active — every funder links to a full giving profile, and Bespoke Grants will match all 914 against your nonprofit's specific mission, for free.
914
Higher education funders
$311.0M
Given to Iowa nonprofits
13,654
Grants on record
2025
Most recent giving
Most active higher education funders in Iowa
| # | Funder | Based in | Total Iowa giving | Grants | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa Western Community College | Iowa | $29.8M | 8 | 2025 |
| 2 | Dmacc Foundation | Iowa | $25.6M | 7 | 2025 |
| 3 | Graceland College Center for Prof Dev & Lifelong Learning Inc | Kansas | $14.2M | 5 | 2024 |
| 4 | Greater Cedar Rapids Community | Iowa | $12.0M | 166 | 2024 |
| 5 | Heart of Iowa School Tuition | Iowa | $10.2M | 72 | 2024 |
| 6 | North Iowa Area Community College | Iowa | $9.9M | 7 | 2024 |
| 7 | Iowa College Foundation | Iowa | $9.7M | 188 | 2025 |
| 8 | Miller Endowment Incorporated | Iowa | $9.6M | 12 | 2025 |
| 9 | Roy J Carver Charitable Trust | Iowa | $8.3M | 185 | 2025 |
| 10 | The Bright Foundation | Iowa | $6.2M | 19 | 2025 |
| 11 | Community Fdn of Greater Des Moines | Iowa | $6.1M | 461 | 2024 |
| 12 | Sid and Carol Verdoorn Family Foundation | Arizona | $5.5M | 6 | 2024 |
| 13 | Iowa Measurement Research Foundation | Iowa | $5.0M | 8 | 2025 |
| 14 | United Way of Central Iowa | Iowa | $4.9M | 37 | 2025 |
| 15 | Peo Foundation | Iowa | $4.7M | 10 | 2025 |
This list is ranked by size. Yours should be ranked by fit.
The funders above are the biggest higher education funders in Iowa — not necessarily the right ones for you. Bespoke Grants ranks all 914 against your nonprofit's actual mission, service area, and budget, and shows you why each one matches. Free, no credit card.
Rank these funders for my nonprofit →Higher Education funders in other states
Other causes funded in Iowa
How this list is built. Bespoke Grants indexes 13M+ grants from public IRS Form 990 filings. This page shows foundations whose giving carries a documented higher education focus and that have funded Iowa nonprofits. Giving figures reflect each funder's total recent grants to Iowa recipients. IRS data publishes on a 1–2 year lag; figures are current through the most recent available filings.