Foundations that fund organizations in Ames, Iowa
Worked out from where the grants went, not where the foundations sit.
Funding landscape for Ames nonprofits
312 private foundations gave $21M to Ames organizations in their latest filings; 36 of the 100 that say either way accept applications.
480 grants in total, with a typical foundation's median grant to Ames around $50K. 39 of these funders are based in Iowa; the rest give here from elsewhere.
- Foundations giving here
- 312
- Accept applications
- 36
- of 100 that state a policy
- Dollars to Ames
- $21M
- latest filings
- Grants
- 480
- Typical median grant
- $50K
- Based in IA
- 39%
- of funders listed
Funders, by dollars given to Ames organizations
| Foundation | Based in | Grants here | Dollars here | Median | Accepts applications | Typical purposes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C Richard Stark Jr & Joan E Stark Foundation | Fort Dodge, IA | 1 | $2.4M | $2.4M | Preselected only | Support for the University |
| Roy J Carver Charitable Trust | Muscatine, IA | 9 | $2.3M | $150K | Yes | Carver statewide scholarship program; Investigate how immune cells regulat; Improve the effectiveness of an exis |
| Dolezal Charitable Trust | Cedar Rapids, IA | 1 | $2.0M | $2.0M | Preselected only | Scholarship distribution |
| Builders Vision Foundation | Chicago, IL | 2 | $1.2M | $578K | Preselected only | to support a project focused on learning opportunities for…; to support educational opportunities for beginning farmers… |
| The Smith Family Foundation | Houston, TX | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Preselected only | Scholarship |
| Gates Foundation | Seattle, WA | 1 | $926K | $926K | Yes | Agricultural development |
| The Bright Foundation | Des Moines, IA | 1 | $904K | $904K | Preselected only | Scholarships |
| Walton Family Foundation Inc | Bentonville, AR | 2 | $784K | $392K | Preselected only | To support efforts to encourage broad-scale adoption of reg…; To support farmer adoption of extended crop rotations and c… |
| The Gerdin Charitable Foundation | North Liberty, IA | 2 | $550K | $275K | Preselected only | General operating fund; Tahira k. hira professorship fund support |
| Underwood Family Foundation | Ames, IA | 17 | $546K | $3,000 | Preselected only | Operational |
| Therkildsen Charitable Foundation C/O John L Riesbeck | Naperville, IL | 1 | $416K | $416K | Preselected only | Charitiable contribution |
| Reiman Foundation Inc | Pewaukee, WI | 2 | $314K | $157K | Preselected only | General Operations |
| Robert and Arlene Hamilton Family Charitable Foundation | Ankeny, IA | 1 | $300K | $300K | Preselected only | Agriculture Endowment |
| The McKnight Foundation | Minneapolis, MN | 2 | $250K | $125K | Yes | for general operating support; to empower farmers to educate other farmers and policymaker… |
| Margaret Ruth Boys Charitable Foundation | Des Moines, IA | 1 | $240K | $240K | Preselected only | Charitable Purposes |
| Burke Family Foundation | Ames, IA | 13 | $230K | $10K | Preselected only | General operating support; Winter wear program; Bethesda food pantry |
| The Roderick S Flossie R& Helen M Galloway Foundation | Sandy Springs, GA | 1 | $200K | $200K | Preselected only | Charitable contribution |
| Ana and Ed McCracken Foundation Co Edward R McCracken | Ames, IA | 3 | $193K | $2,500 | Preselected only | To Support Educational Programs; To Support Arts & Humanities; To Support Community Programs |
| Stoller Foundation | Houston, TX | 1 | $184K | $184K | Yes | Discretionary grant |
| Cedar Tree Foundation | Boston, MA | 1 | $175K | $175K | Preselected only | Project support for promoting regenerative grazing |
| Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment | Boston, MA | 1 | $150K | $150K | Preselected only | Climate science & policy research |
| Reginald R and Jameson a Baxter Foundation | North Palm Beach, FL | 1 | $150K | $150K | Preselected only | General |
| Yule Educational Tuw | St Louis, MO | 1 | $143K | $143K | Yes | General operating |
| Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation Inc | Stamford, CT | 1 | $138K | $138K | Preselected only | Conservation |
| Bergstrom Foundation | Key Colony Beach, FL | 1 | $137K | $137K | Preselected only | General operating support - education |
| The Bergstrom Family Foundation | The Woodlands, TX | 1 | $130K | $130K | Preselected only | Isu cyclone club / operating fund |
| Lawson Family Charitable Foundation C/O John K Lawson | Fort Myers, FL | 2 | $129K | $65K | Preselected only | Educational opportunities; Greater university fund |
| Lohse Family Foundation | Bondurant, IA | 1 | $125K | $125K | Preselected only | General operating fund |
| Sehgal Foundation | Des Moines, IA | 1 | $125K | $125K | Preselected only | Support the charitable purpose of positively impacting the… |
| Valentine Hammes Family & Leopold | Madison, MN | 1 | $124K | $124K | Preselected only | Scholarships |
| Margaret B Barry Foundation | West Des Moines, IA | 1 | $116K | $116K | Preselected only | Cancer Research |
| The Schmidt Family Foundation | Palo Alto, CA | 1 | $115K | $115K | Yes | Encouraging a just transition away from fossil fuels |
| William Randolph Hearst Foundation | New York, NY | 2 | $101K | $51K | Yes | To support farmer led education programs; JAP scholarship |
| Constance L French Charitable Foundation Trust | Waukee, IA | 1 | $100K | $100K | Preselected only | Unrestricted gift - general support |
| Bobbie and Stanton Cook Family Foundation | Winnetka, IL | 1 | $100K | $100K | Preselected only | Stanton cook scholarship in veterinary medicine |
| Paul and Julie Maass Family Foundation | Omaha, NE | 2 | $100K | $50K | Preselected only | Charitable |
| Dan and Joanie Houston Foundation | West Des Moines, IA | 2 | $100K | $50K | Preselected only | Community |
| Chs Foundation | Inver Grove Heights, MN | 2 | $97K | $49K | Yes | Growing the future nurturing digital agriculture students; 2025/26 university partner program |
| Kao Family Foundation | Olathe, KS | 1 | $94K | $94K | Preselected only | Organization's general charitable purposes |
| Hormel Foods Corporation Charitable Trust | Austin, MN | 1 | $90K | $90K | Preselected only | Community support |
| Sawyerjg & Georgalee SF Fbo Isu | Dewey, OK | 1 | $89K | $89K | Preselected only | Education |
| Duane Hinkle Charitable Foundation | Eagan, MN | 1 | $86K | $86K | Preselected only | Duane hinkle agriculture |
| State Historical Society Inc Trust | North Liberty, IA | 2 | $85K | $43K | Preselected only | Speakers bureau; General operating |
| The Simons Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 10 | $84K | $8,400 | Preselected only | Discrete gene regulatory network models and computational h…; Extremal combinatorics on graphs and posets; Applications of representation theory in harmonic analysis |
| Chubb Charitable Foundation | Philadelphia, PA | 8 | $80K | $6,425 | Yes | Matching Gifts |
| Stranahan Foundation | Perrysburg, OH | 1 | $80K | $80K | Preselected only | Regenerating iowas communities through fruit and vegetable… |
| John R Wright and Eloise Mountain Wright Foundation | Houston, TX | 2 | $80K | $40K | Preselected only | Jrw civil engineering endowed scholarship fund support; Jrw-emw endowed engineering scholarship fund support |
| Alexander and Eva Nemeth Foundation Inc | San Marcos, CA | 1 | $75K | $75K | Preselected only | Endowment grant for veterinaryscholarships |
| Macdonald Family Foundation C/O San Pasqual Fiduciary Trust | Los Angeles, CA | 1 | $74K | $74K | Preselected only | General charitable purposes |
| G Robert Muchemore Foundation | Omaha, NE | 1 | $73K | $73K | Preselected only | Scholarships |
| Bw and Jean Griffith Scholarship Tr | St Louis, MO | 8 | $70K | $9,000 | Yes | Scholarship |
| Sulentic Family Foundation | Wilmington, DE | 1 | $60K | $60K | Preselected only | the Sulentic Family Success Grant Fund and to the College o… |
| Carlson Family Foundation | Urbandale, IA | 1 | $60K | $60K | Preselected only | General fund |
| Daniel J & Ann L Krumm Charitable Trus | Ames, IA | 2 | $60K | $30K | Yes | General support |
| Laura and John Arnold Foundation | Houston, TX | 1 | $58K | $58K | Preselected only | To fund a randomized controlled trial of the promoting scho… |
| Research Corporation Dba Research Corporation for Science Advancement | Tucson, AZ | 1 | $55K | $55K | Yes | The Mystery of Heavy Drinking: Exploring the Roots of Alcoh… |
| Emc Insurance Foundation | Des Moines, IA | 2 | $55K | $28K | Yes | For general support or for a capital fund drive of the resp… |
| Mount Saint Clare Education Charitable Trust | Clinton, IA | 1 | $53K | $53K | Preselected only | Scholarships |
| Stanley M Reinhaus Family Foundation | Tucson, AZ | 1 | $50K | $50K | Yes | Scholarship |
| The Sukup Family Foundation | Sheffield, IA | 1 | $50K | $50K | Preselected only | Charitable |
| Gwendolyn and Lucian L Hinecker Scholarship Trust | Marshalltown, IA | 1 | $50K | $50K | Yes | Scholarships |
| Charles Pankow Foundation | Pasadena, CA | 1 | $49K | $49K | Preselected only | Cpf research grant |
| Peterson Family Foundation Inc | Scottsdale, AZ | 1 | $49K | $49K | Preselected only | Health Care |
| James E Wigstone Scholarship Fund | Billings, MT | 4 | $49K | $15K | Yes | Scholarship |
| W D & Shirley Schafer-Ray Educational Trust | Creston, IA | 1 | $48K | $48K | Preselected only | Scholarship |
| Bestenlehner D and F Educational Tr | St Louis, MO | 21 | $43K | $1,468 | Yes | Scholarship |
| O'Donovan Family Foundation | Grand Rapids, MI | 1 | $40K | $40K | Preselected only | Endowed scholarship |
| Olson Brothers Family Foundation | Hastings, NE | 1 | $39K | $39K | Preselected only | Supporting students in ag & food animal medicine |
| Orlan Snyder Charitable Trust | Independence, IA | 1 | $38K | $38K | Preselected only | Contribution to scholarship fund |
| Pella Rolscreen Foundation C/O Pella Corporation | Pella, IA | 2 | $37K | $18K | Yes | General operations; Scholarships |
| Schlichting Fred W Tw | St Louis, MO | 5 | $37K | $7,300 | Yes | Scholarship |
| First Interstate Bancsystem Foundation Inc | Billings, MT | 2 | $36K | $18K | Yes | General Operating Support |
| Walker Family Foundation | Tonka Bay, MN | 1 | $35K | $35K | Preselected only | General operations |
| Dilworth Lloyd and Helen Fdn Tua | St Louis, MO | 1 | $35K | $35K | Yes | General operating |
| Barbara Sawyer Charitable Trust C/O Glenwood State Bank | Glenwood, IA | 1 | $35K | $35K | Yes | Scholarship |
| Texas Instruments Foundation | Dallas, TX | 2 | $33K | $17K | Yes | Donations to colleges, universities and other organizations… |
| The Growmark Foundation | Bloomington, IL | 2 | $33K | $16K | Preselected only | For support of agricultural activities; For support of education |
| Alliant Energy Foundation Inc | Madison, WI | 8 | $30K | $1,571 | Yes | Matching gift; Iowa stem support |
| Clif Family Foundation | St Helena, CA | 1 | $30K | $30K | Yes | Transform Food Systems |
| Farrer Endowment Foundation | Mason City, IA | 1 | $30K | $30K | Yes | Continuing educationstaff development |
| Richard McConnell Family Foundation | Johnston, IA | 1 | $28K | $28K | Preselected only | Operating fund |
| Vermeer Charitable Foundation | Pella, IA | 3 | $26K | $10K | Preselected only | Charitable; Education |
| Hansen-Furnas Foundation Inc | Batavia, IL | 1 | $25K | $25K | Yes | Scholarships |
| John Ruan Foundation Trust | Urbandale, IA | 1 | $25K | $25K | Yes | Schools, Colleges and Related Activities |
| The Dean Witter Foundation C/O Kramer Blum and Associates | San Rafael, CA | 1 | $25K | $25K | Yes | For sowing biodiversity: empowering small-scale farmers to… |
| All Creatures Considered Foundation | Carroll, IA | 1 | $25K | $25K | Yes | Research |
| Burns-Donovan Foundation | Ames, IA | 2 | $25K | $13K | Preselected only | Religious education; Religous education |
| Frederick Schleiter Trust | Eagan, MN | 1 | $25K | $25K | Preselected only | General operating |
| The Eagle Foundation | Chaska, MN | 1 | $23K | $23K | Yes | Tuition reduction |
| Athene Charitable Foundation | West Des Moines, IA | 2 | $22K | $11K | Yes | Civic & community |
| Deb & Bob Pulver Foundation | West Des Moines, IA | 1 | $21K | $21K | Preselected only | General operating budget |
| Domanada Foundation | Wheaton, IL | 1 | $20K | $20K | Yes | Charitable purpose |
| The Pilgrim Foundation | Wilmington, DE | 1 | $20K | $20K | Preselected only | General & Unrestricted |
| Risdal Family Charitable Foundation | Gilbert, IA | 3 | $19K | $5,000 | Yes | Contribution |
| Campbell Family Foundation US Bank Na | Eagan, MN | 1 | $18K | $18K | Preselected only | General |
| R & R Realty Group Foundation | West Des Moines, IA | 1 | $17K | $17K | Preselected only | Ivy college of business |
| Krumm Family Foundation | Ames, IA | 5 | $16K | $1,000 | Preselected only | General support |
| Agva Foundation | Mason City, IA | 2 | $15K | $7,500 | Yes | Food donation; Supporting research |
| Patagoniaorg | Ventura, CA | 1 | $15K | $15K | Preselected only | To support environmental projects. |
| Wright Service Corp Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation | West Des Moines, IA | 1 | $15K | $15K | Yes | Sustainable farming education |
Source: IRS Form 990-PF Part XV, latest electronic return per foundation (2026-10-28). "Accepts applications" reflects the foundation's own checkbox on Part XV line 2. Grants to individuals excluded.
Common questions
Which foundations give to nonprofits in Ames, Iowa?
C Richard Stark Jr & Joan E Stark Foundation, Roy J Carver Charitable Trust, Dolezal Charitable Trust, Builders Vision Foundation, The Smith Family Foundation and 95 others reported grants to Ames organizations on their latest Form 990-PF.
How do I approach a foundation that doesn't accept applications?
A foundation that checks "contributes only to preselected organizations" on its 990-PF won't review a cold proposal. Look at who it funds, find a shared board member, grantee or advisor, and ask for an introduction. Foundations that accept applications usually list a contact and deadlines in Part XV; we show that text on each foundation's page.
Is this list complete?
No. It covers private foundations (Form 990-PF filers) whose latest electronic return lists at least one grant to an organization in Ames. Community foundations and corporate giving programs file different forms and are not included yet.