Student Impact Grant


Student Impact Grants provide funding for a variety of University of Iowa undergraduate and graduate student activities outside the classroom, such as research, travel, and service projects. The goal is to enable students to pursue opportunities that might not otherwise be possible without financial assistance.

The President's Office has generously allocated $7,000 per semester to help enhance the student experience through these grants. The designated funds come from generous philanthropic gifts made by alumni and friends who have chosen to provide unrestricted support to the university.

Grants are awarded twice a year. Applications are typically accepted for the summer/fall semester beginning in January and for the winter/spring semester beginning in September.

The grants are made possible by a partnership between the Office of the President and Student Advancement Network (SAN).

GRANT GUIDELINES

Award Application Process

Applications will be considered for funding based on the timeline below. An online form will be available for students and student groups to use when the application period opens. A maximum of $7,000 in total grants will be awarded. Grant amounts will range from $100-$1,000 awards.

Summer and Fall 2024 Semester Award

  • January 16: Application opens
  • Feburary 16: Application deadline (5 p.m. CST)
  • April 12: Grant recipients will be notified about funding requests for the summer or fall semester.
  • April 22: Signed recipient agreement form due
  • April 23: Winter 2023/spring 2024 grant recipient presentations detailing how the funds were used and how the grant impacted the recipient’s Iowa experience. This event is open to the public.
  • May 13: Award transfers/payments for summer projects
  • August 23: Award transfers/payments for fall projects
  • December 3: Summer/fall 2024 grant recipient presentations detailing how the funds were used and how the grant impacted the recipient’s Iowa experience. This event is open to the public.

Student Eligibility Requirements

  • Applicants must be enrolled full-time as a University of Iowa undergraduate or graduate student for the spring 2024 semester and be in good standing as defined in the University of Iowa Code of Student Life.
  • Student groups or organizations must be recognized by the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership or by a University of Iowa department.
  • If your program is funded in full by other programs or funding methods your program is not eligible.
  • Program/experience must abide by all university guidelines. Grant funding does not permit activities that conflict with these guidelines.
  • Program/experience must abide by all university research guidelines. Grant funding does not permit activities that conflict with Institutional Review Board (IRB) guidelines. Funding does not provide IRB permission for the project.
  • Funding requests must be shown to improve or enhance the student experience and may not be used to reimburse research subjects. Recipients will share about this outcome during a biannual Student Impact Grant Presentation event.
  • Once a student receives a grant, they are not eligible for another University of Iowa Center for Advancement student grant within the next three years.
  • Grants are not renewable.
  • Recipients must present during the summer/fall grant recipient presentation detailing how the funds were used and how their Iowa experience was enhanced because of this award. Presentations will be held on Dec. 3, 2024.

Review Process

Members of the University of Iowa Student Advancement Network will review all submissions and make a recommendation. A University of Iowa Center for Advancement employee will oversee the scoring and review process. After review, recommendations will be sent to the Office of the President, which will make the final decision on all grant awards.

Awardees will then be notified of their selection to receive a grant, and payment will be provided by the Office of the President through a transfer to the student's U-Bill or student organization's account. The University of Iowa Office of Student Financial Aid will be consulted to ensure that funding does not affect other financial aid that a student may receive.

If you have questions, please contact Tegan Donahue at Tegan.Donahue@foriowa.org.

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Chad Andrews supports patients at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children?s Hospital through running marathons, annual gifts, and estate plans. PHOTO Courtesy of Chad Andrews Monica Boeckenstedt and Chad Andrews Chad Andrews?(96BA) started running more than a decade ago to relieve stress. ?Once I started, I would go a little bit farther every night,? says Andrews. ?Before I knew it, I was running a few miles a day and decided to run a marathon.? Andrews wanted to run the Chicago Marathon, but he had missed the deadline to gain entry for the 2011 race. He could, however, secure a spot in the 26.2-mile trek by fundraising and running on behalf of a charity or nonprofit. Andrews, of Coralville, Iowa, chose University of Iowa Dance Marathon and started to train with UI students twice a week. ?These students are so dedicated to Dance Marathon and raising money for others?even in the midst of carrying a full academic workload, being involved in student organizations, and, in some cases, working to pay their way through school,? says Andrews, who studied psychology at Iowa and earned an MBA before transitioning to a career in financial services. ?I was impressed by the caliber of students representing Dance Marathon, and their excitement and dedication prompted me to continue to do more.? While he and his fianc?e,?Monica Boeckenstedt, have supported patients at University of Iowa Stead Family Children?s Hospital through their annual gifts, they are also planning to support pediatric and young patients through their estate plans. Through a?bequest, they aim to extend their support further for UI Dance Marathon, UI Stead Family Department of Pediatrics/Hematology and Oncology, and the Adolescent and Young Adult Program. PHOTO Courtesy of Chad Andrews ?Through my work as a financial adviser at Raymond James Financial Services, I advise people, professionally, to plan for the future?so it?s good to practice what you preach,? says Andrews. ?During the COVID pandemic, I put a comprehensive estate plan in place, and part of that process was identifying organizations that I want to support. Dance Marathon has been a good steward of my past donations, and I like the idea that students make the decisions on what to do with the money that is raised.? While Andrews worked in college at what is now known as UI Stead Family Children?s Hospital?and liked the idea of further supporting work that helps the Hawkeye State?s most vulnerable patients?his reasons for supporting the Adolescent and Young Adult Program hit much closer to home. He?s friends with and was a neighbor to Iowa men?s basketball head coach?Fran McCaffery?and?Margaret McCaffery, whose son,?Patrick, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2014. ?I learned that patients like Patrick have unique needs, and those needs are not often met the way they should be,? says Andrews. ?You don?t treat teenage cancer patients like a younger child, but they?re also not adults. What interested me in the Adolescent and Young Adult Program was that there are few like it, and I like the idea of being on the cutting edge and helping support something that is unique. ?At the end of the day, you want to help people who need it?that?s why I support Iowa.? Learn how you can make a difference at the University of Iowa. Contact Susan J. Hagan, JD at 319-335-3305 or?susan.hagan@foriowa.org.

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