Edwin T Meredith Foundation
The Edwin T Meredith Foundation is a private foundation based in Des Moines, Iowa. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including educational institutions and organizations with civic and cultural, health, and religious purposes.
Edwin T Meredith Foundation at a glance
In short: Edwin T Meredith Foundation gave $1.4M across 19 grants in 2024 (avg $73K), mostly in Iowa. 26% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,386,000
- +4.3% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 19
- +35.7% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $72,947
- -23.2% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $22,653,412
- +0.9% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 26% first-time grantees (5 of 19, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Iowa (70% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Edwin T Meredith Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 3106 Ingersoll Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312
Phone: (515) 284-2096
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Edwin T Meredith Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Drake University ($400K). Together the top 10 received $1.3M.
Grant Size Distribution
81 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 50 grants of 81 (62%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 70% of grant dollars went to recipients in Iowa, 18% to Wyoming, 7% to Florida, 4% to Colorado, and 1% to the District of Columbia.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Edwin T Meredith Foundation open to new grantees?
26%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 5 of 19 grantees (26%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $28K; repeat grants $89K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 68% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving fell 24% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 103% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $897K (2019) to $1.8M (2021). In 2024 it made 19 grants totaling $1.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Drake University Des Moines, IA | Educational | $400,000 |
| Science Center of Iowa Des Moines, IA | Civic and Cultural | $275,000 |
| The Brinton Museum Big Horn, WY | Civic and Cultural | $212,000 |
| Boys and Girls Club of Central Iowa Des Moines, IA | Civic and Cultural | $175,000 |
| Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquar Sarasota, FL | Civic and Cultural | $100,000 |
| Invisible Wounds Fdn Parker, CO | Health and Religion | $50,000 |
| Broadlawns Medical Ctr Des Moines, IA | Health and Religion | $50,000 |
| Food Bank of Iowa Des Moines, IA | Health and Religion | $25,000 |
| Wyoming Agriculture in the Classroo Cheyenne, WY | Educational | $20,000 |
| DCHS Annual Appeal West Des Moines, IA | Educational | $10,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $22,653,412 | $1,715,345 | $1,506,686 | $1,386,000 | 19 | $1,392,577 | $1,601,236 | $1,345,569 |
| 2023 | $22,443,616 | $1,161,146 | $1,423,831 | $1,329,000 | 14 | $1,335,402 | $1,072,717 | $1,219,677 |
| 2022 | $22,687,768 | $312,454 | $1,511,232 | $1,294,000 | 15 | $1,299,800 | $260,701 | $1,134,209 |
| 2021 | $23,891,795 | $12,267,034 | $1,858,080 | $1,816,500 | 15 | $1,820,936 | $12,229,895 | $1,091,613 |
| 2020 | $13,482,841 | $303,629 | $1,163,785 | $1,095,000 | 18 | — | $267,296 | $946,499 |
| 2019 | $14,342,997 | $1,280,413 | $957,904 | $896,500 | 18 | — | $1,244,743 | $1,175,212 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Edwin T Meredith Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.3M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s own mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2024 grants went to organizations whose reported purposes included education, civic and cultural activities, and health and religion. For example, Drake University says its mission is to prepare students for meaningful personal lives, professional accomplishments, and responsible global citizenship; the Science Center of Iowa says it engages and inspires Iowans in lifelong science learning; and Mote Marine Laboratory describes its mission as advancing marine and environmental sciences through research, education, and public outreach.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 19 grants totaling $1,386,000. Individual grants ranged from $4,000 to $400,000, with a median of $10,000. Among its largest grants were $400,000 to Drake University, $275,000 to the Science Center of Iowa, $212,000 to The Brinton Museum, and $175,000 to Boys and Girls Club of Central Iowa. Other reported grants included $100,000 to Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquar and $50,000 each to Invisible Wounds Fdn and Broadlawns Medical Ctr.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists D Mell Meredith Frazier as president, ET Meredith IV as vice president, and Cheri A Cipperley as treasurer.
Edwin T Meredith Foundation is led by D. Mell Meredith Frazier, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
D. Mell Meredith Frazier
President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Cheri A. Cipperley
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Et Meredith Iv Et Meredith IV
Vice President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: John S. Zieser (2019–2020) — Secretary
- Former: Michael R. Frazier (2019–2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Edwin T Meredith Foundation
How much does Edwin T Meredith Foundation give each year?
Edwin T Meredith Foundation gave $1.4M across 19 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $1.3M across 14 grants.
What is Edwin T Meredith Foundation's typical grant size?
Edwin T Meredith Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $10,000, and its average grant was $72,947, across 19 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Edwin T Meredith Foundation that year got $28K on average.
Where does Edwin T Meredith Foundation give grants?
Edwin T Meredith Foundation gives mostly in Iowa: 70% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Wyoming (18%) and Florida (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Des Moines, IA (7 grants).
Does Edwin T Meredith Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 19 grants with a stated purpose on Edwin T Meredith Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Civic and Cultural" (9 grants), "Health and Religion" (5 grants) and "Educational" (5 grants).
Who are Edwin T Meredith Foundation's largest grantees?
Edwin T Meredith Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Drake University ($400,000), Science Center of Iowa ($275,000) and The Brinton Museum ($212,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 64% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Edwin T Meredith Foundation?
Edwin T Meredith Foundation reported $22.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.3M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Edwin T Meredith Foundation fund?
The foundation’s own mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2024 grants went to organizations whose reported purposes included education, civic and cultural activities, and health and religion. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Edwin T Meredith Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Edwin T Meredith Foundation's EIN?
Edwin T Meredith Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 42-6059818. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.
Does Edwin T Meredith Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 22, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 14, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Edwin T Meredith Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/edwin-t-meredith-foundation-morg_331b50f43e824537a4c6295a26766fe2
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_426059818_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Edwin T Meredith Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/edwin-t-meredith-foundation-morg_331b50f43e824537a4c6295a26766fe2},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Edwin T Meredith Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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