Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc
Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc is a private foundation based in Washington, Iowa. Its 2026 filing reports grants to Iowa recipients, including scholarship funding for Cottey College and grants to individuals.
Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc at a glance
In short: Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc gave $403K across 87 grants in 2026 (avg $5K), mostly in Iowa. Source: 2026 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2026)
- $402,596
- -12.8% vs 2025
- Grants made (2026)
- 87
- -6.5% vs 2025
- Average grant
- $4,628
- -6.8% vs 2025
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $3,348,452
- +7.5% vs 2025
- Primary geography
- Iowa (100% of itemized 2026 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2026 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2026; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc
- How to Apply
-
The fund’s 2025 filing says applicants should contact Pat Shipley and submit an application with a detailed explanation of how the funds will be used and a financial statement establishing need. The filing says awards are restricted to Iowa residents and gives no deadline. These are instructions reported on the 2025 filing.
- Contact
Application contact: Pat Shipley
Mailing address: 507 4Th Street, Nodaway, IA 50857
Phone: (712) 621-0646
Website: https://peoiowa.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2026
The largest 2026 recipient was Cottey College ($51K). Together the top 10 received $96K.
Grant Size Distribution
531 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 526 grants of 531 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for filing year 2026 went to recipients in Iowa. The 2025 filing states that awards are restricted to Iowa residents.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2026 grant dollars across all 87 itemized grants.
Cities
How Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc gives
- Giving fell 39% from 2023 to 2026. Method
- In 2026 it paid out 256% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2021 to 2026, annual grant giving ranged from $403K (2026) to $662K (2023). In 2026 it made 87 grants totaling $403K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Cottey College Nevada, IA | Scholarships | $51,000 |
| Caitlin Ogden Griswold, IA | GRANT | $5,000 |
| Lexi Jeno Ames, IA | GRANT | $5,000 |
| Jurgen Schultz Marshalltown, IA | GRANT | $5,000 |
| Debony Brooks Davenport, IA | GRANT | $5,000 |
| Julia Lyttle Altoona, IA | GRANT | $5,000 |
| Jessica Nunez Clear Lake, IA | GRANT | $5,000 |
| Steven Grothe Jr Woodbine, IA | GRANT | $5,000 |
| Madison Hanks Defiance, IA | GRANT | $5,000 |
| Melissa Cox-Peasley Onawa, IA | GRANT | $5,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $3,348,452 | $475,776 | $448,549 | $402,596 | 87 | $402,596 | $222,915 | $157,444 |
| 2025 | $3,114,775 | $542,829 | $500,009 | $461,906 | 93 | $463,261 | $341,673 | $152,664 |
| 2024 | $3,272,054 | $268,328 | $581,922 | $544,559 | 111 | $546,602 | $78,824 | $158,251 |
| 2023 | $3,198,882 | $179,018 | $689,333 | $662,038 | 140 | $671,397 | $75,684 | $177,416 |
| 2022 | $4,048,546 | $964,701 | $460,598 | $441,276 | 100 | $449,933 | $806,200 | $190,969 |
| 2021 | $4,161,587 | $504,814 | $504,360 | $492,064 | 132 | — | $345,427 | $175,090 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc reported a distributable amount of $157K for 2026 — 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 Iowa State Chapter P.E.O. describes the broader P.E.O. purpose as advancing women through education, including scholarships, grants, awards, and loans. The available information identifies the Iowa P.E.O. Project Fund’s components as a friendship fund and a Cottey College scholarship fund. Its 2026 grants included scholarship funding for Cottey College and grants to individuals; the filing lists the purposes of those individual awards as “GRANT.”
Grantmaking
In filing year 2026, the fund reported 87 grants totaling $402,596. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $51,000, with a median of $5,000. The largest listed award was $51,000 to Cottey College in Nevada, Iowa, for scholarships. Other listed recipients received $5,000 each, including Caitlin Ogden, Lexi Jeno, Jurgen Schultz, an individual recipient, Julia Lyttle, Jessica Nunez, Steven Grothe Jr, Madison Hanks, Melissa Cox-Peasley, Lacresia White, and Alexia Estrada.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2026 filing lists Pat Shipley as president, Bev Strah as vice president, Kelly Renfro as secretary, Jean Parks as treasurer, and Nancy Amdor as a member.
Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc is led by Pat Shipley, President since 2026 (on filings since 2023); none of the 5 officers listed in 2026 report compensation.
Officers on the 2026 filing
Pat Shipley
President
Treasurer → Vice President, 2025
Vice President → President, 2026
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bev Strah
Vice President
Secretary → Treasurer, 2025
Treasurer → Vice President, 2026
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jean Parks
Treasurer
Secretary → Treasurer, 2026
On filings since 2025
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kelly Renfro
Secretary
Member → Secretary, 2026
On filings since 2025
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nancy Amdor
Member
New on the 2026 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (8)
- Former: Teri Legg (2022–2025) — President
- Former: Mary Funk (2021–2024) — President
- Former: Mary Stalker (2024) — Member
- Former: Joanne Tigges (2021–2023) — President
- Former: Jill Mortenson (2021–2022) — President
- Former: Mindi Rees (2022) — Treasurer
- Former: Mary Forristal (2021) — Treasurer
- Former: Pam Schulz (2021) — President
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2026. "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 Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc
How much does Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc give each year?
Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc gave $403K across 87 grants in 2026, according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2025 it gave $462K across 93 grants.
What is Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc's typical grant size?
Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc's median grant in 2026 was $5,000, and its average grant was $4,628, across 87 grants on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc give grants?
Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc gives mostly in Iowa: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Nevada, IA (3 grants), Burlington, IA (3 grants), Ames, IA (3 grants) and Davenport, IA (3 grants).
Does Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2026: none of the 87 grants with a stated purpose on Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc's 2026 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Grant" (86 grants).
Who are Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc's largest grantees?
Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc's largest 2026 grantees include Cottey College ($51,000), Caitlin Ogden ($5,000) and Lexi Jeno ($5,000), according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 15% of its itemized 2026 grant dollars.
How large is Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc?
Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc reported $3.3M in total assets on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $403K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $157K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc fund?
The Iowa State Chapter P.E.O. describes the broader P.E.O. purpose as advancing women through education, including scholarships, grants, awards, and loans. The available information identifies the Iowa P.E.O. Project Fund’s components as a friendship fund and a Cottey College scholarship fund. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc?
The fund’s 2025 filing says applicants should contact Pat Shipley and submit an application with a detailed explanation of how the funds will be used and a financial statement establishing need. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc's EIN?
Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 42-0722695. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2026.
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 2021 (received by the IRS June 7, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS June 27, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 3, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 20, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 17, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2026 (received by the IRS June 24, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
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Figures come from Iowa PEO Project Fund Inc'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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