John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Des Moines, IA EIN: 42-1465551

The John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship is a private foundation based in Des Moines, Iowa, that made educational grants to charitable organizations. Its 2023 filing is marked as a final return and says the foundation adopted a plan of complete liquidation and dissolution; it appears to have wound down and stopped grantmaking.

Key facts about John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation

In short: John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation gave $170K across 18 grants in 2024 (avg $9K), top state New York. 50% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
42-1465551
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024)
$170,317
Grants made (2024)
18
Average grant
$9,462
Median grant
$5,000
New grantees (estimate)
50% first-time grantees (9 of 18, 2024)
Primary geography
New York (48% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to apply
The foundation stated that it made contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

—

-100.0% YoY

Annual Giving

$170K

Grant Count

18

Avg Grant Size

$9K

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation reported a distributable amount of $5K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation open to new grantees?

50%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 9 of 18 grantees (50%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $11K; repeat grants $8K. How we count

Medians: $5K first-time, $10K repeat.

  • Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+2%). Method
  • In 2024 it paid out well above 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.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2024 grants were reported as educational, and recipients included colleges, scholarship organizations, and organizations providing educational or instructional programs.

The grantees describe their own missions in varied terms. The Panhellenic Scholarship Foundation says it furthers the education of students of Hellenic descent. Crossroad Institute says it develops instructional programs for youth and young adults to promote faith, vocation, and leadership within the Orthodox Christian Church. Hope Through Education says it provides scholarships to help children from low-income families obtain a quality, values-based education.

Grantmaking

In 2024, the foundation made 18 grants totaling $170,317. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $50,000, with a median of $5,000. Notable recipients included Skidmore College ($50,000), Leadership 100 ($25,000), Anatolia College ($20,000), Hellenic College Holy Cross ($15,000), Des Moines University ($10,000), Panhellenic Scholarship Foundation ($10,000), and the University of Minnesota ($10,000).

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2024, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in New York (48%), Massachusetts (22%), and Iowa (13%). Illinois and Minnesota each accounted for 6%. These figures describe the locations of 2024 recipients.

Grant Distribution by State

14states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 18 itemized grants.

Cities

Des MoinesMason CityBrooklineAmesBostonMinneapolisNaplesPiney WoodsAlexandriaCedar FallsIowa CityLexingtonAnkenyChicagoRochesterStorm LakeCedar RapidsLincolnNew YorkWashington

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$100K$200K$300K27 grants2019 23 grants2020 22 grants2021 28 grants2022 0 grants2023 18 grants2024

From 2019 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $166K (2022) to $209K (2019). In 2024 it made 18 grants totaling $170K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Skidmore College: $50KSkidmore College$50KLeadership 100: $25KLeadership 100$25KAnatolia College: $20KAnatolia College$20KHellenic College Holy Cross: $15KHellenic College Holy Cross$15KDes Moines University: $10KDes Moines University$10KPanhellenic Scholarship Foundation: $10KPanhellenic ScholarshipFoundation$10KUniversity of Minnesota: $10KUniversity of Minnesota$10KIonian Village: $6KIonian Village$6KDrake University: $5KDrake University$5KHelping Heroes Foundation: $5KHelping Heroes Foundation$5K

The largest 2024 recipient was Skidmore College ($50K). Together the top 10 received $156K.

Grant Size Distribution

91 grants across all recorded years

90<$50K1$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 90 grants of 91 (99%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NYEducational$50,000
Leadership 100 New York, NYEducational$25,000
Anatolia College Boston, MAEducational$20,000
Hellenic College Holy Cross Brookline, MAEducational$15,000
Des Moines University Des Moines, IAEducational$10,000
Panhellenic Scholarship Foundation Chicago, ILEducational$10,000
University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MNEducational$10,000
Ionian Village New York, NYEducational$6,000
Drake University Des Moines, IAEducational$5,000
Helping Heroes Foundation Urbandale, IAEducational$5,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Grant total Number of grants
2024 $170,317 18
2022 $165,975 28
2021 $167,275 22
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$200K$400K$600K2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets—$183,473$184,740
Revenue$-7,061$8,133$158,443
Expenses$176,412$2,400$170,257
Qualifying Distributions$173,365$1,200$167,322
Net Investment Income—$6,933$7,268
Distributable Amount$5,248$8,476$8,486

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 13, 2020)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 9, 2021)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 7, 2022)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS December 14, 2022)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS January 4, 2024)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS December 16, 2024)
  7. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists Ann Vassiliou and Argyris Vassiliou as directors.

John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation's 2024 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Ann Vassiliou

    Director

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

  • Argyris Vassiliou

    Director

    New on the 2024 filing

    No compensation reported

Former officers (2)
  • Former: John Pappajohn (2019–2023) — Director
  • Former: Mary Pappajohn (2019–2022) — 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.

Contact

Mailing address: PO Box 93176, Des Moines, IA 50393-3176
Phone: (515) 865-2131

Frequently asked questions about John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation

How much does John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation give each year?

John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation gave $170K across 18 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

What is John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation's typical grant size?

John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $9,462, across 18 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation that year got $11K on average.

Where does John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation give grants?

John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation's top state is New York, with 48% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Massachusetts (22%) and Iowa (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Des Moines, IA (4 grants), New York, NY (2 grants) and Brookline, MA (2 grants).

Does John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation give general operating support?

Not in 2024: none of the 18 grants with a stated purpose on John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Educational" (16 grants).

Who are John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation's largest grantees?

John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Skidmore College ($50,000), Leadership 100 ($25,000) and Anatolia College ($20,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 56% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

What does John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation fund?

The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2024 grants were reported as educational, and recipients included colleges, scholarship organizations, and organizations providing educational or instructional programs. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation?

The foundation stated that it made contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

How much is John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation reported a distributable amount of $5K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

What is John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation's EIN?

John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 42-1465551. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.

Does John & Mary Pappajohn Scholarship Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?

No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

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