John Ruan Foundation Trust
The John Ruan Foundation Trust is a private foundation based in Urbandale, Iowa. Its 2025 grants supported organizations in areas including health services, education, youth activities, sports and recreation, transportation, and arts and culture.
John Ruan Foundation Trust at a glance
In short: John Ruan Foundation Trust gave $4.0M across 52 grants in 2025 (avg $78K), mostly in Iowa. 6% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $4,042,500
- -0.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 52
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $77,740
- -0.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $100,195,996
- +0.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 6% first-time grantees (3 of 50, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Iowa (93% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to John Ruan Foundation Trust
- How to Apply
-
Contact John Ruan IV. The foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations; no special form is required, and there are no restrictions on awards.
- Contact
Application contact: John Ruan Iv
Mailing address: 11207 Nw Aurora Avenue, Urbandale, IA 50322
Phone: (515) 245-2575
Website: https://ruan.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who John Ruan Foundation Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Mercy One Foundation ($1.5M across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $3.8M.
Grant Size Distribution
292 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 228 grants of 292 (78%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation is based in Iowa. In 2025, 93% of its grant dollars went to recipients in Iowa and 6% to recipients in Illinois. The filing also lists Texas, Florida, and Minnesota at 0% each.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 52 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is John Ruan Foundation Trust open to new grantees?
6%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 50 grantees (6%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $617K; repeat grants $47K. How we count
Medians: $250K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 88% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 25% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 97% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2025). 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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $4.0M (2025) to $5.6M (2021). In 2025 it made 52 grants totaling $4.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Mercy One Foundation Des Moines, IA | General Operations | $1,000,000 |
| University of Iowa Foundation Iowa City, IA | General Operations | $1,000,000 |
| Mercy One Foundation Des Moines, IA | Health Services and Related Activities | $500,000 |
| Iowa Confluence Water Trails Des Moines, IA | Sports, Athletic | $300,000 |
| Iowa Motor Carriers Foundation Des Moines, IA | General Operations | $250,000 |
| Northwestern University Evanston, IL | Sports, Athletic | $250,000 |
| Ellipsis Johnston, IA | Youth Activities | $250,000 |
| Bravo Greater Des Moines Des Moines, IA | Cultural, Historical or Other Education Activities | $100,000 |
| Dowling Catholic High School West Des Moines, IA | Schools, Colleges and Related Activities | $60,000 |
| Des Moines Symphony Des Moines, IA | General Operations | $25,000 |
Ready to take the next step with John Ruan Foundation Trust?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $100,195,996 | $5,235,570 | $4,490,078 | $4,042,500 | 52 | $4,095,516 | $4,987,157 | $4,232,545 |
| 2024 | $99,450,504 | $5,106,530 | $4,434,436 | $4,050,000 | 52 | $4,093,346 | $4,898,154 | $4,182,989 |
| 2023 | $98,778,410 | $553,935 | $4,717,045 | $4,248,000 | 55 | $4,282,666 | $4,848,400 | $4,200,735 |
| 2022 | $110,876,833 | $7,230,015 | $5,572,963 | $5,368,120 | 65 | $5,373,425 | $6,760,077 | $5,032,358 |
| 2021 | $103,561,030 | $6,342,431 | $5,698,783 | $5,586,000 | 68 | — | $6,333,776 | $5,472,572 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, John Ruan Foundation Trust reported a distributable amount of $4.2M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grantees included organizations with varied missions. For example, Iowa Confluence Water Trails describes its mission as connecting culture, conservation, and adventure through waterways, while Ellipsis says it helps kids and families build healthy relationships. The Iowa Motor Carriers Foundation says it supports charitable, educational, and scientific purposes related to the transportation industry.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 52 grants totaling $4,042,500. Grants ranged from $2,500 to $1,000,000, with a median grant of $10,000. Recent large awards included $1,000,000 each to Mercy One Foundation and the University of Iowa Foundation for general operations; $500,000 to Mercy One Foundation for health services and related activities; and $300,000 to Iowa Confluence Water Trails for sports and athletics. Other notable awards included $250,000 each to Iowa Motor Carriers Foundation for general operations, Northwestern University for sports and athletics, and Ellipsis for youth activities.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
John Ruan IV is listed as a trustee on the 2025 filing.
John Ruan Foundation Trust is led by John Ruan IV, Trustee on every filing since 2022 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
John Ruan IV
Trustee
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: John Ruan (2021) — Trustee
- Former: John Ruan III (2021) — Trustee · Filing note: Through 1112020
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 John Ruan Foundation Trust
How much does John Ruan Foundation Trust give each year?
John Ruan Foundation Trust gave $4.0M across 52 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $4.0M across 52 grants.
What is John Ruan Foundation Trust's typical grant size?
John Ruan Foundation Trust's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $77,740, across 52 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from John Ruan Foundation Trust that year got $617K on average.
Where does John Ruan Foundation Trust give grants?
John Ruan Foundation Trust gives mostly in Iowa: 93% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Illinois (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Des Moines, IA (32 grants), West Des Moines, IA (3 grants), Iowa City, IA (2 grants) and Evanston, IL (2 grants).
Does John Ruan Foundation Trust give general operating support?
Yes: 19% of John Ruan Foundation Trust's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (10 of 52) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Schools, Colleges and Related Activities" (13 grants), "Cultural, Historical or Other Education Activities" (11 grants) and "Health Services and Related Activities" (8 grants).
Who are John Ruan Foundation Trust's largest grantees?
John Ruan Foundation Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Mercy One Foundation ($1,500,000 across 2 grants), University of Iowa Foundation ($1,000,000) and Iowa Confluence Water Trails ($300,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 69% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is John Ruan Foundation Trust?
John Ruan Foundation Trust reported $100.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $4.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $4.2M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does John Ruan Foundation Trust fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grantees included organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from John Ruan Foundation Trust?
Contact John Ruan IV. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is John Ruan Foundation Trust's EIN?
John Ruan Foundation Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 42-6059463. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS September 23, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 19, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 16, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS September 5, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). John Ruan Foundation Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/john-ruan-foundation-trust-morg_d23e78c7bf3840daba09fbb53ed71964
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_426059463_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{John Ruan Foundation Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/john-ruan-foundation-trust-morg_d23e78c7bf3840daba09fbb53ed71964},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 John Ruan Foundation Trust'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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