Iowa Scholarships

The Hixson Opportunity Award is a twenty thousand dollar scholarship distributed over eight semesters to Iowa high school seniors entering Iowa State University as first-year students who have overcome personal or financial hardship. One student from each Iowa county may receive the award annually based on county of residence at high school completion, application materials, a letter of recommendation, and FAFSA-demonstrated financial need. Applicants must file the FAFSA by December 18 and complete verification before review begins around February 2. Recipients must maintain a 2.00 cumulative GPA, live on campus or in the Greek community as first-years, and participate in Hixson seminars and program activities. Notification occurs by May 1.

Minnesota or Iowa residents ages 16 to 27 who are the natural, adopted, step, or full dependent child of a worker injured or killed in a work-related accident with a Minnesota- or Iowa-based employer may apply. You must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident with a high school diploma or GED (or be a high school student in good standing), demonstrate financial need, and pursue a bachelor's, associate's, vocational certificate, license, or master's degree at an accredited school. The SFM Foundation awards scholarships of $15,000 to support students affected by a parent's work-related injury, regardless of the insurer involved. Submit a complete application through the foundation. Awards are granted on a competitive basis with the number of recipients varying each cycle.

LGBTQ+ students at least 17 years old who are from or attending school in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, or Native Nations within those states may apply for PFund Foundation scholarships. Awards range from $1,000 to $12,000 for students pursuing a GED, community college, four-year college, graduate school, trade school, certificate program, or apprenticeship. Funds are distributed directly to recipients. Apply online during the annual application window, typically mid-January through early March. Submit proof of enrollment or admission for the coming academic year. Recipients must provide an IRS Form W9. A community review panel selects awardees notified in June.

Originating Iowa artists age 25 or older who are full-time Iowa residents and practicing at a pivotal career stage may apply for this competitive fellowship. Eligible disciplines include visual and performing arts, film, music, and creative writing. Past fellowship recipients are ineligible. Fellows receive a $10,000 grant disbursed over the fellowship year (July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027), plus professional development opportunities such as peer learning, mentorship, and grant-panel service. The full application deadline is 11:59 p.m. on April 1 each year. Applicants are notified within about eight weeks. The program page showed the 2026 cycle closed in July 2026. The Iowa Arts Council funds the fellowship through an annual state legislative appropriation to support exceptional Iowa artists committed to advancing their practice and engaging Iowans.

The Iowa Scholars Award is a renewable merit scholarship for Iowa resident undergraduate first-year students at the University of Iowa. Students who submit a complete admission application by February 1 are automatically considered; no separate scholarship form is required. Award amounts are based on outstanding academic merit, including standardized test scores and high school GPA, with no stacking against other Office of Admissions merit awards. Recipients receive funding for up to four years or until a bachelor's degree is completed, provided they maintain continuous full-time enrollment in fall and spring terms and a minimum 2.75 cumulative University of Iowa GPA reviewed each semester.

The Carver Scholars Program provides about eight thousand eight hundred dollars to one new Drake student from Iowa each year who is beginning junior year. Eligible applicants graduated from an Iowa high school or were Iowa residents for five consecutive years, demonstrate financial need through the FAFSA, hold a minimum 2.8 cumulative GPA, and present evidence of unusual barriers encountered in pursuing full-time college attendance. Applications require an essay and letters of recommendation and are submitted through the Carver Charitable Trust by April 1. Senior-year renewal requires reapplication.

Iowa high school graduates who spent time in Iowa foster care between ages 14 and 18, earned a diploma or associate degree, and graduated with at least a 2.3 GPA may apply for the Guardian Scholars Foundation scholarship. The foundation provides $8,000 per year plus partner-college support toward tuition, room, board, and textbooks, along with community mentoring. The number of recipients varies. Submit a complete application package including an essay, two recommendations, and a consent form. Students attending community college with a strong intention to transfer and earn a bachelor's degree are also considered. The foundation seeks motivated young adults who have shown academic merit and leadership.

The Roy J. Carver Scholarship Program awards approximately twenty scholarships averaging six thousand dollars to Iowa State University juniors and qualifying transfer students entering their junior year in the fall award term. Funded by the Carver Charitable Trust, the program targets U.S. citizens who graduated from an accredited Iowa high school or lived in Iowa five consecutive years, demonstrate significant social or economic obstacles, and show financial need via FAFSA filed by February 25. Applicants need junior classification, full-time enrollment of at least twelve credits, and a minimum 2.80 cumulative GPA. Awards may renew for the senior year with continued need and GPA maintenance. Application deadline is April 1.

Students in grades 6 through 12 who reside in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, or Wisconsin may enter ADL Midwest's annual First Amendment Freedoms Art and Essay Contest. Submit a two-page essay or artwork on a First Amendment theme. Up to eight prizes are awarded, with first-place winners receiving up to $5,000 and second-place winners $1,000 by grade category. Judges score creativity, originality, and understanding of the First Amendment.

Individual Iowa artists age 18 or older who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and full-time Iowa residents may apply for one-time professional development funding. Artist groups and collectives are ineligible, as are applicants with certain other active Iowa Arts Council grants. Grants range from $500 to $5,000 with no match required. Funds cover workshops, classes, mentorship, artist residencies, and related direct expenses incurred during the eligible funding period. Applications open on a rolling basis from May 2026 through April 15, 2027, or until funds are expended, for activities in fiscal year 2027 (July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027). Decisions typically arrive within eight to twelve weeks of submission. The Iowa Arts Council, within the Iowa Economic Development Authority, administers this program with state and National Endowment for the Arts funding.