Student Impact Grant


Student Impact Grants provide funding for a variety of University of Iowa undergraduate and graduate student activities outside the classroom, such as research, travel, and service projects. The goal is to enable students to pursue opportunities that might not otherwise be possible without financial assistance.

The President's Office has generously allocated $7,000 per semester to help enhance the student experience through these grants. The designated funds come from generous philanthropic gifts made by alumni and friends who have chosen to provide unrestricted support to the university.

Grants are awarded twice a year. Applications are typically accepted for the summer/fall semester beginning in January and for the winter/spring semester beginning in September.

The grants are made possible by a partnership between the Office of the President and Student Advancement Network (SAN).

GRANT GUIDELINES

Award Application Process

Applications will be considered for funding based on the timeline below. An online form will be available for students and student groups to use when the application period opens. A maximum of $7,000 in total grants will be awarded. Grant amounts will range from $100-$1,000 awards.

Summer and Fall 2025 Semester Award Grant Cycle

  • January 27: Application opens
  • February 21: Application deadline (5 p.m.)
  • April 11: Grant recipients will be notified about funding requests for winter or spring semester.
  • April 21: Signed recipient agreement form due
  • April 29: Winter/Spring 2024 grant recipient presentations detailing how the funds were used and how the grant enhanced the recipient’s Iowa experience. This event is open to the public.
  • May 19: Award transfers/payments for summer projects
  • August 25: Award transfers/payments for fall projects
  • December 2: Summer/Fall 2025 grant recipient presentations detailing how the funds were used and how the grant enhanced the recipient's Iowa experience. This event is open to the public.

Student Eligibility Requirements

  • Applicants must be enrolled full time as a University of Iowa undergraduate or graduate student for the fall 2025 semester and be in good standing as defined in the University of Iowa Code of Student Life.
  • Student groups or organizations must be recognized by the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership or by a University of Iowa department.
  • If your program is funded in full by other programs or funding methods your program is not eligible.
  • Program/experience must abide by all university guidelines. Grant funding does not permit activities that conflict with these guidelines.
  • Program/experience must abide by all university research guidelines. Grant funding does not permit activities that conflict with Institutional Review Board (IRB) guidelines. Funding does not provide IRB permission for the project.
  • Funding requests must be shown to improve or enhance the student experience and may not be used to reimburse research subjects. Recipients will share about this outcome during a biannual Student Impact Grant Presentation event.
  • Once a student receives a grant, they are not eligible for another University of Iowa Center for Advancement student grant within the next three years.
  • Grants are not renewable.
  • Recipients must present during the Summer/Fall grant recipient presentation detailing how the funds were used and how your Iowa experience was enhanced because of this award. Presentations will be held on Dec. 2, 2025.

Review Process

Members of the University of Iowa Student Advancement Network will review all submissions and make a recommendation. A University of Iowa Center for Advancement employee will oversee the scoring and review process. After review, recommendations will be sent to the Office of the President, which will make the final decision on all grant awards.

Awardees will then be notified of their selection to receive a grant, and payment will be provided by the Office of the President through a transfer to the student's U-Bill or student organization's account. The University of Iowa Office of Student Financial Aid will be consulted to ensure that funding does not affect other financial aid that a student may receive.

If you have questions, please contact Hannah McClintock at hannah.mcclintock@foriowa.org.

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Former faculty member Carol Aschenbrener, MD, makes gift to support the UI Carver College of Medicine. At the age of 9, Carol Aschenbrener, MD (68MS, 75R), knew she wanted to be a physician. ?I really liked the combination of intellectual stimulation and being able to do good for others,? she says. ?And I never wavered from wanting to be a physician.? After earning degrees at Clarke College, the University of Iowa, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dr. Aschenbrener returned to Iowa City to complete her medical residency. What followed was a nearly 40-year career of advancing medical education?from teaching medical students and residents in pathology to making contributions to faculty and leadership development. At the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, Dr. Aschenbrener held numerous roles in the dean?s office, including as senior executive dean. In 1992, she became the chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, becoming the first woman in the U.S. to head a public academic health center. After running her own consulting business; playing a role in the development of Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine, the nation?s only program focused on preparing women to move into positions of institutional power; and spending a decade advancing the efforts of the Association of American Medical Colleges, Dr. Aschenbrener retired from full-time work in 2014. While Dr. Aschenbrener left Iowa more than two decades ago, her memories of her experiences in Iowa City never left her. ?I came of age, both professionally and personally, at the University of Iowa,? says Carol, who currently lives in Washington, DC, with her partner, Cathie Siders, MD (73BS, 75MA, 87PhD). ?I became the person I am today while working with so many good physicians, good leaders, and most important, good people who nurtured my professional and personal development.? Mentors George Penick, MD, and John Eckstein, MD (50MD, 54R),?amongst others?shared Carol?s values and deepened her appreciation for the medical profession, and those mentors are a major reason why Dr. Aschenbrener has left a bequest in her will to support the UI Carver College of Medicine. ?After I left Iowa, I always had the sense that if things didn?t go well and I needed to go somewhere, I could always come back,? she says. ?I never had a stronger sense of belonging anywhere else than when I was at Iowa.? Her bequest will provide the UI Carver College of Medicine with unrestricted support, something she found extremely important during her time in the dean?s office. ?Unrestricted dollars are particularly important to make leaps forward,? she says. ?They?re important when you need a little leverage?to pilot an education initiative, provide start-up funds for new faculty, or bridge the gap for faculty research funding. By committing unrestricted funds, I?m willing to trust future leaders to do what is good for the college and to advance its mission.?

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