Corporate Responsibility: In the Community: Grants
The charitable grants program was created for the purpose of supporting various non-profit organizations in the areas of health and human services, education, arts and culture and recreation and tourism. All grants given shall reflect the needs and concerns of the communities in which we have an employee presence. Those communities are:
- Des Moines, IA
- Mason City, IA
- Pella, IA
- Ottumwa, IA
- Cedar Falls, IA
- Grand Island, NE
- Spokane, WA
- Wilmington, DE
- Appleton, WI.
Giving Focus
The Principal Financial Group® Foundation, Inc., was created in 1987. Grant making is organized into a quarterly system. In addition, our signature project currently under construction is The Principal Riverwalk. It is a $55 million dollar project revitalizing the downtown Des Moines riverfront.
Quarterly Grant Categories and Deadlines
Please apply for funding in the quarterly grant category that most closely aligns with the mission of your organization (not the focus of a program). Application deadlines refer to the received by date, not the postmark date. Deadlines are applicable in all cases, even if a deadline falls on a weekend or a holiday.
1st Quarter: Health & Human Services
Application Deadline: March 1
- Health-related organizations and programs funded through this cycle include:
- Those that provide access to primary and preventative health services to medically underserved populations. Special preference is given to programs targeting nutrition and care for the elderly.
- Public health outreach programs.
- Programs that facilitate disease and disorder prevention/awareness and education.
- Substance abuse prevention and treatment programs.
- Human service contributions center on organizations and services that:
- Support community initiatives to strengthen families by building positive social networks.
- Assist families in their efforts toward self-sufficiency and financial independence. This includes financial literacy, affordable housing, and workforce preparedness programs.
- Promote physical and social independence for older adults.
- Support youth development through mentoring programs, school readiness, and healthy baby initiatives.
2nd Quarter - Education
Application Deadline: June 1
- Our contributions in education center on:
- Providing access to higher education for diverse populations of students.
- Promoting areas of study important to the business objectives of the Principal
Financial Group. These areas include, but are not limited to:
- Actuarial Science
- Business
- Information Technology
- Accounting
- Finance
- Rewarding high performing students.
3rd Quarter: Arts and Culture
Application Deadline: September 1
- Our contributions in arts and culture center on promoting the arts as a key component of viable communities.
- Special consideration is given to programs that celebrate cultural diversity and make the arts more accessible to all audiences.
4th Quarter - Recreation and Tourism
Application Deadline: December 1
- Organizations and programs funded through this cycle include quality-of-life attractions and civic betterment programs that promote the vitality of communities.
Consider these guidelines before applying
- Of these four categories, we would consider making a lead gift in the Health & Human Services and Education categories.
- Grant requests are accepted only once per calendar year per organization.
- Grant requests that follow the expectations outlined here and are received by the appropriate quarterly deadline will be eligible for consideration.
- Decisions on grant requests are made at the end of each quarter, and notice of approvals or declines will be made to the organizations as quickly as possible. (Generally a six to eight week process.)
Ineligible Request Types
Because funds are limited, the Foundation is unable to act favorably on all requests received. Each grant request is carefully evaluated to determine general eligibility and compliance with Foundation guidelines and available funds.Cash grants are generally not made to the following types of organizations or activities:
- Athletes or athletic organizations
- Capital fund drives for hospitals or health care facilities
- Conference or seminar attendance
- Courtesy or goodwill advertising in benefit publications
- Endowments or Memorials
- Fellowships
- Fraternal organizations (police, fire associations, greek letter societies)
- Individual K-12 schools (except those where The Principal is the official business partner)
- Individuals
- Political parties, campaigns or candidates, partisan political organizations
- Private foundations
- Sectarian, religious and denominational organizations
- Social organizations
Annual Reports and Evaluation of Grants
Annual Report from Grant Recipient
The Foundation expects an annual report from all grant recipients. Grant renewals are not automatic and cannot be guaranteed on an annual basis. Future funding decisions will be based in part on
- The grantee's efforts to maintain contact with the Foundation
- Demonstrated success through measurement/outcomes/evaluation.
Any significant changes in direction by the organization, project or program must be communicated to the Foundation.
Grant Evaluation
A Grant Evaluation Form (Word: 281 KB) will be sent to all organizations that receive funding from the Foundation. The form will be used by the contributions committee to determine the impact the Foundation's contributions are having in the organization and within the greater community.
