Best Grants for Emergency Services in Iowa

Iowa emergency medical and other 501(c)(3) emergency response organizations can access funding for safety, disaster preparedness, and related community services through the Community Ties Giving Program. Union Pacific Foundation supports programs in eligible Iowa communities that improve public safety, equip responders, and strengthen community resilience, with awards ranging from US $5,000 - US $30,000.

Iowa emergency medical and rural health organizations can access funding to conduct a statewide EMS system development and sustainability assessment in Iowa. Iowa Department of Health and Human Services seeks a qualified applicant to evaluate EMS access, coordination, and sustainability and to inform a district-based hub-and-spoke EMS model under the Healthy Hometowns initiative.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations with three years of history and $100,000+ budgets in Iowa communities served by RBC Wealth Management can seek funding for workforce skills, inclusive prosperity, or environmental sustainability programs. RBC Foundation USA provides support for initiatives like job readiness, youth development, accessibility improvements, and climate or energy-efficiency projects that strengthen local quality of life.

Iowa 501(c)(3) nonprofits working on economic mobility, workforce readiness, or affordable housing can access funding through Bank Of America Charitable Foundation’s Neighborhood Builders Program. Selected organizations receive a two-year leadership development experience plus a capacity-building grant. Emergency services providers that also advance job readiness, financial resilience, or stable housing in eligible Iowa markets may be competitive.

About Us

The Elk County Community Foundation was started in the late 1990’s by a group of business and civic leaders, with the support of the Stackpole-Hall Foundation, who recognized the need for creating a perpetual funding stream to support Elk County—now and in the future. The Foundation was incorporated in 2000 and a year later was classified as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

The Foundation provides donors with a simple but powerful and highly personal approach to achieving their philanthropic goals while enhancing the quality of life for the people of Elk County.

The Community Foundation makes it easy for individuals, businesses, and organizations to establish a scholarship fund. Your fund can be created in as little as one meeting, with a short fund agreement, and a single gift. Or your fund can be set up with an initial gift that is added to in the future. We manage all the administrative details of your fund for you.

By establishing a uniquely-named scholarship, you have the ability to designate eligibility requirements including education level, the field of study, geographic area, etc. Many scholarships are established to honor parents, a family member, or someone who influenced your life.

Most scholarship funds at the Foundation are permanent endowments, with the annual earnings used to provide the scholarships

Tyler Bender EMS Scholarship Fund

Tyler Bender recently graduated from the Center for Emergency Medicine, and he felt compelled to give back by starting this scholarship to encourage other individuals to consider the EMS field. There is a constant demand for well-trained and qualified EMS professionals. Tyler hopes that this scholarship fund will help attract individuals to the field and alleviate a shortage of EMS personnel.

Amount: $500 annually

Emergency medical care and services providers in Iowa can seek support for employees or retirees of 3M U.S.A. facing catastrophic illness or accident through the J. C. & L. A. Duke Employees' Assistance Fund. Administered by the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, this fund offers transitional assistance to improve quality of life and help recipients regain self-sufficiency.

Current or former Oregon Shakespeare Festival employees facing emergency medical or basic living expenses can receive crisis assistance through the Hunter Brown Emergency Assistance Fund. Focused on emergency medical care and related services, the Entertainment Community Fund offers this support nationally, which may benefit Iowa-based performing arts professionals connected to the festival.

Graduating high school seniors in northwest Missouri pursuing degrees in occupational safety, health, industrial hygiene, environmental safety, industrial fire prevention, risk management, or occupational medicine can apply for scholarships of more than US $500. The Community Foundation of Northwest Missouri awards this one-time fall-semester support, which may interest future emergency medical and first responder professionals.

Current or former Boy Scouts pursuing higher education for fire service or emergency medical service careers, including those from Iowa, can access funding through the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley. The Ralph & Alice Kramp Scholarship Endowment typically awards US $1,000 non-renewable or renewable scholarships to support tuition and related higher education costs.

Iowa emergency medical and social service workers in theatrical exhibition, distribution, or related vendors facing illness, injury, or major life events can access financial and counseling support through the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Assistance Fund. Eligible individuals may receive help with medical costs, housing emergencies, essential living expenses, vocational rehabilitation, and assistive equipment needs.

High school seniors, college, and non-traditional students pursuing criminal justice or first responder programs can receive scholarship support for U.S.-based 2- or 4-year colleges. CommunityGiving provides Iowa emergency medical care and services students, and others from eligible Minnesota counties, with US $2,000 awards to advance education in police, fire, or EMT fields.

Students pursuing first responder emergency services careers who graduated from Chelan or Douglas County and meet the GPA requirement can receive scholarship support for higher education. The Community Foundation of North Central Washington’s Richard “Obie” Oberweiser Memorial Scholarship may benefit those interested in emergency medical care and related training, including students who plan to serve communities like Iowa.

Early-career emergency medicine faculty developing research and education projects in Iowa and nationwide can seek support to build independent research careers. With a mission to promote education and research, Emergency Medicine Foundation provides funding up to US $150,000 for career development plans, mentored research, and projects that advance emergency medical care and health policy, including collaborations with community emergency departments.

Emergency medicine researchers studying prehospital respiratory distress and high flow therapy in EMS settings, including Iowa, can apply for research support from the Emergency Medicine Foundation. Grants from Emergency Medicine Foundation help U.S. emergency medical care and services estimate patient volumes, characterize EMS systems and geography, and analyze outcomes for acute respiratory failure managed with noninvasive support.

Elderly professional blues musicians in Iowa needing emergency help with medical or basic living expenses can receive direct creditor payments for services such as doctor visits, transportation to treatments, utilities, or burial costs. Pinetop Perkins Foundation provides this U.S. assistance through its Pinetop Assistance League, typically offering US $500 per award.

Emergency and medical workers in Iowa needing help affording behavioral health treatment can receive up to US $2,000 for prescription copays, counseling, psychotherapy, and transportation. Focused on behavioral health support, HealthWell Foundation invites eligible U.S. emergency personnel to apply if they meet income, insurance, and treatment-related criteria.

Individual Native artists and culture bearers in Iowa and across the U.S. can receive up to US $2,500 to address emergencies or professional needs affecting their creative work. First Peoples Fund’s Yéigo Action Grant can cover urgent expenses like medical issues, disaster impacts, equipment repair, or unanticipated transportation and project-related costs.

High school seniors who are children of full-time first responders can receive US $2,500 - US $15,000 in scholarship support for their education, including students in Iowa. Focused on academic scholarships, the Electronic Security Association invites eligible students to apply through their participating state association or directly to ESA.

The Motorola Solutions Foundation Grant supports organizations that enhance safety and community well-being, focusing on underrepresented populations. With over $100 million in donations, the foundation prioritizes technology and engineering education, first responder programming, and blended initiatives. Eligible applicants must be registered 501(c)(3) organizations or school districts in the U.S. The foundation seeks partnerships that demonstrate strong financial health and data-driven evaluation methods, aiming to create safer cities and thriving communities.

Help at Home Community Foundation: Support Fund

The Support Fund provides help to home care employees who experience a personal financial hardship for a variety of reasons.

What are qualifying events?

A qualifying event can be a significant event(s) or radical change of status in a person’s life that creates an immediate, unforeseen, and substantial financial requirement. Some examples include:

Natural Disaster, Medical Emergency, Death of an immediate family member. More information here.

Grant awards depend on the qualifying event and need which could range from $100.00-$500.00. The maximum amount applicants may receive in a calendar year is $500.00, unless otherwise approved by the Board.

Navigant Credit Union 

Navigant Credit Union is the longest-operating, member-owned credit union in Rhode Island. Since its founding in 1915, Navigant Credit Union has been dedicated to providing its members with unparalleled financial products and services, while working every day to stay committed to the financial well-being of the families, businesses and communities we serve. 

Navigant Credit Union Charitable Foundation Grant

For over a century, Navigant Credit Union has been committed to making a meaningful difference in the community. In 2017, we established the Navigant Credit Union Charitable Foundation to further amplify our impact in five strategic areas:

• Education & Financial Literacy: Organizational and capital support for programs, supplies, building products, sports facilities and teams.
• Social Services: Financial support for programs and organizations for children, veterans, hunger and housing.
• Public Health, Safety & Well-Being: Support for programs addressing public safety, emergency care and eradication of disease.

Background

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) Program is one of the grant programs that constitute DHS/FEMA’s focus on all-hazards emergency preparedness, including the evolving threats and risks associated with natural disasters. EMPG Program funding is awarded to the 56 states and territories using a population-based allocation methodology.

The main purpose of the program is to support the emergency management needs of state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, primarily through investments in planning, training, and exercise activities and to help cover the salaries of emergency management personnel.

About Henry L. Hillman Foundation

Henry L. Hillman Foundation inspires, invests in, and leverages great ideas to improve the quality of life in Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania.

Backup Power When Your Community Needs It

The Powered & Prepared Initiative seeks proposals from nonprofit and municipal organizations in southwestern Pennsylvania for backup power solutions that allow those organizations to offer essential services during emergencies without disruption.

Southwestern Pennsylvania is increasingly impacted by severe weather events that cause widespread power outages and disruptions. The Powered & Prepared Initiative, supported by Henry L. Hillman Foundation, seeks proposals from nonprofit and municipal organizations for backup power solutions that allow those organizations to offer essential services during emergencies without disruption.

Troutville Volunteer Fire Department Scholarship Fund

Fund provides higher educational scholarship assistance to deserving students.

Amount

• $1,000+
• non-renewable

Hero Fund America Fund Seeks Applications for its First Responders Grant Round

Hero Fund America (HFA) Fund, a field-of-interest fund of the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, is seeking applications for its First Responders Grant Round for programs, projects, and other needs that will support education, training, lifesaving equipment, and mental health of fire, emergency medical services (EMS), and law enforcement agencies.

Hero Fund America Fund was founded in partnership with Hero Fund America by Garth Roberts of Sharon Springs, NY. Inspired by the selfless and heroic efforts of first responders during the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, Roberts initiated the Provincetown First Responders Appreciation Month, honoring 45 Boston EMS paramedics, emergency medical technicians, dispatchers, and their families. The success of that project inspired the 2016 creation of Hero Fund America.

Since 2016, the fund has awarded more than 100 grants totaling over $123,000 to meet the needs of first responders across the nation.

“Grants awarded through the Hero Fund America Fund have helped departments improve their abilities to better serve and protect the civilian population,” said Roberts. “Hero Fund America remains firmly committed to raising both funding and awareness in support of the First Responder community.”

Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation

The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation serves Linn County, Iowa, as a convenor and partner to donors, funders, and nonprofit organizations working together to build vibrant and inclusive communities where all people can thrive.

Founded in 1949 as the Community Welfare Foundation, we became a public community foundation in 1992. Today, we steward more than $261 million in charitable assets across more than 1,100 funds, generating grants for the greater good of Linn County.

We bring people together to strengthen our community through philanthropy. We inspire giving, fund important programs, advocate for equity, promote learning, and invest in community initiatives to improve the quality of life in Linn County.

Bruce and Judy McGrath Family Fund

The Bruce and Judy McGrath Family Fund supports organizations that help individuals gain access to medical, mental health, legal and educational/vocational services. Priorities

This fund supports organizations that help individuals gain access to:

• medical,
• mental health,
• legal and
• educational/vocational services.

Hutsell, Alan Scholarship Fund

For a high school senior from Central Noble, East Noble, Wawasee, West Noble or homeschool (homeschooled student must live in Noble County) who will be pursuing advanced education in emergency services involving fire, police, criminal justice and/or EMS.

Awards Per Year:

• 1 scholarship

Applicant High School:

• Central Noble, East Noble, Homeschooled, Wawasee, West Noble

Colleges:

• Any accredited college or university

Areas of Study:

• Criminal Justice, Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Services, Emergency services involving fire, police, criminal justice and/or EMS.