Welcome to FundISU, Iowa State University's crowdfunding platform that turns innovation into impact. Your gift can help bring new initiatives to life, support students and faculty, and advance Iowa State’s mission to create, share, and apply knowledge that makes Iowa and the world a better place.
Projects
CSRL Growing Education Through School Lunches 2026
By CSRL
The ISU Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods invites you to share in changing lives in rural Uganda.
The ISU Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods invites you to share in changing lives in rural Uganda. CSRL Every school day, thousands of students across six schools in the Kamuli District of Uganda gather for a nutritious meal that helps support learning, healthy development, and opportunities for success. Through the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (CSRL) at Iowa State University and the Iowa State University-Uganda Program (ISU-UP), school lunches connect nutrition, agriculture, and student success. In 2025, the school nutrition program supported over 4,500 students in rural Uganda. MATCHING CHALLENGE: Help Unlock $15,000 A generous group of donors committed $15,000 in matching funds, meaning every dollar donated will be matched dollar-for-dollar until the match is fully met. Giving $25 → Becomes $50 Giving $100 → Becomes $200 Giving $500 → Becomes $1,000 More Than a Meal School lunches help students make the most of their educational opportunities while supporting healthy growth and development. The program's signature meal, known locally as nyoyo, combines beans, maize, vegetables, eggs, iodized salt, and cooking oil to provide a nutrient-dense and balanced lunch. Younger students also receive nutritious porridge during their early school years. Schools participating in the program report improvements in student enrollment, attendance, and academic performance, demonstrating the important connection between nutrition and learning. Learning by Doing School gardens provide fruits and vegetables while giving students practical experience growing food. Poultry projects contribute eggs to school meals while offering opportunities to learn about animal care and food production. How Your Support Helps Every gift, regardless of size, helps create opportunities for students to learn, grow, and thrive. Daily nutritious school meals for more than 4,500 students School gardens and poultry projects Food safety and hygiene initiatives Kitchen and meal preparation improvements Help us unlock the full match and strengthen the programs that connect nutrition, education, and agricultural learning for more than 4,500 students in rural Uganda. Learn More About CSRL and ISU-UP The school nutrition program is part of the long-standing partnership between CSRL, ISU-UP, and rural communities in Uganda. For more than 20 years, this work has supported education, agriculture, health, and sustainable community development. Learn more at csrl.cals.iastate.edu or enjoy a short video about our programs.
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Formula SAE International Student Chapter 2026
By ISU SAE International
Help the ISU Chapter of SAE International to compete across the nation!
Help the ISU Chapter of SAE International to compete across the nation! ISU SAE International Requested Funding This season, we are seeking to raise $10,000 to support a necessary powertrain transition for our electric vehicle. During our first season competing as an EV team, we encountered significant challenges with our motor and inverter. Ultimately, our inverter failed completely and is no longer functional, making a new motor and inverter package necessary for the upcoming season. Our Powertrain subsystem has selected a replacement package and worked with suppliers to determine the path forward. The transition is expected to cost approximately $12,000, representing a substantial investment for our team. Our $10,000 fundraising goal will help cover this expense while preserving our available budget for the other systems and projects needed to complete the car. Every contribution helps us overcome this challenge, continue developing our electric vehicle, and prepare for another season of competition. We greatly appreciate your support in helping Iowa State Formula SAE make this transition possible! Our Team The Iowa State Formula SAE Team is a student-run organization based in the Student Innovation Center at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. Our team consists of eight subsystems: Aerodynamics, Business, Chassis, Controls, Electrical, Final Drive, Powertrain, and Suspension. Together, we design, manufacture, and test a new prototype race car each year to compete against leading engineering programs from around the world. With over 200 dues-paying members for the 2026-27 season, we are building our 30th car and entering our second season as a fully electric team. Following the transition to electric power, our team is focused on refining our design, improving power performance, and reducing vehicle weight as we continue developing our engineering capabilities. During our first electric competition season, we faced the challenges of developing a new electric vehicle and manufacturing our first fully carbon-fiber monocoque chassis. Although we were unable to pass technical inspection before the competition deadline, our team demonstrated significant engineering potential. We placed in the top 20 in the Design event, earned a near-perfect Aerodynamics Design score, and finished third for the Cummins Sustainable Power and Performance Excellence Award. These accomplishments give us a strong foundation to build upon. As we develop our next vehicle, we are applying the lessons learned from our first electric season to improve our design, manufacturing, and testing processes. With another year of experience and a continued commitment to engineering innovation, we are working toward an even stronger performance at the upcoming Formula SAE Michigan competition. Formula SAE Formula SAE is an international engineering competition organized by SAE International. University teams design, manufacture, and test prototype race cars, applying classroom knowledge to real-world engineering challenges. Students work across technical and business disciplines to develop vehicles that are evaluated by industry professionals through engineering design presentations, cost analysis, and dynamic performance events. Beyond building a competitive car, Formula SAE challenges students to develop the technical, project management, manufacturing, and teamwork skills needed to succeed in the automotive industry. Formula SAE Michigan Competition Our team's primary competition is Formula SAE Michigan, held annually in June at Michigan International Speedway. The event brings together approximately 100 university teams to showcase their vehicles and compete across engineering design, cost analysis, business presentation, and dynamic performance events. Teams are evaluated by experienced engineers and industry professionals on their design decisions, manufacturing processes, vehicle performance, and ability to develop a competitive and well-engineered product. The competition challenges students to apply the entire engineering process, from initial design and analysis through manufacturing, testing, and competition. Events at Comp BUSINESS PRESENTATIONTeams must respond to an RFP issued by SAE, which changes annually. Each team must submit a written report, and the top teams will move on to the presentation round. The 10 best presentations will advance to the presentation finals, which will be held in person at the competition. COSTTeams provide a complete cost breakdown along with detailed build instructions for their Formula car. Additionally, teams must demonstrate an understanding of the manufacturing processes for prototype and large-volume production of their car. DESIGNTeams must present the engineering decisions, validation, and testing done on their car. Teams are broken into subsystems of the car, and each subsystem must explain every choice made in designing its parts. ACCELERATION75-meter course evaluating the acceleration of the vehicle in a straight line. AUTOCROSS.8 km course denoted by cones, to evaluate vehicle maneuverability and handling. EFFICIENCYEvaluates the energy consumption during the endurance event. ENDURANCEA 22 km course is used to evaluate the overall performance of the vehicle, testing its durability and reliability. SKIDPADMeasures the vehicle's cornering ability while making a constant radius turn. Cars From Previous Years CR-30 - Team's first Electric Vehicle CR-28 - 5th Place finish FSAE IC Michigan 2025 CR-27 CR-24 CR-22 - 5th Place FSAE Lincoln 2017 Social Media Follow us on our social media to stay up-to-date with our journey! Instagram: iowastateformulasae Facebook: IowaStateFormulaSAE LinkedIn: FormulaSAEatIowaState TikTok: isuformulasae
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TREND Magazine 2026
By TREND Magazine
Help TREND Magazine print and publish their next issue!
Help TREND Magazine print and publish their next issue! TREND Magazine Each Tuesday evening, a passerby may hear the clacking of impractical shoes and the buzzing of exciting voices coming from MacKay Hall on Iowa State University’s campus. Those sounds are coming from the nearly 200 directors and members of TREND Magazine. In 2006, a few driven apparel merchandising and design (AMD) students decided they wanted to gift Iowa State University a bi-annual, student-run fashion magazine. What started out as a modest 10-page publication has turned into a magazine that's at least 150 pages long. With the dedication and hard work of ISU students over the years, TREND has been able to produce 36 print issues so far. Donations are vital to the longevity of this essential publication. Students need the community's financial support to continue flexing their creative muscles and gaining real experience in the publishing and media industries. Your donation will go towards the future issues of TREND Magazine. With your help, future students will be able to gain valuable experience from creating a publication all on their own. Why donate to TREND Magazine? TREND Magazine provides real-world experience to students of all majors — 170 students, to be exact. This on-campus group is more than a club, it is preparation for working professionally in the print and media industries. TREND is a place for students to meet and collaborate, improving their creative and problem-solving skills outside of the classroom. It is a creative outlet for students and allows them to envision and create an example of their hard work to bring to future employers. Experience is crucial in the fashion, print, and media industries. Students who are part of the fashion committees in TREND get to create a photoshoot from scratch, providing clothing, props, accessories, and poses. The public outreach committee students can reach out to real businesses and use the skills they learn in class, as well as plan events and team bonding activities. The editorial committee gives students published articles to add to their portfolios. We kindly ask you to donate to TREND so that we can continue to give creative students a place to thrive and prepare for their workforce. TREND is a gem in the truest sense of the word. Your contributions will help students continue to find their passion in fashion, photography, writing, and design.
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Engineers Without Borders 2026
By Engineers Without Borders ISU
Help EWB build a medical clinic to serve the Ullo-Dantie community.
Help EWB build a medical clinic to serve the Ullo-Dantie community. Engineers Without Borders ISU Generous donors have offered a 1:1 match for the first $7,500 contributed to double your impact and help EWB-ISU continue building a medical clinic to serve the Ullo-Dhantie community. Thank you for your support! This Year's Fundraising Priorities: Last year's successful fundraising effort put us over the top for installing the roof on the Urgent Care & Administration building of the poly clinic. We expect roof construction to take place while our travel team is in Ullo in January 2027. The fundraising priorities for this year are: First of two water towers needed at the clinic that will also allow community members to fetch water for their homes while clinic construction continues. Cost estimate $20,000 Solar-powered borehole on the Ullo Senior High School compound to disconnect the school water distribution from that of the clinic. Cost estimate $10,000 Securing the clinic building window and door openings after roof installation to restrict and secure access to the structure. Cost estimate $5,000 Implementing all three of these priorities as a result of this year's fundraising campaign will be a stretch goal. If we achieve it, then we can focus next year's campaign on installing the electrical and plumbing systems, and then the following year on finishing the inside of the clinic. Still a ways to go but getting closer to our goal of making the Ullo poly clinic a reality for the people of the Ullo Traditional Area. Who is EWB-ISU? Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB-USA) is a nonprofit humanitarian organization established to support community-driven development programs worldwide through partnerships that design and implement sustainable engineering projects, while providing transformative experiences for university students that enrich global perspectives and create responsible leaders. EWB-ISU is a student-led organization at Iowa State University consisting of about 60 students. Since 2014, our chapter has partnered with the Ullo Traditional Area, in the Upper West Region of Ghana, to plan, design, and implement sustainable solutions that respect and engage local knowledge and practices. Our first project in Ullo was implementing a mechanized, solar-powered borehole that has been pumping 20,000 L of water per day for the past eight years into storage tanks next to the boys and girls dorms of the Ullo Senior High boarding school. Up to 1,000 students no longer have to fetch water early mornings and late aftenoons from off-campus boreholes for the school kitchen and their personal hygiene. Since then, our partnership has resulted in: Engineering solution for community-built dam spillway that now holds water in the reservoir and allows the community to produce vegetables in downstream gardens well into the dry season thanks to partnering with Self-Help International. Partnership with Self-Help International in locating and staffing an office in the Jirapa Municipal District that serves the Ullo Traditional Area through training and microcredit loans to smallholder farmers. Partnership with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (KNUST) and collaboration on bilateral project implementation in Ullo with their EWB-KNUST student chapter. Improved cook stoves in the school kitchen that reduce smoke inhalation and heat exposure of female staff thanks to partnering with KNUST. Rainwater catchment and micro-irrigation system for school garden that allows hands-on learning of vegetable production in the school's agriculture curriculum. Conversion of two unused septic tanks into temporary latrines for female students who no longer have to relieve themselves in the bushes. Conversion of one unused septic tank into a temporary latrine for male students who no longer have to relieve themselves in the open behind the boys dorm. Solar water heating system that preheats cooking water for the school kitchen and cuts back on the unsustainable use of large quantities of firewood thanks to partnering with Design Engineers and ASHRAE grant funds. Solar panels and battery back-up for boys dorm that powers new lights and ceiling fans to improve security and comfort levels in shared bedrooms thanks to partnering with Design Engineers and ASHRAE grant funds. Partnership with Design Engineers of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, mentoring student teams in the design of mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems for the clinic project. Refurbished laptop computers for the high school’s IT department that allows students to learn keyboarding and access basic computer software. Near completion of the water distribution system on the grounds of the Ullo Senior High boarding school connecting three on-site wells (two solar-powered, one grid-powered) to the original tanks at the dorms and kitchen plus additional tanks and standpipes near classrooms and staff bungalows that provides water access to all students, staff and teachers throughout campus. Once complete, it will free up our original well to supply the new clinic (via two water towers), and for both systems (school and clinic) to back each other up should any of the four wells go down. Planning, design, fundraising, site preparation and Phase 1 and 2 construction of a new poly clinic that will improve health care delivery in the Ullo Traditional Area. What is the Ullo poly clinic project? During our visit in 2018-19 we learned that the current clinic in Ullo is insufficient in meeting the needs of the community. The clinic consists of five rooms in two buildings and a temporary waiting room structure, which is insufficient to provide adequate healthcare. The maternity ward consists of a converted staff apartment and is not capable of handling multiple births at the same time. The clinic is also in high demand during malaria season. Community members expressed that the lack of access to adequate healthcare has resulted in the unnecessary deaths of too many community members. Since the start of our project, the clinic now has a doctor on staff in anticipation of the new poly clinic coming online. Most medical emergencies require a 45-minute trip to St. Joseph Hospital in Jirapa on roads that during the rainy season are not always passable. Upon return, the 2018-19 travel team presented this need to the EWB-ISU chapter membership as the next project to partner on with the Ullo Traditional Area. The year was spent exploring the possibility, developing an initial concept, and securing permission from EWB-USA and the ISU College of Engineering administration to undertake such an ambitious project. The 2019-20 travel team presented the concept to the leaders and members of the Ullo community, and government officials of the Jirapa Municipal District and Ghana Health Service. Five potential sites the community had identified were evaluated, and a recommendation of the most suitable site presented to the Ullo Paramount Chief and his Council. The recommendation was accepted, and letters of commitment were secured. The Ullo Paramount Chief agreed in writing for the community to raise $5,000 in materials and supplies to prepare the site and start work on the foundation. The Chief Executive and Assembly of the Jirapa Municipal District committed to supplying furnishings and medical supplies once the clinic was completed. The district’s Ghana Health Service Directorate committed to staffing, equipping and operating the clinic. In the spring of 2020, the membership of the EWB-ISU student organization voted to move forward with the planning, design, fundraising and construction of a new medical clinic in Ullo-Dantie. This new clinic is envisioned to provide the facilities that will allow the district’s health service meet the medical needs of the Ullo Traditional Area including the students of the Ullo Senior High boarding school and about 15,000 people living in Ullo-Dantie and 28 other nearby communities. The new clinic will have a walk-in urgent care building with waiting and consultation rooms and a pharmacy plus an attached maternity ward wing and a 16-bed overnight observation and recovery wing. The construction and completion of the clinic have been broken down into multiple phases over several years. Ground-breaking and site preparation took place in the summer of 2022. Thanks to the generous support of our donors and fundraising efforts by EWB-ISU students, we initiated construction of the foundation for the entire clinic in 2023 (Phase 1) and completed construction of the main building superstructure in 2024 (Phase 2). Pictures and videos of the progress can be seen in the image carousel above. The next phase of construction is the roof for the first wing which thanks to more than two years of successful fundraising efforts will be installed in early 2027. To see a rendition of what the final structure will look like, please take a look at the image below. The 2024-25 travel team met with representatives of the roofing company, reviewed plans for the roof structure, and obtained an updated budget estimate and design drawings. In spring of 2025, we invested additional funds to add columns to the superstructure in preparation for the third phase which is to add the roof on the main building. In 2026 we invested additional funds to build up end walls for the U-shaped roof structure that will enclose and secure the roof once installed in early 2027. To see a rendition of what the final structure will look like, please take a look at the image below. If we meet (or ideally exceed) our stated FundISU goal for this year, we should be able to initiate the three stated priorities soon after the 2026-27 travel team returns from Ullo in January. Supporting the progress of this project is an investment in improving the overall healthcare and quality of lives and livelihoods in the Ullo Traditional Area. Boarding school students and community members will be able to access the new poly clinic for urgent care needs, medicine, vaccines, maternal and infant health, and physical and mental health care consultation. Improving the health of community members is a major step in promoting the development of a more sustainable and prosperous society. You can be part of Ullo's growth by enabling EWB-ISU to support their needs through this poly clinic project! Learn more about us on our website or follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook! Website: EWB-ISU | stu.org LinkedIn: EWB-ISU | LinkedIn Facebook: EWB-ISU | Facebook Instagram: EWB-ISU | Instagram
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