Drake University

Drake University, a nonprofit educational institution headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, acts as a federal grant recipient funding undergraduate research and STEM educator development across the National Science Foundation, the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, and a portfolio of other civilian agencies. The university operates as a prime recipient on 89% of its awards and as a sub-recipient on the remaining 11%, competing full-and-open rather than under any SBA set-aside designation.

Drake's federal grant footprint centers on STEM education, undergraduate research experiences, and workforce development. Representative prime grants include a $240,108 NSF Division of Undergraduate Education award (CFDA 47.076) supporting collaborative development of Virtual Reality AI avatar simulations and peer-teaching modalities for preservice STEM teacher preparation across five partner institutions through September 2029; a $319,059 NSF Mathematical and Physical Sciences grant (CFDA 47.049) funding theoretical and computational research into photon- and electron-driven atomic collision processes through June 2027; a $166,000 NSF Division of Chemistry award (CFDA 47.049) investigating non-symbiotic hemoglobin function in bryophyte species, with hands-on training for 6–8 undergraduate students and professional development for 2–3 high school teachers through August 2028; a $222,220 Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services grant (CFDA 84.129) supporting rehabilitation counselor training with at least 65 percent directed to student scholarships through September 2026; and a Department of Health and Human Services Office of Head Start award running through June 2030 supporting early childhood education programming. Drake also received a $38,000 NSF Division of Mathematical Sciences grant to host a Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences regional research conference on algorithmic fractal dimensions in May 2024.

Drake's top five customer agencies by award count account for 45% of all awards: the Department of the Army (16 awards), the National Science Foundation (15 awards), the Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (11 awards), the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families (7 awards), and the Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service (6 awards). The Department of the Air Force Air Education and Training Command leads by potential value (6 awards, $44 thousand combined), though the measurement reflects sub-million educational and training grants rather than large research or service contracts. NSF and the Department of Education anchor the volume and scope of Drake's prime grant activity, with the Army presence reflecting smaller military professional development or administrative support sub-awards routed through vehicle-based task orders including Indefinite Delivery Contract F0160084D0042 (6 task orders, $44 thousand).

In its sub-recipient role, Drake participates in health services research coordination under Kaiser Foundation Hospitals (medication adherence trajectories in older people living with HIV), leadership development for African leaders through the International Research and Exchanges Board, collaborative research on hemoglobin function under the University of Colorado, and internship program administration under Iowa State University's I-RAISE program. Activity has accelerated in recent years, growing from one award in 2022 to eleven in 2024, before moderating to seven in 2025 and two in 2026 year-to-date. Four awards reach ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, presenting recompete opportunity for subsequent grant cycles across STEM education and vocational rehabilitation programming.