Noble Foundation

The Noble Foundation is a private family foundation based in West Des Moines, Iowa, established in December 1994 as the philanthropic vehicle of the family of David J. Noble (Dave Noble), a prominent Iowa businessman. The foundation is directed by Dave Noble's children — Cynthia L. Noble, Jeffery D. Noble, and Jonine L. Noble — with Debra J. Richardson serving as trustee. The foundation employs zero paid staff.

Dave Noble's guiding philosophy was that "a successful business is not a charter or a building — it is the people," and this human-centered ethos defines the foundation's grantmaking in every observable dimension. Grant recipients are almost exclusively organizations the Noble family knows personally or through trusted intermediaries in their communities. Board associate Carl Harris, a longtime colleague of Dave Noble, facilitated the relationship with On With Life — one of the foundation's largest grantees. This pattern of personal relationship driving grant decisions is almost certainly the norm across the entire portfolio.

The foundation operates across two distinct geographic corridors: central Iowa (primarily Polk, Jasper, and Madison counties in the Des Moines metro area) and Alabama (a combination of Central Alabama/Birmingham metro and Baldwin County on the Gulf Coast). The Alabama concentration is unusual for an Iowa-based foundation and almost certainly reflects personal family ties — recurring grants to Perdido Beach Volunteer Fire Department, Family Promise of Baldwin County, and Logan Martin Lake Protection Association point unmistakably to Gulf Coast and St. Clair County personal connections.

A critical note: the URL noblefoundation.org listed in public IRS records belongs to an entirely different organization — the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation in Ardmore, Oklahoma. The Iowa Noble Foundation has no active public website, no application portal, no posted guidelines, and no published contact information for grant inquiries. There is no formal intake process at any stage.

Giving is exclusively general operating support — there is no record of project-specific or restricted grants in the foundation's history. Multi-year relationships are the norm: Drake University, On With Life, Food Bank of Iowa, and Community Food Bank of Central Alabama all show 3–6 separate grants across multiple years, indicating the foundation treats grantmaking as long-term community partnerships. First-time grant seekers should set realistic expectations: cultivating a relationship for one to three years before receiving a first grant is consistent with all observable patterns.

The Noble Foundation's grantmaking has undergone dramatic growth since 2019. In the period 2011–2015, annual giving ranged from $42,993 to $93,469, with total assets under $1.5M — a modest family foundation. A $12.6M infusion of contributions in fiscal 2019 and an additional $4.7M in 2021 transformed it into a substantive mid-tier funder. Annual grants paid stabilized at approximately $1.1M in FY2022 ($1,105,500) and FY2023 ($1,112,890). In FY2024, total assets jumped to $28.1M — up from $18.9M — following $9,972,460 in net gains from asset sales, and grantmaking rose to $1,685,133 across 18 grants.

Across the foundation's full recorded history (158 grants totaling $4,125,090), the average grant is $26,108. This mean is heavily skewed by a few large multi-year relationships. In practice, the distribution falls into two tiers: community-level recurring gifts ($5,000–$75,000 annually) and major institutional partnerships ($100,000–$250,000+ per grant). The three largest cumulative relationships — Drake University ($1,000,000 over 4 grants), On With Life ($750,000 over 3 grants), and St. Simon Peter Episcopal Church ($285,000 over 5 grants) — collectively account for approximately 49% of all recorded dollars.

By sector, estimated dollar allocation across the foundation's history breaks down approximately as follows: Education and youth development ~27% (anchored by Drake University); Health and rehabilitation ~22% (On With Life, Iowa Health Foundation, Lakeside Hospice); Food security and human services ~14% (Iowa and Alabama food banks, United Way of Central Alabama); Religious organizations ~12% (Episcopal church, Pilots for Christ, Ecumenical Ministries, Samaritan's Purse); Children and youth services ~9% (Variety, Boys and Girls Club, ChildServe, Big Oak Ranch); Medical research ~8% (Alzheimer's foundations, St. Jude, Michael J. Fox Foundation); Animal welfare ~2%; Community and conservation ~6%.

Geographically, approximately 54% of grant count flows to Iowa organizations (Polk County dominant, secondary giving to Jasper County), 35% to Alabama organizations (Central Alabama/Birmingham metro and Baldwin County split), and 11% to national nonprofits. The practical grant range for new community-level grantees is $5,000–$75,000 annually. Established multi-year institutional partnerships can reach $250,000 per grant cycle.

The Noble Foundation sits within a peer group of similarly sized private family foundations in the $25M–$31M asset range. Its payout rate and dual-state geography distinguish it from most comparably sized foundations.

Noble Foundation's FY2024 payout of $1,685,133 represents approximately 6% of its $28.1M asset base — above the IRS-mandated 5% minimum for private foundations and above the typical payout behavior of most comparably sized family foundations in this peer group. Only Yum! Brands Foundation has a nominally more accessible application channel via its corporate giving programs; all others, like Noble, operate as invitation-only grantmakers. For Alabama-based nonprofits, the Jane K. Lowe Charitable Foundation's Alabama focus makes it a logical parallel cultivation target alongside Noble. Peer giving estimates are extrapolated from the standard 4–5% private foundation payout norm applied to each foundation's most recent disclosed assets; Noble Foundation's own data is drawn directly from its FY2024 Form 990-PF.

The Noble Foundation's most recent publicly available data comes from its FY2024 Form 990-PF, filed with the IRS on May 13, 2025. That filing documents 18 grants totaling approximately $1,685,133 — a meaningful increase from the approximately $1.1M annual pace in FY2022 and FY2023. The three publicly disclosed FY2024 recipients are Drake University ($250,000, general purpose), Ellipsis/Youth Homes of Mid-America ($250,000, general purpose), and Alabama Veteran ($100,000, general purpose). An additional 15 grants totaling $1,085,133 are recorded but their recipients are not available in free public databases.

FY2024 also reveals dramatic asset growth — from $18,858,963 in FY2023 to $28,145,966 in FY2024 — driven almost entirely by $9,972,460 in net gains from asset sales. Total FY2024 revenue was $10,666,683, primarily from those asset gains plus $673,466 in investment income. If this asset level is maintained, the 5% minimum payout threshold requires approximately $1.4M in annual grants going forward; historical behavior suggests the directors will exceed this threshold.

A donor spotlight published by On With Life documents a prior multi-year partnership in which the David J. Noble Foundation funded construction of a new outpatient clinic in Ankeny, Iowa as part of the organization's Giant Strides capital campaign. The foundation's name now appears permanently on the therapy gym wall, reflecting the personal significance the Noble family places on these relationships.

No leadership changes, new program announcements, press releases, or media coverage of this Iowa Noble Foundation were found during research conducted in June 2026. The foundation operates entirely without public communications infrastructure or social media presence.

The single most important fact about approaching the Noble Foundation is that there is no application process. The foundation does not maintain a public website, does not publish grant guidelines, does not accept letters of inquiry, and does not list contact information for grant seekers. All grantmaking flows from personal relationships the Noble family directors have cultivated directly.

Relationship-building is the only viable path. For organizations in central Iowa (Polk, Jasper, or Madison counties), pursue visibility within the Des Moines philanthropic community and cultivate introductions to Cynthia, Jeffery, or Jonine Noble, or to trusted network intermediaries. Board associate Carl Harris has been documented as a grant connector — understanding who else plays this connective role in the Des Moines nonprofit ecosystem is critical due diligence. Attending events at or near established grantee organizations (Drake University, On With Life, Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation, Animal Rescue League of Iowa, ChildServe) creates organic introduction opportunities.

Alabama organizations face the same dynamic. For nonprofits in Central Alabama (Jefferson and St. Clair counties) or Baldwin County and the Gulf Coast, develop relationships with leadership at Community Food Bank of Central Alabama, United Way of Central Alabama, Boys and Girls Club of Central Alabama, and Family Promise of Baldwin County — all established Noble Foundation grantees whose development officers may have insight into introduction pathways.

What resonates with the Noble family. Dave Noble's philosophy centered on human impact over systems or structures. The grantee list reflects a clear preference for organizations serving individuals directly: brain injury rehabilitation, food banks, youth homes, children's advocacy, hospice care, animal rescue. Lead with stories of specific people served, not abstract language about systems change or policy advocacy. Faith-aligned organizations appear prominently throughout the portfolio (Episcopal church, Pilots for Christ, Samaritan's Purse, Ecumenical Ministries), suggesting the Noble family values mission alignment with faith-grounded community service.

Format and framing. General operating support framing is essential — never propose a project grant or named gift opportunity on first contact. A brief one-page summary of mission, population served, and operating needs is far more appropriate than a formal proposal package. The foundation's entirely informal decision cycle means there is no deadline or review window; patience and consistent relationship maintenance across months or years is the realistic timeline for a first grant.