# Drake University Endowment

Drake University Endowment is an Endowment based in Des Moines, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment
- **Headquarters:** Des Moines, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Des Moines, IA, United States
- **Founded:** 1881
- **Assets under management:** $200M - $500M (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** drake.edu
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/school/drake-university/

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The Drake University Endowment is a non-profit organisation founded in 1881 in the United States. It provides scholarships and financial assistance to Drake University. The organisation focuses on business services investments.

## Sectors

- Real Estate
- Private Equity
- Public Equities
- Fixed Income

## People

- Paul Schickler — Chair of the Board of Trustees
- Larry Zimpleman — Trustee
- Greg Johansen — Trustee and Major Donor

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at Drake University's endowment?

The Board of Trustees holds ultimate authority over investment decisions, operating through an Investment Committee structure common to university endowments. Paul Schickler chairs the board. The board includes two former financial-services CEOs — Larry Zimpleman of Principal Financial Group and Greg Johansen of GRX Holdings — who bring direct institutional asset-management and private-equity experience to portfolio oversight.

### How does Drake University Endowment source private-market deals?

Deal flow relies heavily on trustee networks rather than a dedicated internal sourcing team. Trustee Craig Ibsen is Managing Partner at Next Level Ventures, an Iowa-based venture capital firm, providing direct access to regional early-stage opportunities. The board's deep ties to Des Moines' financial sector — including Principal and the insurance industry — create additional advisory and co-investment channels.

### What real estate assets does Drake University Endowment own?

The endowment holds student housing properties in Des Moines under Drake Real Estate Student Housing and co-owns Mediacom Stadium, a mixed-use facility developed with Des Moines Public Schools. The Johansen Student Center, formerly Morehouse Hall, is a donor-funded commercial asset on campus. All three properties are directly linked to the university's physical plant and donor capital.

### How is the endowment's governance structured?

The Board of Trustees governs the endowment through an Investment Committee. Trustees serve in a volunteer capacity, without dedicated internal investment staff. The board draws on the finance and operating backgrounds of its members — including former CEOs of Principal Financial Group and DuPont Pioneer — rather than employing a full-time CIO, which is typical for endowments in this size range.

### What is the Krause Challenge Fund?

The Krause Challenge Fund is a matching-grant vehicle tied to Drake University's fundraising efforts. It pools donor contributions that are matched against a challenge grant, with proceeds flowing into the endowment's capital base. This structure directly links ongoing fundraising campaigns to the investment corpus, a mechanism that amplifies donor impact while growing the long-term portfolio.

## Related profiles

- [Dragonfly Capital](https://altss.com/profile/dragonfly-capital)
- [DRD Investments](https://altss.com/profile/drd-investments)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/drake-university-endowment

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