Cindy Schaus

Cindy Schaus is an associate director of the Grinnell College Office of Grants and Research. She joined the ‘Grants Office’ in 2021 to focus on supporting faculty, staff, and the institution in the pursuit of external funding for research, teaching, and campus-wide initiatives. These efforts include focusing on identifying potential external funding sources, assisting in proposal development from concept to submission, and helping steward and administer funded grants.

Prior to joining Grinnell College, Schaus led corporate giving strategies and engagement with charitable foundations and nonprofits while holding leadership roles in financial services. Her experience includes leading corporate funding and shareholder engagement as head of U.S. external communications for the Netherlands-based Fortune 500 company, ING, and its North American subsidiaries Aetna Financial Services, Equitable of Iowa Companies, and ReliaStar Financial Services.

Schaus serves on funding review panels for national, state, and regional grant programs. She is also a Board member and Treasurer for the Grant Professionals Association of Central Iowa; and she has served on leadership committees with various philanthropic, marketing, and communications organizations across the country. She holds a B.A. in accounting from Simpson College and completed additional course work in art and art history at the University of Iowa and the master's in education program at Iowa State University. Her background also includes certification in Strategic Giving and Foundation Planning with Boston College.