Cyclone Gridiron Club

Name

Cyclone Gridiron Club

Legal name

Cyclone Gridiron Club

Website

https://cyclonegridironclub.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Athletic Booster Club

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

University/College Club Sports Programs (MPAKACAK), Club Sports Programs (EDALAIAB)

Keywords

• Athletic booster club
• College football fundraising
• Membership organization
• Sports philanthropy
• Fan engagement programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Moines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Annual Membership Dues: The club generates revenue through tiered annual family memberships ranging from $100 to $5,000+, with each tier offering escalating benefits including apparel credits, sideline passes, and exclusive event access. Family memberships cover a spouse and children through high school age.
2. Merchandise Sales: Revenue is generated through the sale of Cyclone Gridiron Club branded apparel (t-shirts, hats, polos, 1/4 zips) via shopgridironclub.com and Moorman's Clothier's in Ames, Iowa. A portion of proceeds from merchandise sales is donated back to the club.
3. Cyclone Gridiron Bourbon: A branded bourbon produced by Century Farms Distillery, with a portion of each bottle sold benefiting the Cyclone Gridiron Club and Iowa State Football. Available at retail outlets and shipped directly via centuryfarmsdistillery.myshopify.com.
4. Event Revenue: Revenue generated through paid events including the Summer Social ($50/person), Mike Lacey Gridiron Golf Classic (golf registration), travel packages (flights and hotel for away games), and Big Raffle ticket sales.
5. Tax-Deductible Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, the club accepts tax-deductible donations and contributions that go directly to support non-budgeted Iowa State football program expenses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Cyclone Gridiron Club is a 501(c)(3) non-profit booster organization that raises funds for the Iowa State University football program through tiered annual family memberships ($100 to $5,000+), tax-deductible contributions, branded merchandise sales, co-branded bourbon, and member events such as golf classics and away-game travel packages. Contributions go 100% directly to non-budgeted football program expenses supporting players, coaches, and staff.

Product overview

Cyclone Gridiron Club operates as a unified booster club product centered on its family membership program with six contribution tiers ($100-$5,000+/year). The club's portfolio includes co-branded merchandise (the Cyclone Gridiron Bourbon with Century Farms Distillery), an online merchandise store, custom apparel through Moorman Clothiers, and seasonal newsletters. Event offerings span the Summer Social & Golf Classic, Travel with the Cyclones away game packages, and regional Eastern Iowa Socials. All products serve the single mission of supporting non-budgeted Iowa State football program expenses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cyclone Gridiron Bourbon: Bourbon produced in partnership with Century Farms Distillery. A portion of sales from each bottle benefits the Cyclone Gridiron Club mission of supporting Iowa State Football.

Products and services

• Cyclone Gridiron Club Membership Family-based annual membership supporting Iowa State football, with six contribution tiers ranging from $100 (Pigskin) to $5,000+ (Championship) per year, offering benefits including exclusive event access, apparel credits ($25 to $300), pregame sideline passes, and drawings for dinners with AD Jamie Pollard. Student memberships available at $25/year.
• Cyclone Gridiron Bourbon Co-branded bourbon beverage produced by Century Farms Distillery in partnership with the Cyclone Gridiron Club, with a portion of sales benefiting the club's mission of supporting Iowa State football. Available at retail outlets and shipped directly to consumers.
• CGC Merchandise Store Online store offering Cyclone Gridiron Club branded merchandise including t-shirts, hats, polos, 1/4 zips, and youth sizes, with all proceeds supporting Iowa State football.
• Summer Social & Mike Lacey Gridiron Golf Classic Annual member event featuring a golf tournament at Talons Golf (Ankeny, Iowa), happy hour, car collections, live and silent auctions, and Iowa Outlaws BBQ dinner with ISU coaches, including featured speaker Coach Jimmy Rogers.
• Travel with the Cyclones Organized travel packages for members to attend Iowa State away football games, including flights, hotel, bus transfers, welcome receptions, and optional game tickets.
• Eastern Iowa Social Regional social events for Cyclone supporters in Eastern Iowa, featuring meals and networking opportunities to strengthen the ISU football community outside the Ames area.

Quantifiable outcome

• Raised more than $4.5 million for non-budgeted Iowa State football program expenses

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Century Farms DistillerycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentury Farms Distillery partners with the Cyclone Gridiron Club to produce the Cyclone Gridiron Bourbon, a branded bourbon with a portion of each bottle sold benefiting the mission of the club. The bourbon is available at retail outlets and shipped directly via the distillery's Shopify store.
• Moorman's Clothier'scoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMoorman's Clothier's in Ames, Iowa (226 Main St.) is an exclusive retail partner for Cyclone Gridiron Club branded apparel including Cutter & Buck polos, pullovers, and button-down shirts for men and women. A portion of proceeds from sales is donated to the Cyclone Gridiron Club.
• Iowa State University Department of AthleticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Cyclone Gridiron Club is the official, officially recognized support group for Iowa State football. The club raises funds and provides support for non-budgeted football program expenses including players, coaches, and staff. The Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard endorses the club and participates in member events.
• Talons GolfminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTalons Golf (1505 NE 36th Street, Ankeny, Iowa) hosts the annual Mike Lacey Gridiron Golf Classic. The event is a CGC member-only golf tournament held at Dennis Albaugh's Talons Golf facility.
• Iowa Outlaws BBQminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIowa Outlaws BBQ provides the dinner for the Summer Social event, which is sponsored by the Absolute Group. The BBQ dinner is part of the Summer Social evening that includes Coach Jimmy Rogers as featured speaker, auctions, and raffles.
• Absolute GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Absolute Group sponsors the Iowa Outlaws BBQ dinner at the annual Summer Social event, contributing to the club's fundraising and community engagement activities.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ISU Letterwinners Club: Iowa State's former-letterwinner giving organization, explicitly mentioned alongside CGC on the club's own endorsement page as a parallel giving vehicle for the same ISU fan and alumni base, making it the closest direct peer.
• Kansas Athletics Fund (Williams Education Fund): Kansas Athletics' primary football annual fund providing scholarship and program support through tiered memberships; a fellow Big 12/former-Big 12 peer running an almost identical donor model to CGC.
• Cyclone Club: Iowa State Athletics' primary annual fund and ticket priority program, soliciting the same Iowa State supporters that CGC targets but focused on season tickets and general athletic department support rather than football-specific non-budgeted expenses.
• Longhorn Foundation: University of Texas's flagship football support organization, providing scholarships and program funding through tiered memberships; a scaled-up version of CGC's booster-club model for a higher-resource program in the same conference.
• Nebraska One Fund: University of Nebraska's combined annual fund for athletics, including football-specific support; comparable in mission, tiered membership structure, and Big Ten/football-centric donor base, though at a meaningfully larger scale.
• 12th Man Foundation: Texas A&M's nationally recognized booster organization supporting scholarships and football program needs through memberships, donations, and branded products; directly comparable in mission and football-focused scope.

Broad incumbents

• Iowa State University Foundation: ISU's central philanthropic entity, offering tax-deductible giving to the broader university mission; competes with CGC for the same alumni donor pool but across a much wider set of causes.
• Iowa State University Department of Athletics: CGC's primary beneficiary and official endorsing institution, governing all Iowa State varsity athletics including football; functions as the broader incumbent within which CGC operates and channels non-budgeted contributions.

Regional players

• Hawkeye Athletic Fund: University of Iowa's primary athletic annual fund for scholarship and program support; a direct in-state counterpart running a similar tiered membership and capital-project fundraising model for Big Ten athletics.

Others

• Big 12 Conference: Governing body of the conference in which Iowa State football competes; not a peer fundraiser, but central to the competitive context that drives CGC's donor engagement and membership value.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cyclonegridiron
• Facebookfacebook.com/CycloneGridironClub
• Instagraminstagram.com/cyclonegridironclub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cyclone-gridiron-club

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cyclone Gridiron Club