DES MOINES— Governor Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Economic Development Authority have announced $190,000 in grants were recently awarded to 10 rural Iowa communities through three Empower Rural Iowa Grant programs. The grant awards will support rural initiatives including housing, child care and business/community growth.

Five cities each received $20,000 Rural Housing Readiness Assessment Grants to study housing needs through a partnership with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. The City of Denison, for example, is working to address overcrowding in affordable housing units.

The Rural Child Care Planning Grant was awarded to four recipients to support the use of data and analysis — in partnership with the national nonprofit organization First Children’s Finance — to determine the specific needs and solutions for their area. Hardin County Conservation received $20,000 to rally residents around a learning center that will use Calkins Nature Area in Iowa Falls to provide learning opportunities for kids ages two to five.

In addition, one $10,000 grant was awarded through the Building Ownership & Organization by Strengthening Teams (BOOST) program, which aims to assist passionate community and business leaders in developing intentional plans for next-step growth. Keokuk County Economic Development will meet with a BOOST team of experts to receive personalized recommendations, which grant funding will be used to implement.

Empower Rural Iowa grants are funded through an appropriation from the Iowa Legislature for Empower Rural Iowa initiatives. Applicants, who are required to provide a financial match, were scored based on criteria that included economic need, partners, readiness, and strategic goals.

Programs must exist in and benefit a community in Iowa with a population of 20,000 or fewer and not contiguous to a city with a population of 40,000 or greater. A full list of the 2024 Empower Rural Grant recipients is available here.