The Rural Child Care Planning program seeks to support the use of data and analysis by rural communities to determine the specific needs and solutions for child care in their area.
Child care is a challenge across rural communities in Iowa and across the nation. However, the solutions are often more complicated than the construction of a new facility. Many factors need to be carefully analyzed to determine the feasibility for development of a child care center, expansion of an existing one or support for in-home providers.
Through greater understanding of their geographic market, demographics, competition, financials, and other factors, communities can be armed with the information needed to take proactive steps towards addressing child care challenges. Funding from the program will empower communities to assess their current child care environment and develop strategies.
Eligibility
- City or county government or federally recognized tribal government physically located in Iowa
- Federally designated nonprofit agencies and foundations
- Public and private schools that serve grade pre-K through 12 and higher education institutions that are physically located in Iowa
- Projects/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. If a countywide project, must be in one of the 88 least populous counties.
Application Process
- Application window opens July 1, 2025 on IowaGrants.gov.
- Please review the Grant Guidelines found in the Resources area below for additional information on eligibility requirements, use of funding, reporting requirements and the review process. A copy of the scoring rubric is included.
- The deadline to apply for funding is 4:00pm CST, August 29, 2025. Applicants must apply via IowaGrants.gov, the online application portal. Applications will not be accepted in any other format. Late, incomplete, or ineligible applications will not be considered. Applicants must create an IowaGrants.gov login to view the full application for the program