The Rural Innovation Grant program seeks to support creative ideas that address current issues and challenges faced by rural communities. This grant opportunity aims to increase available housing stock in rural Iowa by leveraging funding programs, driving private investment, and rewarding creative solutions. The goal is to provide funds to communities that have demonstrated significant progress on housing initiatives and that propose to bring innovation into implementation with a definitive outcome.
This program is administered by the Center for Rural Revitalization, a division of the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA), in consultation with the Governor’s Empower Rural Iowa Initiative Task Forces.
Eligibility
- City or county government or federally recognized tribal government physically located in Iowa
- Federally designated nonprofit agencies and foundations
- 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
Resources
Email Address