The State of Iowa awarded a total of $40,000 in grants aimed at driving more economic growth to two counties and two rural towns, the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) announced Thursday, April 3.
A project by Jackson County, which borders the Quad Cities region, received one of the grants from the Governor’s Empower Rural Iowa Initiative’s Building Ownership & Organization by Strengthening Teams (BOOST) program. All four projects each will receive $10,000 from the Rural BOOST program.
The recipients and their projects are:
- Jackson County — The Jackson County Economic Alliance. JCEA reports that 72% of the county’s workforce is older than 55. Most are expected to retire within 15 years. To prepare, JCEA plans to survey the workforce needs of local businesses and industries and assist with creating succession plans for a smooth transition.
- Calhoun County — Calhoun County Economic Development will develop a marketing strategy. It will be designed to attract businesses, manufacturers or service providers to the Calhoun County Business Park. The strategy will focus particularly on a 13.2-acre shovel-ready site at the intersection of U.S. Highway 20 and Iowa Highway 4.
- Imogene (Fremont County) — With a population of 39, the city wants to curb population decline by investing in professional design and engineering services to prioritize community needs. They include street repairs, a campground expansion, a bridge replacement and downtown building renovations.
- Sibley (Osceola County) — Sibley Housing and Development Corp. is eyeing a new residential development. The goal is to address a significant housing shortage hindering the city’s economic growth. The grant will pay for a site plan proposal and public awareness campaign.
About IEDA grants
According to IEDA, the winning projects were among six BOOST applications received in this grant round. Applicants, who must provide a financial match, were scored based on various criteria. They include economic need, partnerships, readiness and strategic goals.
“For struggling rural areas, this support can be transformative — helping local leaders to bring their vision to life, create and fill jobs and fuel economic progress where it’s needed most,” IEDA and Iowa Finance Authority Director Debi Durham said in a news release. “These grants encourage innovative ideas that enable small Iowa towns to stay vibrant and competitive.”
The Rural BOOST program connects community and business leaders with expert guidance to develop actionable growth plans. Grant funding supports the implementation of those plans.
To be eligible, projects must serve communities with 20,000 or fewer residents and not be adjacent to a city of more than 40,000. Countywide projects must be located in one of the state’s 88 least-populous counties.
Rural BOOST is administered by the Center for Rural Revitalization, a division of the IEDA, in consultation with the Governor’s Empower Rural Iowa Initiative Task Force. For more information on the program, contact Robin Bostrom at (515) 348-6176 or [email protected].
