Rural Housing Readiness Assessment Grant

The Rural Housing Readiness Assessment Grant program is administered by the Iowa Economic Development Authority through its Center for Rural Revitalization in collaboration with the Governor’s Empower Rural Iowa Initiative Task Forces and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. The program is designed to assist rural communities across Iowa in strengthening their housing development strategies by leveraging publicly available data and structured assessment processes. By integrating technical assistance from ISU Extension and Outreach workshops, the program supports communities in evaluating their existing development environment and identifying policy or regulatory changes that can better attract housing developers. The primary purpose of the grant is to enable rural communities to assess housing needs and barriers through data collection and facilitated workshops, ultimately leading to actionable changes in development codes, local ordinances, and housing incentives. Funding is specifically intended to support participation in the Rural Housing Readiness Assessment workshop and related data analysis activities. These efforts must contribute directly to the completion of a housing assessment report or implementation of recommendations derived from the workshop within the defined contract period. Grant recipients are awarded a fixed amount of 20000 dollars, and a portion of the funds must be allocated to contracting with ISU Extension and Outreach for the required workshop. The program requires a minimum cash match of 10000 dollars, which must be secured and used toward eligible project expenses. This match cannot include in-kind contributions or loans and must be expended within the grant’s funding period. Funds are disbursed on a reimbursement basis, meaning recipients must first incur eligible expenses and then submit documentation, including invoices and proof of payment, for reimbursement through the IowaGrants.gov system. Eligibility is limited to local city and county governments and federally recognized tribal governments located in Iowa. Projects must serve communities with populations of 20000 or fewer and must not be contiguous to a city with a population of 40000 or greater. Countywide projects are further restricted to one of the 88 least populous counties in the state. Applicants must demonstrate administrative capacity, provide a feasible project plan, identify additional funding sources, and commit to working with ISU Extension and Outreach. Establishing a local housing committee composed of diverse stakeholders is strongly encouraged to guide the project. The application process requires submission through the IowaGrants.gov portal, and applications submitted through other means will not be accepted. Applicants must create an account to access the full application and ensure that submissions are complete and submitted before the deadline. Required components include evidence of eligibility, documentation of the required cash match, a detailed project plan, identification of partners, and alignment with program goals. Applications are reviewed first for completeness and eligibility, then evaluated competitively by a volunteer review committee using a structured scoring rubric that assesses factors such as applicant capacity, project timing, implementation readiness, and budget quality. The application window opens on July 1, 2026, and closes at 4 p.m. on August 26, 2026. Award notifications are expected in fall 2026, and the performance period extends from fall 2026 through June 30, 2028. During this time, all project activities and expenditures must occur to be eligible for reimbursement. The program appears to operate on a recurring cycle aligned with state funding initiatives, although explicit annual recurrence is not formally stated. For additional information, applicants may contact Sacha Wise at the Iowa Economic Development Authority via email or phone for guidance prior to submission.

Ensure strong alignment with scoring rubric including clear implementation plan, demonstrated capacity, and secured matching funds; emphasize local support and readiness for execution