Some grants are commonly sought by SICOG members and other community development organizations in the region. This page provides a brief summary of some of the reoccurring grants. Please contact SICOG staff to determine the current status of all grants and to learn if the project being proposed will fit grant eligibility and priorities.
| Source/Program | Funding Uses | SICOG Due Date |
|---|---|---|
| SEARCH – Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and Households Grant | This USDA program helps very small, financially distressed rural communities with predevelopment feasibility studies, design, and technical assistance on proposed water and waste disposal projects. Eligible: Local governments and facility operators in communities of up to 2,500 population | Ongoing |
| CDBG Community Facilities and Services | This annual competitive program offers grants to assist communities for a variety of projects including day care facilities, senior centers, vocational workshops and other community services such as storm water projects. Eligible: Local governments | Ongoing |
| Iowa Historic Preservation Tax Credits – small projects | Up to 25% of project cost in the form of a State tax credit to offset the costs of the building rehabilitation or restoration. Project must affect a designated historic building on the National Register of Historic Places. Projects can have eligible costs up to $750,000 Eligible: property owners – governments can partner to mobilize the project). | Ongoing |
| ITC/ IRDC “Power of Connection” Community Grant Program | Grants up to $5,000 for capacity building, strategic planning, studies or assessments for a variety of community programs and issues Eligible: Rural communities | Ongoing |
| EDA Public Works Program | This is a large grant program for major economic development projects. EDA provides catalytic investments to help distressed communities build, design, or engineer critical infrastructure and facilities that will help implement regional development strategies and advance bottom-up economic development goals to promote regional prosperity. It provides resources to meet the construction and/ore infrastructure design needs of communities to enable them to become more economically competitive. Eligible: SICOG, local governments, higher education, quasi-government agencies and districts | Ongoing |
| US DOT Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program | Established under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), this program allocates $10 million over five years to assist rural and tribal communities with project development. The grants fund legal, technical, and financial advisory services to support future applications for DOT credit or grant infrastructure projects in underserved areas. Eligible: Local governments | Until funds are expended |
| FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) | The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds projects that reduce risks and enhance community resilience. Eligible projects are prioritized into three categories: – Priority #1 (Category A): Property acquisition/elevation, electric utility hardening, detention basis, warning sirens. – Priority #2 (Category B): Elevating or protecting wastewater lift stations, backup generators. – Priority #3 (Category C): Tornado safe rooms, small flood barriers. | Rolling until funds are exhausted – recommended NOIs submitted as soon as possible |
| T-Mobile Hometown Grant | The T-Mobile Hometown Grants program offers quarterly competitive grants of up to $50,000 to support community-focused projects. These grants aim to enhance local spaces, foster community engagement, and bring people together through initiatives such as placemaking and other activities that create vibrant, connective environment. Eligible: Local governments, non-profit organizations, communities | Last day of each quarter through at least 2025 |
| IDNR Food Storage Capacity Grant | This grant provides up to $8,000 for food storage equipment, including shelving, refrigerators, and freezers, to support food banks, pantries, and other organizations serving food-insecure Iowans. Funding aims to reduce food waste, prevent spoilage, and expand storage capacity. Eligible: Food pantries, food banks, and other non-profits distributing food to food-insecure Iowans. | Until funds are expended |
| Community Attraction and Tourism Program (CAT) | Provides grant funding to assist projects that provide recreational, cultural entertainment, and educational attractions. The funds help communities create transformational projects that enhance the vitality of a region and the state overall. The CAT Grant Program is designed to assist communities in the development and creation of multiple-purpose attractions and tourism. Eligible: Local governments, non-profits and schools as subrecipients | Until funds are expended |
| Iowa DOT Speed Feedback Signs Program | This program is for installing speed feedback signs to improve the safety and overall livability of Iowa’s local communities. These signs are proven traffic calming devices that will be placed along state highways within a community. The Iowa DOT will procure and install the signs at no cost to the city as long as the city agrees to accept ownership and will maintain the sign. Eligible: Local governments with state highways and a population of 750 to 15,000 | Opens Jan. 1st until funds exhausted for the year |
| IEDA Certified Local Government Program | The Certified Local Government (CLG) Program provides grant funding for a variety of historic preservation projects. Eligible activities include National Register of Historic Places nominations, district surveys, building reports, and other initiatives that support the identification, documentation, and preservation of historic resources. Eligible: Local governments in good standing with the State of Iowa SHPO CLG Program | Typically September (exact date not yet announced) |
| GIG (Grow, Invest, Gather) Fund – Arts & Wellness Grants | The GIG Fund provides flexible funding for nonprofits to deliver public-facing arts projects and activities that strengthen community wellness in Midwestern communities. Eligible projects may include performances, in clinical settings, creative aging initiatives, and arts engagement opportunities for veterans. The program emphasizes artist-driven projects that connect the arts with health and well-being. | September 29 |
| Arts Project Grant | The Arts Project Grant supports high-quality arts and cultural projects that create opportunities for Iowans to access and engage with the arts. Eligible projects may include performances, exhibitions, festivals, workshops, or other community-based arts activities that demonstrate artistic excellence and public value. Funding is administered by the Iowa Arts Council and the Iowa Economic Development Authority, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Eligible: Artists and arts organizations | September 23 |
| Iowa Tourism Grant | The Iowa Tourism Grant provides funding for tourism-related marketing initiatives, events, and meetings that drive visitor spending and support economic growth. Projects should attract travelers, enhance the visitor experience, and showcase Iowa’s unique destinations to strengthen both local economies and the statewide tourism industry. Eligible: Tourism-related entities based in Iowa. This includes non-profits, for-profits, cities, counties, and regional government and planning entities. | September 30 |
| USDA Rural Economic Development Loans and Grants | This program provides loans and grants to local and regional entities for a wide range of economic development projects. Priority consideration is given to projects that offer climate benefits, such as energy efficiency, renewable energy, or sustainability initiatives. Funds are typically awarded to eligible utility providers, such as Rural Electric Cooperatives (RECs), who may then relend or subgrant funds to support local development efforts. Eligible: Certain utility providers (e.g., rural Electric Cooperatives) who can subgrant or reloan funds to other entities | September 30 (next quarterly round) |
| IDOT RISE Grant | The RISE Grant supports roadway improvements aimed at driving economic development. Funding can be used for projects such as business expansions, industrial parks, commercial hubs, and other initiatives that promote economic growth. Eligible: Municipalities | February 1, 2026 |
| Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) | The HBIIP provides funding to help fuel stations, convenience stores, and other transportation fueling facilities expand or install infrastructure for higher blends of renewable fuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel. The program supports equipment upgrades including pumps, storage tanks, and related systems that increase consumer access to renewable fuel options. Eligible: Owners of transportation fueling facilities and fuel distribution facilities | September 30 (next quarterly round) |
| IDNR Water Recreation Access Cost-Share Program | The Water Recreation Access Cost-Share Program provides funding to construct or improve boat access facilities on Iowa’s lakes and streams. Eligible projects include boat ramps, loading and off-loading docks, and other related structures that improve public access and recreational use of waterways. Eligible: Local governments | September 30 |
| IDOT Federal Recreational Trails | The Federal Recreational Trails Program provides funding to acquire, construct, or improve recreational trails across Iowa. Projects must result in trials that are open for public use or will be dedicated for public use upon completion. This highly competitive grant program prioritizes major projects, particularly those that connect existing trails, communities or key destinations. Eligible: Local governments and certain non-profitorganizations | October 1 |
| IDNR Solid Waste Alternatives Program | This program offers funding for initiatives that promote waste reduction and recycling. Eligible uses include: – Equipment and installation for waste reduction – Recycling collection, processing, or hauling equipment (including installation) – Development, printing, and distribution of educational materials – Planning and execution of educational forums, workshops, and events – Purchase and installation of products made from recycled materials – Salaries directly related to implementation and operation of the project Eligible: Local governments, non-profits, private organizations, and individuals | October 1 |
| IDALS Urban Conservation Projects | These projects can range from site scale to watershed scale stormwater management practices (a single bioretention cell vs a stormwater wetland). Projects may utilize one or multiple stormwater management practices to manage the water quality improvement goals. The practices must treat for water quality volume, but they may comprehensively manage multiple storm events including the entire unified sizing criteria storms, when possible or practical. This approach can provide large scale water quality and quantity benefits the applicant. Eligible: Cities, counties, county conservation boards, Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs), other units of government, and not-for-profit organizations | November 21 (pre-application) |
| National Trust Preservation Funds | The National Trust Preservation Funds provide small grants of up to $5,000 to support the early stages of preservation projects. These grants help stimulate public discussion, build discussion, build local technical expertise, introduce communities to preservation concepts and techniques, and encourage private sector financial participation in preservation efforts. Eligible: Local organizations and community groups engaged in preservation projects | October 1 |
| Iowa Community Catalyst Building Remediation Program | The Catalyst Program provides up to $100,000 for the rehabilitation of underused and deteriorated commercial buildings, typically located in downtown areas. The program supports one building project per city, regardless of size, with a funding set-aside specifically for small towns. Projects are intended to revitalize main streets, stimulate economic activity, and restore community vitality. Eligible: Municipalities | Pre-application due January 29, 2026 |
| IDOT RISE Grant | The RISE (Revitalize Iowa’s Sound Economy) Grant provides funding for roadway improvements that support economic development projects. Eligible uses include the construction or improvement of roads serving business expansions, new industrial or commercial parks, and other developments that create jobs and stimulate local economies. Eligible: Local governments | February 1, 2026 |
| CDBG Water and Sewer Program | The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Water and Sewer Program provides funding to local governments for essential water and wastewater infrastructure improvements. Eligible projects include treatment plants, mains, lagoons, pumps, towers, and other critical systems that protect public health and support community development. Eligible: Local governments | Early 2026 |