The Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) and Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) are pleased to announce the third annual Iowa Thriving Communities Program.
Donor Name: Iowa Finance Authority
State: Iowa
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Program
Deadline: 05/12/2025
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
The initiative provides communities that are leveraging innovative methods to attract housing opportunities for their workforce with a chance to be recognized for their efforts. A limited number of communities will be awarded the designation, which comes with highly sought after scoring points for the Federal Housing Tax Credit and/ or Workforce Housing Tax Credit programs, in addition to incentive points for the HOME and Community Catalyst programs.
Funding Information
- Federal Housing Tax Credit: Up to $1.3 million Federal Tax Credit (13million 10-year credit)
- Iowa Workforce Housing Tax Credit: Up to $1 million State Tax Credit
- Home Program: Up to$1,000,000 per project
- Community Catalyst Program: Up to $100,000.
Grant Period
July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2028.
Eligibility Criteria
- ALL cities in Iowa are eligible to apply for Iowa Thriving Community designation
- IFA intends to award the designation to both rural and urban community applicants, so there is no minimum or maximum population limit
- Because IFA intends to award more designations to rural communities than urban, they are providing the following definition of rural for informational purposes only: communities with a population of 20,000 or fewer and not contiguous to a city with a population of 40,000 or greater shall be considered rural
- Both rural and urban cities are encouraged to apply!
Scoring Criteria
Applications will be scored on the following six categories:
- Financial Support
- Iowa Thriving Community Attributes
- Promoting health and public safety, fostering cultural vibrancy and transportation infrastructure within communities
- Access to: Jobs, healthcare, schools, groceries and other essential services, broadband, childcare
- High school or community college trade program
- Planning and Assessment
- Proposed Neighborhood or Site for Housing Development
- Strategic Leadership and Partnerships
- Workforce Attraction and Retention.
For more information, visit IFA.
