Grant list

A range of local, state and federal grant programs are available throughout the year.  A few websites offer info, including Iowa Grants.gov, GrantFinder, and  www.grants.gov. You could also check out the Iowa Grants Guide, a database of nearly 700 funders in Iowa or with an Iowa connection.

Local grants:

• Community Foundation of Osceola County (Up to $5000 with no match requirement. Application usually October-November each year with grants awarded in late January).
• Lyon County Riverboat Foundation ($2000 mini-grants are typically given in the spring and fall)
• POET Never Satisfied Grant (grants up to $3,000 are available in our area for community organizations, schools, churches, environmental groups and individuals who are ready to lead a project that will improve their town)

State grants:

• Iowa Tourism Grants (Awards range from $2,500 to $5,000 and require a 25 percent cash match. Application period is October-November each year)
• Prairie Meadows grant (Community Betterment Grant Program fund small-to-medium sized projects with grants ranging from $100 to $99,999)
• Paint Iowa Beautiful (Through a partnership with Diamond Vogel Paint of Orange City, Iowa groups can receive paint for community enhancement projects and parks. The Paint Iowa Beautiful Grant application process typically opens in September)
• Iowa Economic Development Authority Community Grants
  • Enhance Iowa
  • Community Facilities and Services Fund
  • CDBG Downtown Revitalization
• Iowa Economic Development Authority Business Grants
• Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs Grants (Art Project Grant, Arts Build Communities Grant, Capacity Building Grant, Historical Resource Development Program and more)
• State Historical Society of Iowa Grants
• Land and Water Conservation Fund  (The LWCF Program is a federally funded grant program that provides match funds of 50% for outdoor recreation area development and acquisition. Iowa’s cities and counties are eligible to participate.)
• Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation Grants
  • Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher Supplement Grant offers up to $250 to support the integration of agriculture into regular classroom instruction or after school programs with an academic focus)
• Iowa DNR Grants:
  • Derelict Building Grant Program (Available for Iowa towns of 5,000 or fewer residents’ to address neglected commercial or public structures that have sat vacant for at least 6 months)
  • REAP City Grants (This money is available to cities through competitive grants. Grant applications are due annually on August 15th)
  • Solid Waste Alternatives Program (The program provides financial assistance in the form of forgivable loans, zero interest loans, and 3 percent interest loans. A 25% minimum cash match is required for each budget line item requesting funding assistance. SWAP works to reduce the amount of solid waste generated and landfilled in Iowa)
• Iowa DOT grants
  • Federal and State Recreational Trails
  • Revitalize Iowa’s Sound Economy (RISE) Program
• Iowa Living Roadway Trust Fund (LRTF supports integrated roadside vegetation management (IRVM) programs; and educates the public on the benefits, use and care of roadside vegetation, including native plants. Grant funding is available to eligible cities under 10,000 in population. Typically, a match is required of applicants that meets or exceeds 20 percent of the total project cost)
• Iowa Barn Foundation
• BLN Community Grant Program (Small grants of up to $3,000 are awarded on a competitive basis for projects that address a community priority in public health in Iowa and has a minimum 1:1 local cash or in-kind match)

Other business grants:

• Casey’s (Casey’s provides contributions that support the fundamental needs in its communities: Education, Hunger and Community Servants.)
• Lewis Drug (Lewis proudly helps raise money for various community events and organizations)
• Pizza Hut (Pizza Hut’s franchise partners generously support the communities in which they operate. Because needs and opportunities vary within communities, please contact your local Pizza Hut with your request. The local restaurant/franchise organization will determine if they are able to provide support)
• Dollar General (Submit your request to donations@dollargeneral.com. All donation requests should include a formal request letter on the nonprofit organization’s letterhead and also include the organization’s nine-digit EIN number)
• Pizza Ranch (Pizza Ranch supports its communities in a variety of ways through fundraising opportunities as well as food, coupon and monetary donations. If your organization is interested in requesting a sponsorship or donation, please fill out the form here, and a local Pizza Ranch manager will contact you if they would like to fulfill your donation request)
• US Bank (Community Possible Grants are available in three categories: Play, Work and Home. To make the most meaningful impact, US Bank focused grant giving to economic development issues tied to work, home and play. Organizations must also be based in and serve designated U.S. Bank communities.).
• Wellmark (Supports nonprofit organizations or community groups that develop, implement and enhance local wellness and prevention projects with a focus on long-term sustainability)
• Alliant Energy (Alliant Energy Foundation’s Community Grants are directed to nonprofit programs and projects that benefit customers in Alliant Energy communities in Iowa and Wisconsin. They fund projects in four focus areas: Hunger and Housing, Workforce Readiness, Environmental Stewardship, and Diversity, Safety and Wellbeing. Grants from the Foundation typically range from $500 to $5,000, with an average grant of $2,500)
• State Farm (Grants focus on three areas: safety, education, and community development. Grant amount requested must be $5,000 or more.
• Grinnell Mutual (Grant programs include Road to Success and Fairground Facelift)
• John Deere

Federal grants:

• USDA Rural Development programs (A large number of grants and loan programs are available for communities, nonprofits, businesses, utilities and more)
• Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program
• National Endowment for the Arts (The National Endowment for the Arts awards matching grants to nonprofit organizations, literature fellowships for published creative writers and translators, and partnership agreements for state arts agencies and regional arts organizations in support of arts projects in thousands of communities across the country)
• FEMA grants (Grant funds are available for pre and post emergency or disaster related projects. These funds support critical recovery initiatives, innovative research and many other programs. Grants are the principal funding mechanism FEMA uses to commit and award federal funding to eligible state, local, tribal, territorial, certain private non-profits, individuals and institutions of higher learning)