568083 - BOOST Application
Funding Opportunity Details

Rural Revitalization

Final Application Deadline: Feb 13, 2026 4:00 PM

Description

• Rural challenges rarely exist in a silo — and neither should the solutions. The BOOST program helps communities leverage their unique assets while encouraging local leaders to identify priorities and set realistic goals for economic and business development. Participating communities commit to creating innovative strategies that foster collaboration, strengthen community design and support a resilient business economy. Experts will look holistically at each community’s strengths and weaknesses then partner with local leaders to identify practical, implementable strategies grounded in local realities.

   

  Drawing on the expertise of Empower Rural Iowa task force members, IEDA staff and Iowa Rural Development Council partners, each community is matched with a mentoring team to help shape and advance its next steps.

   

  Selected communities receive:

  · An in-person meeting with their customized BOOST team of 3-5 external experts.

  · A clear, customized action plan with recommendations and resources for securing additional funding and partnerships to support implementation.

  · Identification of early‑stage projects or “quick wins” that build momentum.

  · A $10,000 grant award to support implementation of identified next steps.

   

  BOOST is administered by the Center for Rural Revitalization, a division of the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA), in consultation with the Governor’s Empower Rural Iowa Initiative Task Forces.

   

  Eligible Use of Funding

  BOOST grant funds are intended to help communities begin executing key strategies, build capacity, plan strategically for the future, or develop local skills. Funding may be used for a variety of purposes, including but not limited to:

  • Engineering

  • Planning

  • Design costs

  • Training programs

  • Certification programs

  • Marketing strategies

  • Succession planning

  • Economic development training

  • Grant writing training (not grant writing itself)

   

  Eligible Applicants
  Eligible applicants must be one of the following types of entities and must meet all the related requirements. Entities who do not meet these requirements are not eligible to apply.

  Nonprofits

  · Federally tax-exempt nonprofit organization incorporated and physically located in Iowa.

  · Physical location of the organization is defined as maintaining a current home office and registered agent address in Iowa defined by Iowa Code 490.501 as well as maintaining a primary staff presence physically located and working in Iowa.

  Communities

  · Unit of local, county or federally recognized tribal government physically located in Iowa

   

  Programs must exist in and benefit a community in Iowa with a population of 20,000 or fewer and not contiguous to a city with a population of 40,000 or greater. If it is a county-wide program, it must be one of the 88 least populous counties in Iowa.

   

  Grant Amount

  Grantees will receive $10,000 for implementation of eligible one-time project expenses. All expenses must be incurred and funds expended within the designated funding period.

   

  Match Requirement

  Applicants are required to demonstrate investment in projects by providing a minimum of $5,000 cash match. The cash match must be secured, dedicated to eligible expenses, a legitimate part of the proposed project and must be expended within the eligible funding period. The $5,000 match requirement may be raised through a combination of public and private sources but may not include in-kind donations of goods or services, unsecured funding, or loans.

   

  While the minimum match requirement is $5,000, competitive proposals will demonstrate broad-based financial support for the project and public funding sources adequately leveraged to seek and obtain private dollars.

  · Cash match constitutes actual cash contributed to direct project expenses by the applicant or other funding sources.

  · Funding from state government already being used as match from another program, including other funds from the IEDA, cannot be used to meet the match requirement.

  Contact Empower Rural Iowa Director Sacha Wise at sacha.wise@IowaEDA.com with questions.