The state of Iowa, through its Empower Rural Iowa task force, will provide dollars to expand the number of communities selected in the Iowa Rural Development Council’s Rural Business Initiative grant program. Last month, the council announced the selection of five small-business-focused projects for grants of at least $30,000. That funding was provided by a Wells Fargo Foundation grant. At its recent meeting in Webster City, Empower Rural Iowa approved support for three additional communities: Crawford County, Marion County and Oskaloosa. Those efforts are aimed at supporting small businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs. “Empower Rural Iowa task force members saw that there were many strong applicants seeking the initial Rural Council funding,” said Sacha Wise, Empower Rural Iowa director, Iowa Economic Development Authority, in a prepared statement. “We saw an opportunity to support three more worthy initiatives that will impact small businesses in those communities.” All eight grant recipients can use the funds as their projects require, from training to building improvements to marketing or technology. Grant recipients will work with a number of small business service providers, like the Iowa Small Business Development Center, to maximize resources and strategies. Empower Rural Iowa was formed by Gov. Kim Reynolds in 2018 to address issues unique to small towns in rural Iowa. The partnership with the Iowa Rural Development Council is cochaired by Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer. The council is a statewide nonprofit focused on rural vitality and local capacity that will sustain and grow Iowa’s small towns.
