Each year, through the budgeting process, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors allocates funds to promote economic development in Johnson County and enhance the quality of life of its residents. The grants are local taxpayer-funded and the Board of Supervisors is committed to careful allocation and oversight of these funds.
Although the awards are distributed from a shared pool of funds, there are separate applications for Economic Development grants & Quality of Life grants. Please read each set of objectives to choose the grant program that best matches the intended purpose for requested funds. Then, fill out the corresponding online application form to apply.
Economic Development Grants
Economic Development Grants provide operational support to 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(6) organizations that primarily serve Johnson County. These grants are intended to support the general economic development goals identified in the 2022 Inclusive Economic Development Plan in Johnson County; the 2022 Johnson County Economic Development Plan: Opportunities for the Unincorporated Area, Villages and Smaller Towns; and the 2018 Johnson County Comprehensive Plan. For FY25, the Board set the following priority themes:
- Equity
- Local Entrepreneurship
- Measurable Impacts
Quality of Life Grants
Quality of Life grants provide either operational support or programming support to 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(6) organizations that primarily serve Johnson County. For FY25, the Board of Supervisors set a theme of Sustainability and Conservation. Quality of Life grant applicants can apply for either operational or programming support under that theme. For operational support, an applicant must have an organizational mission related to sustainability or conservation. For programming support, an applicant must have a program that promotes the themes of sustainability and conservation. For the purposes of this grant cycle, sustainability and conservation mean:
- Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs;
- Fostering and maintaining the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony to support present and future generations;
- Protecting, preserving, managing, or restoring natural environments and the ecological communities that inhabit them from the impacts of human activity and adverse events;
- Conserving or eliminating the use of nonrenewable resources to reduce environmental impact.
Projects should be scoped to cover one year; the theme for Quality of Life grants will change for FY26.
Grantees for other Johnson County grant programs, such as Social Services Block Grants or Building Nonprofit Capacity Grants, are eligible to apply for Quality of Life programming grants as long as they are scoped to not duplicate benefits already covered by Johnson County grant funds.
For more information about Johnson County grants, contact Board Office staff at [email protected] or call 319-356-6000.
Fiscal Year 2025 Grant Cycle
Economic Development and Quality of Life grants for Fiscal Year 2025 (July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025) have been awarded. Applications were accepted between March 18, 2024 and April 22, 2024. For more information on Fiscal Year 2025 awards, see Past Grant Recipients below.
Past Grant Recipients
- Fiscal Year 2025-$299,866 Awarded
-
Economic Development
$57,146 Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa
$38,680 Dream City
$44,500 Immigrant Welcome Network of Johnson County
$5,000 Swisher Economic Alliance
$40,000 Wright House of Fashion
Quality of Life
$23,760 Bur Oak Land Trust
$5,000 Friends of Coralville Lake
$20,900 Houses into Homes
$22,400 IC Compassion (Global Food Project)
$30,000 Iowa City Bike Library
$2,500 Iowa City Sober Living: A Recovery Home for Women
$5,000 Johnson Clean Energy District
$5,000 Johnson County Chapter of Pheasants Forever #230
- Fiscal Year 2024-$300,000 Awarded
-
Economic Development
$90,000 Field to Family
$10,000 Kalona Regenerative Network
$84,050 South of 6 Iowa City Business District
$24,450 Wright House of Fashion
Quality of Life
$1,500 City of North Liberty
$15,000 The Englert Theater
$5,000 FilmScene
$40,000 Iowa City Bike Library
$20,000 Johnson Clean Energy District
$5,000 Lower Cedar Watershed Management Authority
$5,000 Public Space One
- Fiscal Year 2023- $374,114 Awarded
-
Economic Development
$125,000 Field to Family Website
$85,000 Iowa City Area Development Group Website
$50,000 Multicultural Development Center of Iowa Website
$15,114 Workplace Learning Connection at Kirkwood Website
Quality of Life
$9,000 Bur Oak Land Trust Website
$40,000 Iowa City Bike Library Website
$20,000 Johnson County Historical Society Website
$10,000 Lower Cedar Watershed Management Authority Website
Quality of Life Libraries
$9,000 Antelope Lending Library Website
$11,000 Oxford Public Library Website
- Fiscal Year 2022- $412,020 Awarded
-
Economic Development$82,520 Field to Family Website$71,530 Iowa City Area Development Group Website$89,400 Johnson County Agricultural Association WebsiteQuality of Life$21,000 Iowa City Bike Library Website$62,430 Iowa City/Johnson County Senior Center Website$8,650 Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature Website$20,000 Johnson County Historical Society Website$1,000 Lower Cedar Watershed Management Authority WebsiteQuality of Life Libraries$7,060 Antelope Lending Library Website$2,000 Lone Tree Community School Library Website$11,000 Oxford Public Library Website$7,000 Springmier Community Library Website
- Fiscal Year 2021- $391,795 Awarded
-
Economic Development$81,367 Field to Family Website$65,000 Iowa City Area Development Group Website$93,000 Johnson County Agricultural Association WebsiteQuality of Life$8,628 Iowa City Bike Library Website$60,300 Iowa City/Johnson County Senior Center Website$8,075 Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature Website$20,000 Johnson County Historical Society WebsiteQuality of Life Libraries$7,000 Antelope Lending Library Website$2,000 Lone Tree Community School Library Website$11,000 Oxford Public Library Website$7,000 Springmier Community Library Website
- Fiscal Year 2020- $1,013,090 Awarded
-
Economic Development$73,665 Field to Family Website$65,000 Iowa City Area Development Group Website$103,000 Johnson County Agricultural Association WebsiteQuality of Life$630,000 Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County Website$8,500 Iowa City Bike Library Website$60,000 Iowa City/Johnson County Senior Center Website$7,500 Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature Website$20,000 Johnson County Historical Society WebsiteQuality of Life Libraries$2,000 Lone Tree Community School Library Website$7,000 Oxford Public Library Website$7,000 Springmier Community Library Website
- Fiscal Year 2019- $501,141 Awarded
-
Economic Development
$83,107: Field to Family Food Hub - Website
$14,136: Field to Family Food Label - Website
$100,000: Good will of the Heartland - Website
$56,000: Iowa City Area Development Group - Website
$103,000: Johnson County Agricultural Association - Website
$10,098: Workplace Learning Connection at Kirkwood Community College - Website
Quality of Life$4,700: Antelope Lending Library - Website
$17,000: Iowa City Bike Library - Website
$60,000: Iowa City/Johnson County Senior Center - Website
$6,600: Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature - Website
$15,500: Johnson County Historical Society - Website
$15,000: Rural Health and Safety of Greater Johnson County- Website
Quality of Life Libraries$2,000 Lone Tree Community School Library Website$7,000 Oxford Public Library Website$7,000 Springmier Community Library Website - Fiscal Year 2018- $310,205 Awarded
Economic Development
$103,000: Johnson County Agricultural Association - Website
$20,000: Grow Johnson County - Website
$56,000: Iowa City Area Development (ICAD) Group - Website
$7,213: Workplace Learning Connection at Kirkwood Community College - Website
Quality of Life
$18,000: Johnson County Historical Society - Website
$15,000: Rural Health and Safety Clinic of Greater Johnson County- Website
$60,000: Iowa City/Johnson County Senior Center - Website
$5,000: Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature - Website
Quality of Life Libraries
$7,000: Oxford Public Library - Website
$12,992: Swisher Community Library - Website
$2,000: Lone Tree Community Library - Website
$4,000: Springmier Community Library Website
- Fiscal Year 2017- $342,721 Awarded
-
Economic Development
$52,500: Iowa City Area Development (ICAD) Group - Website
$3,000: Iowa Valley Resource Conservation & Development - Website
$145,000: Johnson County Agricultural Association - Website
$6,500: Workplace Learning Connection at Kirkwood Community College- Website
Quality of Life$16,000: Grow Johnson County - Website
$59,244: Iowa City/Johnson County Senior Center - Website
$3,500: Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature - Website
$21,000: Johnson County Historical Society - Website
$4,000: KICI Radio at Uptown Bills - Website
$10,000: Rural Health and Safety Clinic of Greater Johnson County- Website
Quality of Life Libraries
$2,000: Springmier Community Library Website
$2,000: Lone Tree Community Library - Website
$7,000: Oxford Public Library - Website
$11,000: Swisher Community Library - Website - Fiscal Year 2016- $299,265 Awarded
-
Economic Development
$95,000: Johnson County Agricultural Association - Website
$3,000: Johnson County Food Policy Council- Website
$50,000: Iowa City Area Development (ICAD) Group - Website
$6,544: Workplace Learning Connection at Kirkwood Community College- Website
Quality of Life$3,000: Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature - Website
$25,000: Johnson County Historical Society - Website
$17,000: Rural Health and Safety Clinic of Greater Johnson County- Website
$59,244: Iowa City/Johnson County Senior Center - Website
$2,500: Solon Senior Advocates, Inc - Website
$20,000: Grow Johnson County - Website
Quality of Life Libraries
$2,000: Springmier Community Library Website
$2,000: Lone Tree Community Library - Website
$7,000: Oxford Public Library - Website
$7,000: Swisher Community Library - Website - Fiscal Year 2015- $311,524 Awarded
Economic Development
$95,000: Johnson County Agricultural Association - Website
$6,500: Workplace Learning Connection at Kirkwood Community College- Website
$5,000: Johnson County Food Policy Council- Website
$50,000: Iowa City Area Development (ICAD) Group- Website
Quality of Life
$59,224: Iowa City/Johnson County Senior Center- Website
$15,000: Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development (IVRCD)- Website
$500: Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature- Website
$38,300: Johnson County Historical Society- Website
$17,000: Rural Health and Safety Clinic of Greater Johnson County- Website
$7,000: Community Corrections Improvement Association (CCIA)- Website
$2,000: Springmier Community Library Website
$2,000: Lone Tree Community Library- Website
$7,000: Oxford Public Library- Website
$7,000: Swisher Community Library- Website
Other Johnson County Grant Opportunities
Please explore our Social Services Grants
The Board of Supervisors approved new grant programs for FY25, which staff will develop in the next year. More information will be posted here as it becomes available.
City Catalyst Grant Program
Eligible applicants will be cities in Johnson County seeking matching funds for state or other grant applications.
Emerging Organizations Grant Program
Eligible applicants will be new or small nonprofits in Johnson County with limited experience finding and securing grant opportunities.