The Fiscal Year 2025 Economic Development and Quality of Life grant cycles will open March 18, 2024 to provide funding for Fiscal Year 2025 (July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025).

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.

Applications will be open March 18, 2024 through April 22, 2024 at 8 a.m. No applications received after that date will be considered for funding.

Begin an Economic Development Grant application here.

Begin a Quality of Life Grant application here. 

Once you have submitted an application, you can view a submitted application here.

Eligible organizations must operate primarily in Johnson County, Iowa and have a 501(c)3 or 501(c)6 status. Organizations must choose if they are applying for an Economic Development or Quality of Life Grant. See the difference between the grant programs below.

These grants provide one year of funding, and requests should note the total budget for both programs is $300,000. Organizations should look to previous awardees (below) for relative award amounts.  

Johnson County will offer an informational webinar on Friday, April 5 at 10:30 a.m. Register for the webinar here. After the webinar, a recording will be posted here. 

Grant recipients are required to submit two reports on the impact of the grant funds, a mid-year report due January 31 and an end-of-year report due July 31 of their award year. Johnson County will conduct a site visit in winter/spring 2025. 

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

March 18, 2024: Application period opens at 9 a.m.
April 22, 2024: Application period closes at 8 a.m.
April and May 2024: Staff review applications, present recommendations to the Board of Supervisors during a work session, and all applicants will be notified of funding decisions.
June 2024 - July 2024: Grant contracts are approved by the Board during a formal meeting. 
August 1, 2024: First quarter invoices due
November 1, 2024: Second quarter invoices due
January 31, 2025: Mid-year report* is due 
February 1, 2025: Third quarter invoices due
May 1, 2025: Fourth quarter invoices due
July 31, 2025: End-of-year report* is due 

*Failure to submit required reports will affect eligibility in subsequent years.

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 application that best matches the intended purpose for requested funds. Then, fill out the corresponding online application form.

 

 

Past Grant Recipients

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 Website
$14,430 Workplace Learning Connection Website
 
 
Quality 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 Website
$14,000 Rural Health and Safety of Eastern Iowa Website
 
 
Quality 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 Website
$14,425 Workplace Learning Connection Website
 
 
Quality 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 Website
$14,000 Rural Health and Safety of Greater Johnson County Website
 
 
Quality 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 Website
$14,425 Workplace Learning Connection Website

 
Quality 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 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 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.