DES MOINES, Iowa, June 24, 2021 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Acting State Director in Iowa Darin Leach today (Thursday) announced that USDA is investing $413,200 to equip, rebuild, and modernize essential services in rural areas throughout Iowa. The investments will benefit nearly 30,000 rural residents.

USDA is investing in eight projects in Iowa through the Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program to ensure residents in rural areas enjoy the same quality of life and services as those in urban areas. Among them:

• Southwest Iowa Families, Inc. is receiving a $50,000 grant to purchase furnishings and equipment for a public use facility that provides essential medical services for nearly 4,500 rural residents.
• The Corning Opera House Cultural Center is receiving a $24,900 grant to build gutters on the exterior of the building to ensure that the restored historical facility remains structurally sound for public use.
• The Shenandoah Medical Center is receiving a $50,000 grant to purchase a new four-wheel-drive ambulance to replace a vehicle in the existing fleet with high mileage.
• The City of Atlantic is receiving a $26,300 grant to purchase new flooring, computer tables, a standing computer table and new computers and printers for the public library.

Today’s investments are in coordination with USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Justin Maxson’s recent announcement that USDA is investing $185 million to equip, rebuild, and modernize essential services in rural areas of 32 states, benefiting 3 million rural residents.  More than 100 types of projects are eligible for Community Facilities funding. Eligible applicants include municipalities, public bodies, nonprofit organizations and federally recognized Native American tribes. Projects must be in rural areas with a population of 20,000 or less.

For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov/ia or call (515) 284-4663. Follow us on Twitter @RD_Iowa.