Des Moines, Iowa –The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs has announced its latest investments in building culturally vibrant communities and opened a new opportunity for cities and regions seeking to be designated as an Iowa Great Place. The department awarded a total of $250,000 in Strengthening Communities grants, which will benefit seven rural Iowa communities: Clinton, Hampton, Keokuk, Lake City, Maquoketa, Red Oak and Stanton.

The Montgomery County Family YMCA, Red Oak is receiving a $35,000 grant for a project that will focus on the replacement of the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning units. The upgrades could help the YMCA save up to 20 percent in electrical costs. Stanton Friends, also known as the Stanton Viking Center, in Stanton, is receiving a $10,000 grant for a project centered on the construction of an outdoor basketball court, a proposal brought forward by students and community members. The court will be located along the Greenbelt Walking Trail on the city’s east side.  You can read about the five other grant awards, HERE.

Strengthening Communities grants support facility renovation and construction projects that promote youth development, healthy living and social responsibility in communities with fewer than 28,000 residents. The grants are made possible by an appropriation from the Iowa Legislature through the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund. In addition to awarding the new grants, the department is encouraging Iowa communities to apply to be designated as a new or continuing Iowa Great Place.

Through the Iowa Great Places program, the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs recognizes communities that have developed bold visions around developing their creative and cultural assets and formed the plans, partnerships and projects to make those visions a reality. Once designated as an Iowa Great Place, communities may apply for competitive grant funding, participate in professional development opportunities, and receive technical assistance from the department along with additional funding consideration from other state agencies.

The application round is now open and applications for new designations will be accepted until May 2. The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs maintains a portfolio of programs dedicated to placing arts, culture, history, film and historic preservation at the center of community revitalization efforts – an approach sometimes described as ‘creative placemaking’.

Along with the Strengthening Communities and Iowa Great Places grant programs – both administered by its arts division, the Iowa Arts Council – the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs manages the Iowa Cultural and Entertainment Districts program; awards tax credits to support the development of historic properties through the State Historic Preservation Office; awards grants and provides technical assistance through the State Historical Society of Iowa; and supports film and media projects that showcase Iowa’s creative places through Produce Iowa, the State Office of Media Production.

More information about the creative placemaking grants and community designation programs can be found online at iowaculture.gov.