Entrepreneurship

RURAL BUSINESS INITIATIVE GRANT Application Form

Application Deadline: November 7, 2025

The Iowa Rural Development Council’s (IRDC) Rural Business Initiative is seeking to fund projects that support small businesses, through guidance and grant dollars. This round’s funding is provided by grant dollars from the Wells Fargo Foundation.

Applicant communities should be within 50-miles of a Wells Fargo branch and want to impact their small-business community through training, technical assistance and direct support.

Applications must align with one of the following Wells Fargo focus areas:

• Capital – Increasing access to capital
• Knowledge – Strengthen business skills
• Networks – Expand entrepreneurial networks
• Growth – Preserve or create new jobs; revenue growth in small businesses

Join the informational webinar and hear from past grantees on Thursday, October 16, 2025 at 9:30AM. 

More information available on application link above. For questions, contact Bill Menner at director@iowardc.org

Encouraging and Supporting Rural Entrepreneurs

Rural Iowa is awash in small business owners and entrepreneurs.  Thousands of family farmers provide a fertile base of savvy business operators.

But the process of taking a business idea from concept to reality is a difficult one – especially if the would-be business owner has no support.

In Iowa, there is plenty of support – if you know where to look!

Resources and Partners

There are many resource providers when it comes to rural entrepreneurship:  There are the Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), the numerous John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Centers, Farm Bureau’s ‘Renew Rural Iowa’ program and more.  There are federal agencies like the US Small Business Administration (SBA) and the US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development agency (RD), state agencies including Iowa Economic Development Authority and SourceLink (which it manages)  the Iowa Farm Bureau’s “Renew Rural Iowa” program, plus efforts by associations, developers and non-profits and more.

Yet, often a first step for communities seeking to build a supportive environment for entrepreneurs is a search for information — both about themselves and the resources they can contact.  A local asset might be an economic developer or Chamber director.  Statewide and nationally, other organizations exist to provide support.

Case Studies and News Items

Sometimes the best solutions are just down the road.  Many rural Iowa communities are implementing innovative solutions to address their housing needs.  Those case studies and best practices can be a roadmap for other communities – if they know where to look!

Iowa and ISU Named Top Entrepreneurship Schools 

Lamberti Center for Rural Entrepreneurship at BVU