Governor Kim Reynolds recently announced a new program to improve quality of life and one Iowa representative supports the initiative. 

House District 20 Representative Ray Sorensen says the new campaign called “Destination Iowa,” will allocate $100 million in grants to shovel ready projects that aim to attract visitors and new residents to the state. Sorensen explains why this is a priority for the governor. 

“We’ve got plenty of jobs. But what people will ultimately opt to move to Iowa for is what can I do recreationally? What can I do to go around and see Iowa? Let’s have some creative placemaking. And so that’s, I think, what the goal of these grants are.”

The Destination Iowa grants have four project criteria when being considered include economically significant development, outdoor recreation, tourism attraction and creative placemaking. Applications will start being accepted on May 9 and funded projects must be completed by June 30, 2026. The funding is being made available through the federal American Rescue Plan Act. Applications can be found here.