Muscatine Housing Cluster Grants

The Muscatine Housing Cluster Grants are administered by the Muscatine Housing Cluster (MHC), a local consortium of non-profit housing service providers and government representatives committed to enhancing affordable housing options for low-income families in Muscatine County, Iowa. MHC works collaboratively to identify housing challenges in the region and deploy coordinated solutions through strategic funding. Their mission centers on sustaining and expanding affordable housing opportunities, and their programming directly addresses community needs, including aging housing stock, cost burdens for renters, and the need for homeownership education and support. The purpose of the Muscatine Housing Cluster Grants is to support housing programs that serve low-income residents of Muscatine County, particularly households earning at or below 80% of Area Median Income (AMI). The grants are designed to strengthen local nonprofit housing service providers through capacity-building and direct service funding in five areas: emergency home repairs, homeownership support, rental preservation, general housing agency operations, and other affordable housing development or preservation activities. Spending from these grants must align with MHC’s guidelines and program categories. Eligible uses of funds include health and safety repairs for owner-occupied homes, down payment and closing cost support for first-time homebuyers, staffing for homeownership education programs, general operations and staffing costs for housing organizations, and rental and utility assistance for renters. Additionally, MHC allows for innovative development or preservation initiatives not captured in the standard categories, with tailored matching fund requirements. To be eligible, applicants must be active members of the Muscatine Housing Cluster in good standing. Membership is open to nonprofit housing providers operating in Muscatine County with appropriate documentation, such as bylaws, mission statements, and IRS tax-exempt status. MHC members are responsible for submitting complete applications, which will be evaluated by a grant review team based on annual funding priorities. Some categories, such as capacity-building grants and development activities, require matching funds from applicants. The application window for the current grant cycle opened on August 18, 2025, and will close on September 5, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. There are no pre-application steps required for submission. While no specific award floor or ceiling is identified, all funds must support qualifying services for low-income Muscatine County residents. Some categories carry match requirements—1:1 for capacity-building and 3:1 for certain development activities. Grant announcements and deadlines follow an annual cycle, though no specific future dates are provided. For questions about eligibility or becoming a Cluster member, prospective applicants are encouraged to contact Shane Orr at shane@unitedwaymuscatine.org. Application-related inquiries may be directed to Rebecca Harden-Jones, Programs Manager, at programsmanager@givinggreater.org or by phone at 563-264-3863. Applications are submitted directly to the Muscatine Housing Cluster for review, and applicants should ensure all programmatic and compliance requirements are met before the deadline.