Hancock County Economic Development consortium wins $1.8M grant

In January, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced a new round of child care award recipients, totaling $14M in State grants. Among the 13 organizations selected for the Child Care Business Incentive (CCBI) grant program was the Hancock County Economic Development consortium, which will receive $1.8M.

The grant will go toward supporting the expansion of Garner Community Christian Child Care (GC4) and the construction of a new $3.9M center, which will provide an additional 71 childcare seats. The award represents a major collaborative effort to support child care in Hancock County, one of the highest demand child care regions in the State. The $1.8M grant was the largest given to a new recipient of CCBI funding.

Led by GC4 Chairman of the Board Reid Weiland, more than 35 local businesses came together to form the Hancock County Economic Development consortium and apply for the grant after the latest round of funding was announced in November 2024. In just a couple of weeks of organizing, they secured commitments ranging from $10,000 to $1M in order to gain eligibility for the matching fund program.

“We are humbled by the way the entire community rallied on a very tight timeline to support GC4," said Reid Weiland. An extraordinary degree of work went into our proposal and expansion planning process, and I believe the size of the grant is a direct recognition of – and vote of confidence in – our efforts,” continued Reid.

The CCBI was first established in Iowa in 2022. It is targeted at helping employers offer or expand child care options as a benefit to their employees. Funds have supported local infrastructure investments and arrangements between employers and child care facilities to expand child care options.

In 2022, Iowa awarded more than $7M to 4 recipients during the first round of CCBI funding. In the second round of funding in 2024, those recipients received another $3.65M. Additionally, 9 new recipients, including Hancock County Economic Development, received $10.4M, for a total of $14M in grants distributed and 875 new child care slots created in Iowa.

As large an impact as the $1.8M grant will make toward the expansion project, the GC4 Board of Directors is not resting on its laurels. It will continue to fundraise to reach the $3.9M goal and finance expenses not covered by the State grant, including site acquisition, architectural fees, and increases in working capital to support operations.

“This generous $1.8M grant is a game changer, but we still have some work to do,” said Weiland.  “We will build on this momentum to accelerate our efforts until the child care center that will fully support this community is completed. We feel extremely blessed to have the opportunity to create this incredible community asset, one that all of Hancock County can be proud of!”

To join the Hancock County Economic Development consortium or contribute as an individual, visit gc4childcare.com/expansion or email info@gc4childcare.com.

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