Here are the most important updates this week:
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FY27 Travel Iowa Marketing Co-op Sign-up Opens June 8
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The FY27 Travel Iowa Marketing Co-op Sign-up opens on June 8 at 10 a.m. Details are available on the Co-op Marketing Program Page. Additional information is available in a recorded webinar available on the Industry Partners website. The webinar talks you through the details, costs, results and justification associated with the various options, including new options, which are designed to help you maximize your marketing dollars. Co-op options are awarded on a first come first serve basis.
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New "Check Into Iowa History" Historic Site Passport Launches
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New Art Passport Set to launch on TravelIowa.com June 10
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The Iowa Tourism Office with the Iowa Arts Council and partners from across Iowa have been working together to develop a new "Public Art by Iowa Artists" passport that will highlight murals, sculptures and other public art, inviting Iowans and visitors to explore communities across Iowa.
The passport will be launched on June 10, 2026, but since the goals is to represent all 99 Iowa counties and not every county is currently included, the Iowa Arts Council will continue to accept submissions. Does your community or county have public art created by an Iowa artist? Submit your public art suggestions asap! If you're already part of the passport, be sure to promote it!
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Historic Exhibit in the FFA Historical and Ag Museum in La Porte City, Iowa
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Maximizing Exhibit Opportunities in La Porte City
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Lora Friest recently visited with FFA Historical and Ag Museum Board Co-Chair LeAnn Craft in La Porte City to find out how the museum is maximizing authentic exhibits to drive tourism and build community pride. In addition to the main building, the FFA Historical and Ag Museum in La Porte owns a historic jail and log cabin just a block away. All three buildings have dynamic, unique exhibits that have been developed with the help of staff, board members and volunteers from the community.
The exhibits explore connections between local people, culture, farming, business and history and most have some type of hands-on learning experience, including everything from milking a cow and lifting a hay bale to going to jail! The exhibit shown above considers what cars, fashion, drive in theaters, ice cream shops and other cultural icons have in common. The museum is one of several Lora featured in a presentation she gave about authentic visitor engagement at the Preserve Iowa Summit June 3.
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Iowa's Historic Hills Scenic Byway Annual Bale Trail Art
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Historic Hills Scenic Byway Make Annual Bail Trail Patriotic
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This year in July, the 105-mile Historic Hills Scenic Byway's annual Bale Trail event, which features whimsical hay bale and scarecrow art, will have patriotic red, white, and blue themed art that will celebrate local agricultural pride and America’s landmark 250th anniversary. The event is a massive win for the region and a great example of how byways can unite communities to draw visitors.
The Bale Trail gives hidden-gem businesses and local museums a free spotlight, drawing thousands of road-trippers to the area annually. Last year’s online Bale Trail map had over 20,000 views! Grab your camera and download the official route map on the Pathfinders Resource Conservation and Development website.
If you develop your own patriotic event, be sure to submit it to the Iowa America 250 website and to TravelIowa.com for maximum exposure. If you need help posting an event, contact Tourism Liaison Lora Friest (Lora.Friest@IowaEDA.com) or Stephanie Neppl (Stephanie.Neppl@IowaEDA.com).
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ITO and Partners Build Connections at IPW 2026
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Amy Zeigler, Stephanie Neppl and Cameron McCoy attended IPW 2026, the largest international trade show driving visitation to the United States, in Fort Lauderdale from May 18-21. Attending alongside IEDA were six partners from around the state: Visit Decorah, Visit Quad Cities, Tourism Cedar Rapids, Kinseth Hospitality, Catch Des Moines and Hotel Millwright. Team Iowa met with more than 110 international travel trade companies, media and tourism organizations from 19 different countries at the main Iowa booth during the event.
Iowa’s stories were also shared during the IPW Media Marketplace, which featured 20 appointments with writers and content creators from 9 different markets. Attending IPW annually is a key part of our international strategy, and our presence and follow up from this show focus on boosting Iowa’s visibility on the international stage and building relationships with key international travel trade and partners.
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Iowa Strengthens Partnership with Brand USA
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Another key part of the Iowa Tourism Office’s work to build awareness of Iowa on the global stage is leveraging opportunities through Brand USA. That includes participating in co-op marketing opportunities, ensuring a strong presence on the America the Beautiful website, and responding to content requests. One recent success of this partnership was being featured in the “America the Breathtaking: Adventure Awaits Across the USA” press release featured on Brand USA’s website and distributed through its global channels. The Loess Hills were highlighted under the “Off the Beaten Path” section.
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FY27 RSAD Application Cycle
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The FY27 RSAD application cycle opens June 8, with applications and FY26 reporting due July 8. Full details, guidelines and scoring criteria are available on the Industry Partners website. Award announcements will be made July 29. Up to $1 million in competitive funding is available to support the promotion of innovative sporting events across Iowa, with updated guidelines including a 50% cash match requirement. Contact Lisa Day at lisa.day@iowaeda.com with questions.
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Don't wait until the grant is due to take action! Some grants take only hours to write; others take days, weeks or even months to craft. If you want to up your game and get good at securing larger grants, start early with research and partner engagement. Then work with your team to develop a plan to get things done. You may need letters of support, a timeline that everyone can agree on, bids from contractors or commitments from vendors. Plan early to be confident and prepared before you ever start writing.
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Applications are currently open for Alliant Energy's Community Tree Planting Program in Iowa communities where Alliant Energy provides electric and/or natural gas. The plantings must be on public property near buildings. Alliant also has a helpful on-line 2026 Community Project Funding Guide that has a list of other grants available for community enhancement projects.
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The National Endowment for the Arts Grants for Art Projects deadline is fast approaching. Although applications are not due on Grants.gov until July 9, it is important to take the time to begin the process. Start by reading the information on their website and then reading the grant guidelines and instructions. Nonprofits, state governments and tribes are eligible to apply, but applicant organizations must have completed at least five years of arts programming prior to the application deadline and have had a minimum of $20,000 in organization operating expenses in its most recently completed fiscal year.
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The Walker Youngbird Foundation Emerging Native Artist Grant is designed to support early-career Native and Indigenous artists in completing a proposed project—one that results in work that can be shared publicly, whether through exhibition, installation, publication, or other visual presentation. Only Native artists can apply. However, remember that if you want to contract a Native artist to create public art, you can certainly tell them about this grant. Artists sign up to receive information related to the next grant cycle and other opportunities.
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USDA has several grant and loan programs that are currently open, including the Rural Business Development Grant, the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program, Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program and many others that can help communities and counties infuse funding into businesses and spur economic development.
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Iowa Tourism Office
1963 Bell Avenue, Ste 200 | Des Moines, IA 50315 US
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1963 Bell Avenue, Suite 200 | Des Moines, IA 50315 US
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