Iowa Finance Authority announces awards for housing pitch competitions

The Iowa Finance Authority has announced the winners of three pitch competitions held during the HousingIowa Conference on Sept. 3-4 in Cedar Rapids.

Innovation in Homelessness Pitch Competition

Two awardees received a total of $190,000 in the finance authority’s second annual Innovation in Homelessness Pitch Competition.

A total of up to $225,000 was available for the competition, with winning projects eligible for as much as $100,000 each to launch pilot initiatives with measurable impact and long-term potential. Funding was made available through IFA’s Emergency and Innovative Housing Fund.

The winners are:

• Iowa Legal Aid (Linn and Polk counties): $90,000

Iowa Legal Aid will use its award for a pilot that integrates record-expungement services into eviction help desks. According to a news release, the program aims to strengthen prevention efforts and helps ensure long-term housing stability by addressing criminal and juvenile record barriers as well as related issues like driver’s license suspensions and court debt.

• Friends of the Family (Waterloo): $100,000

Nonprofit Friends of the Family received funding for its “Encampment to Housed” program, which aims to rapidly transition individuals from encampments into permanent housing within four to six weeks. The initiative is modeled after the Street to Home project in Dallas, and sets a goal of at least 80% of participants exiting into permanent housing.

Iowa Homeownership Incubator Pitch Competition

Iowa Finance Authority and Iowa Realtors awarded a total of $40,000 to three winners in the 2025 Iowa Homeownership Incubator Pitch Competition, which focuses on new approaches to financial literacy that help Iowans become homeowners.

The winners are:

• Central Iowa Community Land Trust ($20,000)

Central Iowa Community Land Trust, or CICLT, the region’s first community land trust, will use the funding to accelerate legal marketing and stewardship resources. A land trust buys existing homes and sells just the home to a qualified homebuyer while holding the land in a trust. When the homeowner wants to move, the home must be sold to another qualified buyer. Through this approach, CICLT aims to help families build equity, achieve stability and strengthen neighborhoods.

• Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity ($10,000)

Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity will use its award to support its Blueprint to Homeownership program, an independent program that provides first-time buyers with personalized “blueprints,” including counseling, financial education and connections to trusted resources. A full launch that will expand access to down payment assistance, credit counseling and education for underrepresented communities is planned for 2026.

• Residential Mortgage Network ($10,000)

The Residential Mortgage Network received funding for its Homeowner and Realtor Education initiative, which is focused on strengthening partnerships between realtors, lenders and community organizations by providing specialized realtor training on loan products and best practices.

Innovation in Housing Pitch Competition

Arch Icon Development’s proposed Council Bluffs housing project, Spin Lofts, was selected as the winner of the third annual Innovation in Housing Pitch Competition. The project, developed in collaboration with Lutheran Family Services, aims to transform a vacant city-owned lot into permanently affordable rental housing for local workers and individuals and families experiencing homelessness. As the competition winner, Spin Lofts will advance in the Federal Housing Tax Credit Innovation Set-Aside application process, making it eligible for up to $10 million in federal tax credits over 10 years.