Greater Iowa City, Inc. has been selected by Heartland Forward’s Center for Investment Readiness, a new initiative focused on catalyzing small business growth and capital deployment across heartland communities.
According to a release, the Center for Investment Readiness chose Greater Iowa City, Inc. based on its 2025 Strategic Investment Districts initiative, which encompasses three areas: the Sycamore district in Iowa City, the Fifth Street district in Coralville and the Cherry Street district in North Liberty.
“Greater IC’s work is built on a simple idea: when we invest in people and place, growth becomes both resilient and replicable,” said Nancy Bird, president and CEO of Greater Iowa City, Inc. “Heartland Forward and the CIR will bring advanced data, tools, and investor engagement that match the moment, helping us establish the conditions for investment. It’s further validation that our region is leading with a model driven by local stakeholders that economic development demands: place-based, collaborative, and measurable.”
The selection is part of Heartland Forward’s 30 by 2030 initiative, which will advise 30 micropolitan and small metropolitan areas over the next five years. The program aims to create a replicable model for investment readiness throughout the heartland region.
The Center for Investment Readiness will help communities develop data-driven profiles, convene public and private partners, align policy and demonstrate pathways for capital deployment. The initiative draws on Heartland Forward’s research in entrepreneurship and placemaking.
“Greater Iowa City, Inc. is demonstrating what’s possible when communities lead with vision and collaboration,” said Angie Cooper, president of Heartland Forward. “Through the Center for Investment Readiness, we’re excited to help accelerate the momentum already underway by bringing additional data, tools and investor engagement that can strengthen the case for capital in places ready to grow and show how locally homegrown strategies can unlock economic opportunity across the heartland.”
The Strategic Investment Districts initiative uses community-backed criteria and charrette-driven planning to guide targeted reinvestment. Each district focuses on five areas: place-based economic development and business growth; connectivity and access to essential services; housing diversity and affordability; placemaking and public space activation; and transportation resiliency and sustainable mobility.
“Our Strategic Investment Districts are already demonstrating momentum,” said Cady Gerlach, vice president of programs at Greater Iowa City, Inc. and executive director of Better Together 2030. “From charrette-driven planning to investor ready frameworks, we’re creating predictable paths for business confidence and neighborhood vitality. The CIR accelerates this progress and ensures we’re on the right track: grounded in data, focused on outcomes, and tailored to each district’s unique opportunities.”
The Center for Investment Readiness will provide tools to build district-level baselines measuring workforce quality, capital flows, infrastructure and quality-of-life indicators. These metrics aim to strengthen investment cases and reduce risk for lenders and equity partners, the release stated.
The partnership also seeks to provide predictability for employers and entrepreneurs by combining the Strategic Investment Districts’ community-aligned vision with the Center for Investment Readiness’s investor engagement and analysis capabilities.
Greater Iowa City, Inc.’s three districts will demonstrate how a common framework can adapt to different market conditions, creating measurable paths for housing, small business growth, mobility and public space activation.
Heartland Forward operates as a think tank and action organization focused on accelerating economic growth across 20 states. The organization works through applied research, community programs, policy development and convenings, with focus areas including regional competitiveness, talent development and health and wellness. The Center for Investment Readiness represents its newest platform for helping communities develop investor-ready strategies and unlock capital for local growth.
