FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 8/21/25

MRHD Awards $1.2 Million for

Economic Development Match Grants

SIOUX CITY – Missouri River Historical Development, Inc. (MRHD) announced today the recipients of its 2025 Economic Development Match Grant Program, awarding a total of $1.2 million to three transformative projects that will expand services, strengthen communities, and enhance quality of life in Woodbury County. The announcement was made during a public ceremony held in Encore Hall at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Sioux City.

Agape Community Services will receive $250,000 to help construct a new 16,647-square-foot residential and outpatient recovery center in Sioux City, expanding access to vital addiction treatment and recovery services. This facility will address systemic issues facing Woodbury County, including addiction, incarceration, homelessness, and family breakdown—which significantly impact quality of life, public health, and workforce development across the region. The center will create new jobs to run the facility while also developing job skills for those in recovery. The facility will be new construction on a campus that has the potential for future development.

Moville Community Development Association, Inc. (MCDAI) has been awarded $450,000 to renovate an underutilized classroom wing of the Moville Methodist Church. The project will create a fully licensed childcare facility to serve children ages 0–12, addressing the critical need for childcare resources in rural Woodbury County. MCDAI is working with the Crittenton Center as the operating entity for the childcare facility and has made plans to collaborate with the Woodbury Central Community School District for training, transportation and student staff opportunities. The childcare center fosters economic development by creating new jobs and supporting the needs of working families.

Siouxland Sports Academy will receive $500,000 to support the interior buildout of a new 65,000-square-foot multi-sport complex in Sioux City. The state-of-the-art facility will offer a wide range of training, recreational, and competitive opportunities for area athletes and families. This facility will expand access to high-quality athletic opportunities for all age groups, including elementary, middle school, high school, and collegiate student-athletes seeking fundamental, intermediate, and advanced programming . SSA employs a wide array of coaches, referees, and support staff whose efforts will also drive economic development through weekend tournaments and events attended by teams and sports fans from across the tri-state area.

“These projects reflect the spirit of MRHD’s mission to strengthen communities, create opportunities, and improve quality of life for Woodbury County residents,” said Sarah Kleber, MRHD Board President. “From expanding access to childcare and recovery services to building new recreational opportunities, these investments will have lasting impact.”

The MRHD Economic Development Match Grant is a competitive grant opportunity that provides awards ranging from $250,000 up to $1,000,000. The program is designed to support economic development projects within Woodbury County that need higher levels of funding and collaboration. Grants must be matched dollar-for-dollar with cash or in-kind contributions, and the projects must be completed within four years. Only educational entities, local governments, and tax-exempt organizations whose principal place of business and projects are located in Woodbury County, Iowa, are eligible to apply.

Projects must align with at least one of MRHD’s four economic development focus areas:

  1. creation and retention of jobs,

  2. development of a critical job force,

  3. implementation of new project or service having a substantial impact on the community, and

  4. support for improved quality of life and community development projects.

MRHD is the non-profit organization that holds the license for gaming in Woodbury County. Its funding is generated from an agreement between MRHD and Hard Rock Hotel and Casino – Sioux City which allows Hard Rock to run a gaming operation in Woodbury County using MRHD’s gaming license.

MRHD’s Economic Development Match Grant program has now awarded over $6.5 million in economic development grants for projects that foster collaboration, attract matching investment, and drive meaningful development in Woodbury County. MRHD has invested more than $58 million in the Siouxland community since the inception of their grant programs in 1994.

For more information about MRHD or the Economic Development Match Grant, contact MRHD Executive Director, David Gleiser at: (712) 899-6631, or: execdir@mrhdiowa.org.

To view pictures and video of the event, visit: https://www.facebook.com/MRHDIowa.

###