2026 DollarWise Innovation Grant ApplicationCity of Dubuque
City Council
CONSENT ITEMS # 13.
Copyrighted
December 1, 2025
ITEM TITLE: 2026 DollarWise Innovation Grant Application
SUMMARY: City Attorney recommending City Council ratification of the
submitted application for the 2026 DollarWise Innovation
Grant.
RESOLUTION Retroactively Authorizing The Filing Of An
Application For The 2026 Dollarwise Innovation Grant With
The United States Conference Of Mayors
SUGGUESTED Receive and File; Adopt Resolution(s)
DISPOSITION:
ATTACHMENTS:
1. 2026 DollarWise Grant Applicatin_Requested ratification_Draft_11-24-25
2. The United States Conference of Mayors 2026 DollarWise Innovation Grant
Application FINAL 11.19.25
3. Dubuque County Childcare Solutions Fund Brochure
4. Resolution
Page 402 of 1214
THE CITY OF
DUBE
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney
SUBJECT: 2026 DollarWise Innovation Grant Application
DATE: November 24, 2025
Dubuque
AI WIN av
2007-2012.2013
2017*2019
DollarWise is an initiative of the United States Conference of Mayors focusing on
economic mobility. An annual grant program provides the opportunity to compete for
funds which support city programs working to remove barriers and create opportunities
for underserved residents.
A grant application was submitted to meet the November 21, 2025 deadline for the 2026
grant cycle and I am seeking City Council ratification of the submitted application.
The application was prepared in partnership with the Community Foundation of Greater
Dubuque and seeks grant funding to support the Dubuque County Childcare Solutions
Fund. The target of the fund is to increase recruitment and retention of childcare
workers through wage enhancement, thus increasing the capacity and availability of
childcare for working families.
I respectfully request Mayor and City Council approval.
Attachments
cc: Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager
Page 403 of 1214
2026 DollarWise Innovation Grant Application
The United States Conference of Mayors
Due Friday, November21, 2025
Link to online application form: 2026 DollarWise Innovation Grant Application
Application
Who is filling out this survey?
o I am the Mayor
o I am filling out on behalf of -
Mayor Information
Mayors Name: Brad Cavanagh
City: Dubuque
State: Iowa
Contact Information
Contact Name: Nancy Van Milligen
Contact Title: President & CEO
Contact Organization: Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque
Contact Email: nancy@dbgfoundation.org
1. Is your city a member of the United States Conference of Mayor? (Cities must be a
current member of the USCM to be eligible for Dollarwise awards. To inquire about your
membership, please contact USCM Staff Luther Roberts at I robe rts(cbusmayors.org).
Check Yes
2. Program Description
Provide a description of your city's existing or proposed economic mobility project and
how your program is unique or innovative to your city. Consider key components,
target audience/demographics, number of residents your program serves or will serve,
etc. (800 words max)
The Dubuque County Childcare Solutions Fund (DCCSF) represents an innovative
approach to economic mobility that addresses "the fundamental mismatch between the
cost of providing high -quality childcare and what working families can actually afford to
pay" (Ramm, 2023). The DCCSF program provides wage enhancements to childcare
centers within the City of Dubuque to support the recruitment and retention of qualified
staff, thereby increasing childcare capacity and availability for working families in the
community. This public -private partnership has been established through collaboration
between the City of Dubuque, the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque along with
Page 404 of 1214
two local economic development organizations — Dubuque Initiatives and Greater
Dubuque Development Corporation. This partnership recognizes that before addressing
childcare issues facing the workforce, the workforce issues within the childcare sector
must be resolved.
Traditional approaches to childcare access create a zero -sum tradeoff between availability
and affordability. Increasing childcare worker compensation to address staffing shortages
typically requires passing costs to families already struggling with affordability. The
Dubuque County Child Care Solutions Fund represents an innovative departure from this
traditional approach by injecting additional funding into the system through employer
partnerships and strategic public investment. This coordinated, multi -sector funding
model is the first of its kind in Dubuque and is enabling progress on both availability and
affordability without forcing families to bear the full burden.
This program provides wage enhancements to childcare centers, directly supporting
employee recruitment and retention. This increases childcare capacity by stabilizing the
workforce that makes expanded services possible, while preventing cost increases that
would further limit access for working families.
In 2024, the program's first full year, the DCCSF assisted 18 childcare centers representing
approximately 60 percent of Dubuque County's childcare capacity. 29 centers located in
the City of Dubuque are eligible for support in 2026.
The program serves Dubuque's working families, particularly those facing barriers to
economic advancement due to childcare limitations. With unemployment below 4 percent
and employers consistently identifying workforce availability as a critical need, childcare
accessibility has emerged as a primary constraint on economic growth. According to Iowa
Child Care Connect, Dubuque County currently needs over 1,400 additional childcare
spots for children aged 0-5, representing significant unmet demand.
Workforce surveys and employer feedback consistently revealed that insufficient childcare
capacity was creating significant barriers to economic advancement, preventing working
families from pursuing higher -wage employment opportunities and limiting employers'
ability to attract and retain qualified talent. Many residents reported forgoing work entirely
or accepting lower -compensated positions to accommodate childcare constraints.
The Dubuque County Childcare Solutions Fund directly addresses this barrier,
complementing the City of Dubuque's existing economic mobility initiatives like
Opportunity Dubuque and Project HOPE, which provide training and support for family -
sustaining careers. Without accessible childcare, these workforce development
investments cannot achieve their full potential, as parents, especially mothers, remain
unable to participate in training programs or accept employment requiring inflexible
schedules.
Page 405 of 1214
The Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque's involvement leverages over a decade of
collaboration with the City on economic mobility initiatives, including recent participation
in the Urban Institute Mobility Action Learning Network (2024) and CFLeads Economic
Mobility Action Network (2025). This established partnership ensures sophisticated
program design, accountability, and long-term sustainability.
By treating childcare as essential economic infrastructure rather than purely a social
service, Dubuque's approach uniquely positions childcare investment as an economic
development strategy, creating pathways for families to pursue education, accept
promotions, and build long-term financial security.
3. Innovation Grant
How will the grant contribute to the further development of your program? What
activities will the $10,000 grant be used for? (800 words max)
The $10,000 grant will directly support the 2026 Dubuque County Child Care Solutions Fund,
specifically focusing on childcare workforce retention strategies. These funds will enable wage
support programs that help childcare centers retain qualified staff, addressing the labor shortage
that constrains capacity expansion. Wage supplements are distributed to qualifying childcare
centers who allocate funds at their discretion to support employee retention through bonuses,
certification incentives, or other compensation options that align with their specific staffing needs.
In addition, the funds will also help cover the Health and Human Services (HHS) required costs for
childcare professionals including background checks, CPR/First Aid training, and physical
examinations as well as HHS approved professional development activities.
Workforce retention in the childcare sector is essential for economic stability in Dubuque County.
When childcare programs close or reduce capacity due to staffing issues, working families lose
access to dependable care, directly impacting their ability to maintain employment or pursue
higher -wage opportunities. This creates a cascading effect that diminishes overall workforce
participation and economic health throughout the community.
By investing in childcare worker retention through enhanced compensation, the grant advances
economic mobility for both childcare workers and working families. Childcare workers gain access
to more sustainable, family -supporting wages in their profession, while working families secure
reliable, stable childcare services that remove barriers to pursuing higher -wage employment
opportunities. This targeted investment amplifies the Dubuque County Childcare Solutions Fund's
proven model of treating childcare as essential economic infrastructure, creating pathways to
economic advancement for both childcare providers and the families they serve while expanding
capacity and maintaining affordability.
Page 406 of 1214
4.Evaluation
How will you evaluate the effectiveness of the Innovation Grant in your economic
mobility program? (300 words max)
The Dubuque County Child Care Solutions Fund uses comprehensive evaluation methods
to assess the impact of the program on economic mobility outcomes. The program tracks
multiple quantitative metrics that correlate to workforce participation and economic
opportunity, including the number of childcare centers supported through this program,
staff hired or retained due to wage enhancement funding, and centers participating in
technical assistance programs.
These metrics provide direct insight into the grant's effectiveness in stabilizing the
childcare workforce, which is a limiting factor in Dubuque families' ability to pursue
economic advancement. By monitoring retention and recruitment outcomes, program staff
can measure whether the investment successfully addresses the labor shortage that
forces program closures and capacity reductions.
Beyond center -level data, the program tracks overall childcare supply and demand
throughout the city to gauge whether interventions are meaningfully closing the gap
between the current shortage and community needs.
The Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque regularly solicits qualitative feedback
from participating childcare centers through surveys and interviews, capturing insights on
program effectiveness and opportunities for improvement. This feedback ensures the
program remains responsive to provider needs and market conditions.
Findings are shared with community stakeholders through regular Child Care Coalition
meetings hosted by City staff, ensuring transparency and collaborative problem -solving.
This forum enables partners, including employers, workforce development organizations,
and childcare providers, to assess whether improved childcare availability is translating to
measurable workforce participation gains and reduced employment barriers for families.
Together, these quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods will provide a
comprehensive picture of how additional support of an Innovation Grant contributes to
economic mobility by removing childcare as a barrier to family -sustaining employment
opportunities.
5. Mayoral Involvement
Please describe your mayor's role in supporting programs that promote economic
mobility in your city and their role in your specific program. (300 words max)
Page 407 of 1214
Mayor Brad Cavanagh has consistently championed economic mobility as a cornerstone of
Dubuque's vision to be an inclusive and equitable community where all residents can
thrive. With his support, the city has seen successful efforts on numerous factors that
drive economic mobility, including securing $30 million in federal grant funds for major
infrastructure and community betterment projects and increasing available housing by
2,600 units, all while keeping property taxes at the lowest rate of the eleven largest cities in
Iowa.
Under Mayor Cavanagh's direction, Dubuque has cultivated a collaborative approach to
economic development that recognizes childcare accessibility as fundamental
infrastructure for workforce participation. The mayor understands that without reliable,
affordable childcare, parents, especially mothers, face insurmountable obstacles to
employment, education, and career advancement. This recognition has positioned
childcare not as a social service issue alone, but as an essential economic development
strategy.
Workforce surveys and employer feedback consistently revealed that insufficient childcare
capacity was creating significant barriers to economic advancement in Dubuque,
preventing working families from pursuing higher -wage employment opportunities and
Limiting employers' ability to attract and retain qualified talent. Mayor Cavanagh worked
with economic development organizations to create the Dubuque County Childcare
Solutions Fund. Now led by the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, this fund has
created hundreds of childcare openings in the city and implemented a wage enhancement
program to pay childcare workers better. By providing financial support to childcare
providers for facility improvements, staff recruitment and retention, and operational
sustainability, the program removes barriers that prevent providers from expanding
capacity.
6.CBO
If your city receives an Innovation Grant, will the money be allocated to a Community -
Based Organization (CBO) for implementation?
Check Yes
Page 408 of 1214
Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, 700 Locust Street, STE 195, Dubuque, IA
52001
7.Attachements
If you would like to upload any files in support of your application, please upload up to
3 documents here.
Include the Childcare Solutions Fund Brochure
8.Grant Obligations
In order to receive a Dollarwise Grant, your city must adhere to the DollarWise Grant terms
and conditions. Is your city willing and able to fulfill the following Dollarwise Grant
Obligations? (1) Coordinating with your mayor to have him or her accept the DollarWise
award during the U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting in Washington, DC; (2)
Participating in a webinar to discuss your program with other cities; (3) Keeping the
Dollarwise Campaign updated on the progress of your program by submitting mid -year and
year-end summaries; and (4) Promoting your program or the Innovation Grant through
social media.
GRANT DETAILS:
The Application Period for the United States Conference of Mayors "DollarWise" Economic
Mobility Grants is now open. The program will award six $10,000 grants to cities or their
designated nonprofits to promote innovation in advancing economic mobility in their city.
Every year we welcome applications from a broad variety of economic mobility programs.
This year we are particularly interested in the following categories:
Programs for returning citizens
Programs to expand childcare services
• Programs that remove specific barriers to mobility (e.g.: driver's license restoration,
record expungement, transportation costs)
Programs that promote small business development
The purpose of the DollarWise Innovation Grant program is to promote replicable
innovation in any of the above categories.
We anticipate that the application process should only take 30 minutes to complete. We
encourage answers to be informative but concise. Winners will be announced at the US
Conference of Mayors Winter meeting, January 28-30, 2026, in Washington, DC. The
application deadline is Friday, November 21st, 2025, at 5 pm ET.
Page 409 of 1214
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age 411 of 1214
Prepared by: Crenna M. Brumwell, 300 Main Street Suite 330, Dubuque IA 52001 563 583-4381
RESOLUTION NO. 381 - 25
RETROACTIVELY AUTHORIZING THE FILING OF AN APPLICATION FOR THE 2026
DOLLARWISE INNOVATION GRANT WITH THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF
MAYORS
WHEREAS, applications for certifications, funding, and grants are set by outside
entities and outside the control of the City; and
WHEREAS, the deadlines set by outside entities do not always coincide with the
meetings of the City Council; and
WHEREAS, the City applied for the 2026 DollarWise Innovation Grant from the
United States Conference of Mayors with an application deadline of November 21,
2025; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor signed the application and seeks retroactive approval of
the grant application from the City Council.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF DUBUQUE, IOWA:
Section 1. The application to the United States Conference of Mayors is approved
retroactive to November 21, 2025.
Passed, approved and adopted this 1 st day of December, 2025.
Brad M. C gh, Mayor
Attest:
Adrienne N. Breitfelder; City Clerk