Today the Democratic National Committee announced the Iowa Democratic Party as a recipient of a grant from the State Party Innovation Fund (SPIF), a first-of-its-kind, competitive grant program that incentivizes early organizing through state parties and supports efforts to engage local communities. The Iowa Democratic Party will receive $90,000, which will be used to help hire a digital director and grassroots organizers; expand the engagement program in rural communities; and to support efforts to elect Iowa Democrats up and down the ticket in 2018.
“Iowa Democrats have been working tirelessly to recruit strong candidates, motivate voters to the polls, and organize around issues that matter for Iowa’s future,” said DNC Chair Tom Perez. “The momentum is palpable in Iowa, where we’re already witnessing massive swings in our direction. More Democrats are running for state legislative seats in November than ever before. This grant will help ensure that Democrats are talking to voters in every community, and make sure that activists and candidates have the new tools and resources they need to succeed. The DNC is proud to partner with the Iowa Democratic Party through this grant to expand our engagement in rural communities and support Democratic candidates running up and down the ticket.”
“The Iowa Democratic Party is dedicated to investing in and growing our grassroots. This SPIF grant shows that the DNC is committed to ensuring we in Iowa have the resources necessary to reach out to voters in new ways,” said Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price. “As Democrats, we know that it’s not enough to just show up and ask for votes on Election Day – we need to engage the people of Iowa year-round in the fight for a brighter future for our state. I want to thank Chair Perez, Deputy Chair Ellison and the DNC for granting this SPIF award and making this goal possible.”
Some of the DNC’s investments in 2017 include $1.5 million in Virginia to elect Ralph Northam and races up and down the ballot; nearly $1 million in Alabama to make history and elect Doug Jones to the U.S. Senate; six figures in the New Jersey Democratic Party to support Phil Murphy, Sheila Oliver, Vin Gopal, and candidates running up and down the ticket; and investments in mayoral races across the country.
In addition to SPIF, through the DNC’s Every ZIP Code Counts program, state parties have consistently been receiving $10,000 a month since October 2017, which is a 33% increase over the base funding levels from 2016 and a 100% increase over 2015, and is based on state-specific strategic plans.