UW–Extension’s Community Development Educator is developing an enhanced grant writing curriculum for small towns, villages, and cities in Iowa County that integrates artificial intelligence tools. A countywide needs assessment showed that limited internal grant-writing capacity is a top priority for these municipalities, especially for pursuing external funding for community development and infrastructure. Curriculum design is underway in collaboration with the Local Government Education program, with plans to use AI for opportunity identification, drafting, and narrative refinement using updated Extension materials. While no outside vendor is named yet, this is a clear pre-implementation phase where training content, delivery methods, and supporting tools are still being shaped, creating room for consultants, training providers, and AI/tool vendors to influence how municipalities get equipped for funding pursuits.

Programming will focus on helping underserved and rural municipalities improve competitiveness for g...