Credentials to Computer Science Careers Grant

An $850,000 grant opportunity to support high schoolers' attainment of computer science credentials.

The goal of the Credentials to Computer Science Careers Grant is to increase access to computer science-related Industry Recognized Credentials (IRCs) for Iowa students. Funds must be used to provide access to computer science-related IRCs.

District and nonpublic school applicants should demonstrate clear, sustainable plans to align one or more existing computer science or CTE pathways with student attainment of an industry-recognized credential aligned to industry needs and labor market demand.

2025-26 Approved IRCs for Grant Opportunity

State approved CTE-IS IRCs:

CompTIA A+
Java SE 8 Programmer
Cisco Certified Network Associate
Site Development Associate
Google Cloud – Foundational
IT Specialist-AI
IT Specialist-Cybersecurity
IT Specialist- Networking
Unity certification
Fortinet Certified Fundamentals Cybersecurity
Certified Entry Level Python Programmer
Adobe Certified Professional
AWS Foundational

The following IRCs are not currently on the state approved list, but will be added to the list for the 2026-2027 academic year, and are eligible for grant funding through this opportunity:

Google:

Cybersecurity
IT Support
Data Analytics
User Experience Design
IT Automation with Python
Advanced Data Analytics
AI Essentials
Prompting Essentials

Amazon Web Services:

Certified Cloud Practitioner
Certified AI Practitioner
Machine Learning Engineer
Certified Developer
Certified Data Engineer

CompTIA:

Cloud+
CySA+
Data+
DataSys+
Linux+
Network+
Pentest+
Security+
Server+
IT Fundamentals

Eligible Applicants

All Iowa public school districts and all Iowa accredited nonpublic school systems that do not currently (or have in the past) offer the computer science-related IRCs for which funding is being requested.