![Race for the Space contest recipients](https://downtowncr.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/RacefortheSpace.DowntownCedarRapids.png)
Race for the Space is a business competition designed to support a startup’s next big idea, a current business’s secondary location, or anything in between! Applicants are vying for the opportunity to become a staple of downtown Cedar Rapids with $20K of their startup costs, rent, and other valuable benefits covered. The first-of-it’s-kind competition is inspired by Ithaca, New York and is produced by the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance with funding from the Downtown SSMID (Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District.)