Fourth round of Iowa Energy Center grant program now open

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The Iowa Economic Development Authority has announced the opening of the fourth round of the Iowa Energy Center (IEC) grant program.

Designed to facilitate energy-related economic development in Iowa, the program has begun accepting pre-applications. Submissions must support projects and initiatives that align with the Iowa Energy Plan and IEC’s activities and will be accepted through iowagrants.gov until March 22.

The IEC grant program is funded by Iowa’s gas and electric utilities and is open to Iowa businesses, colleges, universities and private nonprofit agencies and foundations. The program supports projects that provide a benefit to Iowa’s residential and commercial customers. Projects must also aid in the implementation of at least one of the seven key focus areas of the Iowa Energy Plan: technology-based research and development, energy workforce development, support for rural and underserved areas, biomass conversion, natural gas expansion in underserved areas, electric grid modernization and alternative fuel vehicles.

Grant awards will range from $10,000 to $1,000,000, but most grants awarded will be made in the range of $150,000 to $300,000.

The IEC board makes at least one funding announcement per fiscal year, and the application process includes both a pre-application and application phase. The program’s updated Policies and Procedures Handbook and Pre-Application Guide are available online.