The Iowa Economic Development Authority has opened the fourth round of the Iowa Energy Center (IEC) Grant Program, a program designed to facilitate energy-related economic development in the state.
The competitive grant program began accepting pre-applications on Tuesday, Feb. 22. 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 program, which is funded by Iowa’s gas and electric utilities, is open to Iowa businesses, colleges, universities, and private nonprofit agencies and foundations. It supports projects that provide a benefit to Iowa’s residential and commercial customers.Â
Projects also must 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 million with most awards in the $150,000 to $300,000 range. The IEC Board makes at least one funding announcement per fiscal year, and the application process includes both a pre-application and application phase.
Updated program Policies and Procedures Handbook and Pre-Application Guide are available here. Â
For more information, contact Amber Buckingham at (515) 348-6222 or iecgrants@iowaeda.com or visit iowaeda.com/iowa-energy-office/grants/.
