The Iowa Energy Center (IEC) Board and the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) has announced the opening of the second round of the IEC Grant program.

Designed to facilitate energy-related economic development in Iowa, the program will begin accepting pre-applications February 20. Submissions, which must support projects and initiatives that align with the Iowa Energy Plan and IEC’s activities, will be accepted through iowagrants.gov until March 19. 

The IEC Grant Program is funded by gas and electric utilities across Iowa and 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, workforce development, support for rural and underserved areas, biomass, natural gas expansion in underserved areas, electric grid modernization and alternative fuel vehicles.

Grant awards will range from $10,000 to $1,000,000; however, most grants awarded will be in the $150,000 - $300,000 range. The IEC Board will make at least one funding announcement per fiscal year, and the application process will include both a pre-application and application phase. An updated Policies and Procedures Handbook and Pre-Application guide will be available online February 20.

For additional information, please visit iowaeda.com/energy.

The Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities (IAMU) has been awarded a $200,000, two-year grant by the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA), with funds from the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE). The funds will be used to conduct a high-level assessment of the energy resilience posture of Iowa’s municipal electric utilities and to develop a “Comprehensive Iowa Municipal Energy Utilities Hazard Mitigation Plan” to remediate any assessment findings.

“Energy generation, transmission, and delivery by Iowa’s municipal utilities require a strategic approach that addresses the diverse security, technical, and environmental risks of the 21st century,” said Russell Saffell, IAMU’s Director of Member Security and Critical Infrastructure Protection. “Emerging threats from both manmade and natural hazards present significant challenges to utilities that are often understaffed, limited in response capability, and have aging or inoperable infrastructure. This grant will allow IAMU to assist municipal utilities by assessing current potential risks and helping to fix any vulnerabilities.”

IAMU will also provide technical expertise in emergency management, risk and hazard mitigation, business and operational continuity, cyber and physical security, and disaster recovery. The goal is to enhance energy resilience programs at Iowa’s municipal utilities and their respective service territories through a shared program manager approach from IAMU.

“We are pleased to dedicate funding for projects that support IEDA’s efforts to implement the Iowa Energy Plan,” said IEDA Director Debi Durham. “Through support of this project, our goal is to foster innovation and enhance the reliability and safety of Iowa’s energy systems.”