The Iowa Economic Development (IEDA) is accepting applications for its Rural Grocery Grant.
Donor Name: Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA)
State: Iowa
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 10/25/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
The Rural Innovation Grant program seeks to support creative ideas that address current issues and challenges faced by rural communities associated with the themes of community investment, growth, and connection.
Rural Grocery: Food security is a critical issue in rural Iowa. Rural grocery stores are a key player in addressing this issue. These businesses play an important role in rural prosperity by being a local anchor business contributing to the vitality of rural places, offering employment opportunities, providing healthy and fresh foods, and keeping wealth in the community.
Funding Information
Applicants may request up to $25,000 for technology upgrades and/or the adoption of new approaches to service delivery.
Grant Period
December 1, 2024 – June 30, 2026.
Eligible Uses of funds
Grant funds may be used for technology upgrades and the adoption of new approaches to service delivery. Such new approaches may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Grocery lockers
- Development or adoption of an online ordering platform
- Implementation of a home delivery system
- Creative cooperative purchasing approaches
- Electronic shelf tags
- Self-check-out devices.
Eligibility Criteria
An eligible applicant is an independently owned grocery store incorporated in the state of Iowa or authorized to do business and operating in the state of Iowa. The applicant will be responsible for submitting material during the funding application process and will be the entity legally obligated to the terms of an agreement if awarded funding. Partners and collaborating entities are not subject to the eligibility requirements but may be subject to financial and programmatic review during the selection process.
- Projects/programs must exist in and benefit a community in Iowa with a population of 20,000 or fewer and not contiguous (sharing a common border) to a city with a population of 40,000 or greater or be in an Iowa county that is one of the 88 least populous counties in the state.
- Any eligible applicant will be allowed to submit one application per funding announcement. An applicant who has applied as the principal entity for an application may also be named as a partner on additional applications submitted but may not be named as a primary entity.
- An eligible applicant must be operating in rural Iowa and must have been in business for a minimum of three (3) years.
- Small, independent chain operators with ten (10) or fewer locations are eligible to apply.
For more information, visit IEDA.
