DES MOINES, Iowa, July 13, 2023 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director in Iowa Theresa Greenfield today announced that USDA is making $21 million in technical assistance grants available through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) to help agricultural producers and rural small businesses access federal funds for renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements. The USDA Rural Development state office in Iowa will be allocated between $400,000 and $500,000 to award in a competitive process to providers of REAP technical assistance.

“This technical assistance grant opportunity will provide hands-on support to farmers, ranchers and rural small business owners seeking federal funds for renewable energy systems,” said Director Greenfield. “The Biden-Harris Administration is helping ag producers and rural small businesses lower energy costs by championing climate-smart technologies, including wind, anaerobic digesters, geothermal, and biomass systems in Iowa.”

The application window for the technical assistance grants opens July 15, 2023, and closes on August 15, 2023.

Eligible recipients for these grants include state, Tribal or local governments; colleges and universities; electric cooperatives and utility companies; and for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Recipients may use the funds to:

• Help rural agricultural producers and small business owners apply for REAP funding.
• Provide information on how business owners and agricultural producers can improve the energy efficiency of their operations and use renewable energy technologies and resources.
• Conduct required energy assessments and audits.
• Help agricultural producers and small business owners plan, build or develop renewable energy or energy efficiency projects.

This announcement is part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda and the Bidenomics strategy to grow the American economy from the middle out and bottom up by rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, driving over $500 billion in private-sector manufacturing investments, creating good-paying jobs, and building a clean-energy economy to tackle the climate crisis and make our communities more resilient. REAP is also part of the Justice40 Initiative, which is advancing environmental justice by ensuring that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments reach disadvantaged communities that are marginalized and overburdened by pollution and underinvestment.

USDA will give funding priority to applicants proposing to assist disadvantaged communities, applicants pursuing projects using underutilized technologies and applicants seeking grants under $20,000.

The Rural Development state office in Iowa will hold a brief webinar regarding this announcement on July 13, 2023, at 3 p.m. Central Time. Click on this hyperlink to participate virtually: https://usdard.zoomgov.com/j/1600323028?pwd=UVo2TEcrVGZidWpyV0s1dTQybjkwdz09