Iowa Grid Resilience Fund

Power substation

Topics:

Energy

Electric Grid Resilience

The Iowa Grid Resilience Fund supports efforts to improve the all-hazards resilience of the electric grid and reduce the frequency and duration of outages. The program provides grants to eligible entities to address current and future resilience.

The Iowa Energy Office will administer the program with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), which was authorized through the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act. The program provides assistance to States and Tribes for five years to strengthen and modernize the power grid against severe weather.

The funding provided under this program may be used to implement a wide range of resilience measures intended to mitigate the impact of disruptive events. The minimum subaward amount is $200,000 and the maximum is $2 million. The cost-share percentage differs based on eligible entity. Please review the Iowa Grid Resilience Policies & Procedures Handbook for detailed information on eligible and ineligible costs and projects, evaluation criteria, application process and reporting requirements.

Learn more about the DOE Grid Resilience Formula Grant Program.

Iowa Program Objectives

IEDA established four objectives for the Iowa Grid Resilience Fund to guide investment decisions. 

  1. Increase grid resilience: Undertake preventive actions to strengthen the grid against severe weather and improve asset management through evaluation and monitoring.
  2. Facilitate faster service restoration: Initiate measures or training to accelerate restoration following outages.
  3. Benefit underserved: Provide benefits to vulnerable and disadvantaged populations to reduce the impact of severe weather-related outages.
  4. Expand workforce: Increase opportunities for a skilled workforce to secure and retain quality jobs improving the resilience of Iowa’s electric grid. 

Eligibility

  • Electric investor-owned utilities
  • Municipal utilities
  • Transmission owners/operators
  • Rural electric cooperatives that provide generation, transmission and/or distribution in Iowa
  • Other entities subject to DOE approval

Application Process

The application deadline is August 15, 2025. Applications will be accepted through IowaGrants.gov. The application will be available on IowaGrants.gov beginning on June 2, 2025.

  • Applicants will need to register to create an account through IowaGrants.gov before accessing the application, if they do not already have an account.
  • Applicants should obtain a unique entity identifier (UEI) from the federal System for Award Management (SAM), if they do not already have one. The process could take several weeks, so applicants are encouraged to start the SAM registration process as soon as possible.
  • Additional funding cycles may be posted in the future as more federal funding is allocated.

Resources