Iowa Direct Financial Incentives
Iowa's economic development, finance and tax organizations provide a range of incentive programs to initiate new business and commercial investment.
Corporate Taxes & Incentives Guide
High Quality Jobs Program
Serves as the state’s premier funding source for projects that are focused on job creation or retention. The program uses loans, forgivable loans, tax credits, and tax refunds to encourage businesses to locate or expand in Iowa. This program, combined with Iowa's nationally recognized business climate, lower costs, and proactive state government, makes Iowa a great place to do business.
Economic Development Set-Aside
Provides funds to cities (with a population of less than 50,000) and counties through loans or forgivable loans to businesses. Direct loans and forgivable loans are offered to those businesses that create or retain jobs and need public financial assistance to do so.
Demonstration Fund
Provides pre-seed capital awards of up to $100,000 to encourage prototype and concept development activities by small- and medium-sized companies in the advanced manufacturing, biosciences, and information technology industries. The fund is designed to encourage commercialization of innovation to foster competitive, profitable companies that create high paying jobs and wealth in Iowa.
Proof of Commercial Relevance Fund
The Proof of Commercial Relevance program is designed to define and articulate the business opportunity for businesses that have demonstrated a proof-of-concept for innovative technology. Awards up to $25,000 will be in the form of grants with a 1:2 (Private:Public) match.
Iowa Innovation Acceleration Fund
Designed to support commercializing research, launching new startups and accelerating private investment and industrial expansion efforts that result in significant capital investment. The fund provides financing to eligible businesses through three program components that correspond to three different stages of growth for investment-grade, high-growth enterprises.
Industrial Revenue Bonds
The Iowa Finance Authority provides tax-exempt financing to businesses for land, buildings, improvements, and equipment.
Workforce development
The Iowa New Jobs Training Program (260E) was developed to assist businesses that are creating new jobs. If the company is expanding Iowa operations or locating a new facility in the state, the New Jobs Training Program can provide flexible funding to meet the wide variety of training and employee development for new employees. The assistance available ranges from highly specialized educational programs to basic skills training for new positions. This program is administered through Iowa's Community College Network.
Iowa State Contact Iowa Economic Development Authority
Business Development Team
Phone: +1.515.725.3133
E-mail: business@iowa.gov Incentive and tax information is provided to Area Development by each state's economic development or commerce agency for information purposes only and is subject to revision at any time by the state government. Please contact the state agency directly for full requirements and offerings. This information was last updated October 2015.