Governor Allocates $5 Million of CARES Act Funding to Employer Innovation Fund

Gov. Kim Reynolds announced yesterday she will take $5 million from the funds Iowa has received through the CARES Act and put that toward the Iowa Employer Innovation Fund. The fund, which was created in 2018, allows employers, nonprofits, community organizations and employer consortiums to take advantage of grants from the state to upskill workers. The grant application process was opened yesterday and will close on Sept. 16. It will focus on Iowans whose jobs have been affected or eliminated because of COVID-19. No matching funds will be required by the recipient of the grant and the maximum award is $100,000 per applicant. ABI applauds the governor for taking this step in her efforts to upskill Iowa’s workforce. Read the news release for more details.