Helping your business be great here.

Developers in Iowa can receive tax credits for redeveloping Brownfield and Grayfield sites through the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA). Additional incentives are available for projects that meet or exceed sustainable design standards. The program is designed to revitalize communities by reducing environmental hazards, cleaning up blighted areas, creating jobs, and boosting tax revenue.

Brownfield Sites

These are abandoned or underutilized industrial or commercial properties with environmental contamination, such as former gas stations or dry cleaners. Tax credits of up to 24% of qualifying costs are available for Brownfield projects, and up to 30% if the project meets green building standards.

Grayfield Sites

These are underutilized, obsolete, or blighted industrial or commercial properties with outdated infrastructure. Examples include properties that are vacant, have decreased property value, or are used as parking lots. Tax credits of up to 12% are available for Grayfield projects, with up to 15% if the project meets green building standards.

The program is capped at $15 million per fiscal year, with a maximum award of $1.5 million per project. Projects must meet the criteria outlined in Iowa Redevelopment Tax Credit Program Rules. Applications are accepted annually from July 1 to September 1.

For more details and to apply, visit the IEDA website.

The East Central Intergovernmental Association (ECIA) Business Growth covers Delaware, Dubuque, Jackson, Clinton and Cedar Counties for Revolving Loan Funds and the remaining Iowa counties in the Greater Dubuque region are covered by the US Small Business Administration 504 loan program.

To learn more, visit ECIA's website.

The State of Iowa offers a variety of grant programs and tax credits aimed at helping to grow your business, accelerate production, conduct research and more.

Entrepreneurial Investment Awards Program

The Entrepreneurial Investment Awards (EIA) program provides financial assistance to Iowa-based organizations that directly support entrepreneurs and early-stage startups. These resource providers play a critical role in helping new ventures create, locate or expand a business in Iowa. Click to learn more.

Seed Investor Tax Credit

Created by legislation passed in 2025, the Seed Investor Tax Credit is designed to encourage early-stage investments in innovative Iowa businesses. The program focuses on key growth sectors, including advanced manufacturing, bioscience, finance and insurance, and technology. Click to learn more.

Proof of Commercial Relevance

The Proof of Commercial Relevance (POCR) program is designed to define and articulate the opportunity for businesses that demonstrate a proof-of-concept for innovative technology. Click to learn more.

Demonstration Fund

The Demonstration Fund is designed to assist companies with market-ready innovative technologies or products that have a clear potential for commercial viability. Click to learn more.

Innovation Acceleration Fund

The Iowa Innovation Acceleration Fund promotes the formation and growth of businesses that engage in the transfer of technology to competitive, profitable companies that create high-paying jobs. Funds are designed to accelerate the pace of market development, leverage 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 different stages of growth for investment-grade, high-growth enterprises. Click to learn more.

Renewable Chemical Production Tax Credit

Iowa offers the Renewable Chemical Production Tax Credit. The program incentivizes the production of 30 high-value chemicals derived from biomass feedstocks. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the credit represents the “strongest” incentive package for the bio-based chemical industry. Iowa developed the program to capitalize on its resources and infrastructure and to capture the renewable chemical manufacturing industry; it addresses the unique opportunity to advance Iowa’s economy by focusing on the development of biomass as feedstocks for the production of renewable chemicals. Click to learn more.

Innovation Fund Tax Credit

The Innovation Fund Tax Credit was created to stimulate venture capital investment in innovative Iowa businesses. Individual investors receive tax credits equal to 25 percent of an equity investment in a certified Innovation Fund. In turn, those certified Innovation Funds make investments in promising early-stage companies that have a principal place of business in Iowa. Innovative businesses include, but are not limited to, businesses engaged in advanced manufacturing, biosciences and information technology. Click to learn more.

Research Activities Tax Credit

Iowa companies can earn tax credits for qualified research and development investments. Supplemental research credits are also available through the High Quality Jobs (HQJ) program. Click to learn more.

The High Quality Jobs (HQJ) program provides qualifying businesses assistance to offset some of the costs incurred to locate, expand or modernize an Iowa facility. This flexible program includes loans, forgivable loans, tax credits, exemptions and/or refunds. The Iowa Economic Development Authority offers this program to promote growth in businesses, which employ Iowans in jobs defined as high-quality by state statute.

For more details and to apply, visit the IEDA website.

The State Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program program offers tax credits to developers who sensitively rehabilitate historic buildings to offer them new life. Iowa offers this tax credit program to ensure character-defining features and spaces of buildings are retained to help create distinct and vibrant communities.

For details and to apply, visit the IEDA website.

The Iowa Industrial New Jobs Training (260E) program assists businesses creating new positions by helping with new employee training. Eligible businesses may be new to Iowa, expanding the Iowa workforce or relocating to the state.

260E participants can learn more information about the New Jobs Tax Credit, which is open to your business if you enter into an agreement and also expand your company's Iowa employment base by 10 percent or more.

For details, visit the IEDA website.

Communities in the Greater Dubuque region have the option of offering an industrial tax abatement to eligible businesses. Typically, the industrial tax abatement is allowed in lieu of Tax Increment Financing (TIF). Each community will set the abatement schedule for years and ratio. 

Contact our Business Services team at 563.557.9049 or by email to find out whether your business is located or locating to could be eligible for this assistance. 

Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is available in urban renewal districts only. City councils or boards of supervisors may use the property taxes resulting from the increase in taxable valuation caused by the construction of new industrial or commercial facilities to provide economic development incentives to a business.

Contact our Business Services team at 563.557.9049 or by email to find out whether your business is located or locating to could be eligible for this assistance.

The Workforce Housing Tax Credit program provides tax benefits to developers to provide housing in Iowa communities, focusing especially on those projects using abandoned, empty or dilapidated properties.

For details, visit the IEDA website.