Advanced Manufacturing Pathways Development (AMP'D) Iowa

Notice of Funding Opportunity

State Agency Name:	Iowa Department of Workforce Development
Funding Opportunity Title	2026 Advanced Manufacturing Pathway Development (AMP’D Iowa)
Announcement Type:	Initial
Assistance Listing Number	17.280 WIOA Dislocated Worker National Reserve Demonstration Grants

IMPORTANT DATES

Application Deadline:	Grant applications are due for the first round of funding by Friday, July 24th, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. CST
Application Webinar Date:	Tuesday, July 7, 2026, at 1:00 PM via Microsoft Teams
Application Notification:	A Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will be posted on the following websites: www.iowagrants.gov ampd.iowa.gov

PROGRAM PURPOSE

The purpose of the 2026 Advanced Manufacturing Pathways Development (AMP’D) Iowa is to increase training opportunities in the targeted industry of advanced manufacturing (manufacturing). AMP'D Iowa will reimburse Iowa manufacturing employers a portion of expenses to train and/or upskill new or current employees due to the implementation of new technology, creation of new workforce pipelines, and to address the skilled labor gap.

Iowa’s manufacturing sector spans a wide variety of industries and products including but not limited to: agricultural and construction equipment, tires, windows, lighting, medical devices and machinery, appliance/furniture, food production, fuels, and the biotech industry, impacting not just the economy of Iowa, but the entire nation. This is not an exhaustive list of manufacturing sector but represents a description of the variety of the manufacturing industries within Iowa. Applicants for the AMP’D Iowa program are not limited to these stated industries and are encouraged to review the eligibility requirements for this opportunity. Through Work Based Learning (WBL), manufacturing employers will increase domestic skills of manufacturing workforce and ensure a well-trained workforce to meet the growing demand for the future.

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Eligible Applicants

Advanced manufacturing organization must have a physical location, employ residents of Iowa, and conduct business in Iowa. Employers must have a NAICS Code classification of 31, 32, or 33 to be eligible. Eligible occupations must be listed in the certified H1B occupation list – Attachment E.

• No permanent layoffs within the last six (6) months prior to the application date
• Must be in good standing with the State of Iowa (not currently be in bankruptcy or pre-bankruptcy, nor be presently in arrears with taxes or owe money to the State of Iowa and must not have any active compliance penalties).
• Must be registered with and establish a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) through SAM.gov prior to submission of an application.
• Applicants will be required to provide the unique entity identifier (UEI) with the application submission. Awarded businesses will be required to maintain an active registration in SAM.gov through the federal interest period of this award.

As part of the application, applicants must disclose any or potential conflicts of interest at the time of application submission. If awarded, the awarded business is required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that occur throughout the period of performance to the awarding agency.

Ineligible Applicants

Applicants who do not meet the stated eligibility requirements will not be considered for this award. Occupations not included on the certified H1B occupation list – Attachment E will not be considered.

The grant seeks applications from Iowa manufacturing employers offering employer-led training programs and that have met the below eligibility criteria:

• Commit to recruit and train new employees and/or upskill existing employees;
• Identify employee training needs and develop a training strategy to meet this need;
• Operate and located within the State of Iowa;
• The employer has not completed a layoff within the last six (6) calendar months at the time of the application submission;
• The employer must not currently be in bankruptcy or pre-bankruptcy;The employer must not be presently in arrears with taxes or owe money to the State of Iowa for any program administered by the State of Iowa.
• The employer must be in the advanced manufacturing sector and use this program to train employees in one or more of the occupations listed in Appendix E.
• The employer must be registered with and maintain an active Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) through SAM.gov throughout the federal interest period of this award.

AWARD INFORMATION

Estimated Award Amount

• The total allocation available under this award is an estimated $4,214,000.
• Individual award allocations will be considered up to a maximum of $250,000 per participating employer.

Funding decisions are made as funding is available and administered as a first-come, first-serve basis. IWD is not obligated to provide the maximum grant amount requested.

State or Federal Match Requirement

There is match requirement/cost sharing associated with this Notice of Funding Opportunity. The percentage of the match requirement is dependent on the size of the awarded business based on total number of full-time employees. Details of the match requirement are listed in the Use of Funds section of this NOFO.

Project and Award Period

Pursuant to the terms of the award, the period of performance for awarded employers is between August 15, 2026, and no later than December 31, 2028. Individual contract agreements with participating employers may dictate a shorter period of performance specific to the individual award. Expenses incurred related to this program outside of the period of performances listed in individual contract agreements are not eligible for reimbursement under this award. Any funds not expended for activity completed by December 31, 2028, will be forfeited and IWD will not be obligated to provide additional funding for program completion. Awarded projects not meeting these timelines may result in a default of the award and all grant funds may be required to be returned to IWD.

All final expenses and reports must be completed and submitted to IWD no later than February 15, 2029. Under 2 CFR 200.334-338, awarded business of this award will be required to maintain records for a minimum of three (3) years from the date of close out and allow access by federal and state auditor, as well as any oversight entities.

*Updated 7/17/26 – per clarification from US DOL, employer-paid wages to employees during in-classroom training time is not an eligible training expense.  Wages paid to employees during OJT is still an eligible training expense.  

Type of Award

Awarded advanced manufacturing participating employers will be considered beneficiaries under 2 CFR 200 and subject to reporting requirements specified by IWD and those in accordance with 2 CFR 200.332. Grant funds are administered as reimbursement only and no advance payments will be provided.

IWD will pay out grant funds to awarded business as a reimbursement after the submission and approval of monthly project reports, validation of submitted expenses, and milestone completion of employee participants.