Texas ASCEND Grant

The Advanced Manufacturing Pathways Development (AMP'D) Iowa Program provides Iowa advanced manufacturing employers with reimbursement grants of up to 80 percent of training costs, with maximums of $4,000 per employee and $250,000 per business, to design and implement employer-led training programs that build a more skilled and competitive manufacturing workforce. Administered by Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) and funded through a $4.7 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Labor's Industry-Driven Skills Training Fund (Iowa was one of 14 states to receive an award), AMP'D Iowa provides approximately $4.3 million in available funding statewide to reimburse Iowa advanced manufacturers for training newly hired or current employees. The program builds on Iowa's industry-led Manufacturing 4.0 initiative and is designed to help manufacturers close skilled labor gaps, create new pipelines of workers, accelerate upskilling, offset the high cost of training, and improve worker retention by aligning training with the technological needs of modern manufacturing. To qualify, employers must operate in Iowa's advanced manufacturing sector and train employees in eligible manufacturing occupations identified by the program. Priority funding is given to eligible small and medium-sized employers (with 0 to 499 employees), and reimbursement amounts are scaled based on employer size. Reimbursements are processed at two milestones: the first upon completion of the training program, and the second upon verified job retention with the employer for six months following training completion. To receive reimbursement, employers must formally agree to program and individual employee reporting requirements, document valid expenses, and verify training completions, credential attainment, and six-month employee retention. Applications are reviewed as they are received, on a rolling basis.

The Texas Enterprise Fund awards “deal-closing” grants to companies considering a new project for which one Texas site is competing with other out-of-state sites. The fund serves as a performance-based financial incentive for those companies whose projects would contribute significant capital investment and new employment opportunities to the state’s economy. Eligible applicants include all companies planning a new project including a facility opening or expansion, with significant projected job creation and capital investment, where a single site in Texas is actively competing with at least one viable out-of-state option.

Intern Nebraska gives grants to businesses that hire eligible student interns. Eligible businesses can get 50% of their internship expenses reimbursed, up to $7,500 per internship. To qualify, businesses need to be located in Nebraska, employ a student intern in a technical position, and pay at least the state minimum hourly wage. Businesses with fewer than 150 full-time employees are eligible for reimbursements on wages, tuition, internship housing, transportation expenses, and recruitment or admin costs. Businesses with more than 150 employees are eligible for all of the above except the wages paid to interns.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation is partnering to offer Entrepreneurial Training Program reimbursement of up to 75% of the $1,000 course fee. The course is designed to help early-stage startups vet their ideas and learn how to develop an investment-ready business plan. Grant recipients must comply with requirements that include meeting attendance standards and completing a business plan within six months of starting the program.

The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) internship program provides grant awards to Iowa businesses to help them support and grow student internship opportunities in STEM fields with the goal of transitioning student interns to full-time employment in Iowa upon graduation. Eligible employers may qualify for awards up to $50,000 per fiscal year.