The Iowa Economic Development Authority is awarding Rural Innovation Grants, totaling more than $275,000, to 20 Iowa small businesses. The grant program, part of Gov. Kim Reynolds’ Empower Rural Iowa initiative, supports nontraditional ideas that address critical issues faced by communities that have both fewer than 20,000 people and are not located next to a city with a population more than 40,000. According to a news release, this year’s grants focus on independently owned grocery stores struggling to upgrade technology or adopt new service delivery models; small food producers looking to get their products into new markets; and second-stage growth companies that have been operating for a few years with sales typically more than $1 million and are looking to sell to markets outside Iowa. To learn more about the grant recipients, click here