The Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (GOEO) is accepting applications for the Rural Employment Development Incentive (REDI) grant from Aug. 1-15, 2025.
The REDI grant bolsters rural economies in the state by awarding funding to business entities creating new, high-paying jobs in Utah’s rural communities. Organizations can receive from $4,000 to $6,000 for each new position created based on the employee’s work location. This includes positions that are remote, at a satellite or hub office, or in the same county as the organization, so long as the employee is physically working from a rural community. Organizations can receive up to $250,000 under one application and in a single fiscal year.
James Dixon, director of community grants at GOEO commented, “REDI is one of our direct-to-business incentives, and a real help to businesses growing their workforce in rural Utah.”
Organizations must apply before creating any new positions to qualify. All positions must meet the following requirements:
- New to the organization, and not simply a relocation from one jurisdiction to another;
- Located in rural Utah;
- Work at least 30 hours per week, on average;
- Pay at least 100% of the county’s average annual wage (not including healthcare, or other paid or unpaid benefits)
- Retained for at least 12 months.
Organizations must maintain the number of full-time positions they had at the time of application (the baseline), in addition to creating new jobs, as outlined in the contract.
Learn more and apply for this grant here.
For questions regarding this and other grants offered by GOEO, please contact us at [email protected] or locate your regional outreach manager here.