(1)(a) Beginning on July 15 of each fiscal year any (i) city or Indian tribe or band in the State of Nebraska or (ii) nonprofit organization, the primary purpose of which includes economic development, workforce and talent development, or community development, may apply to the department for a grant under the New Taxpayer Recruitment Grant Act for such fiscal year.

(b) Such application shall be on a form prescribed by the department that includes:

(i) The name of the grant applicant;

(ii) The name, title, email address, mailing address, and telephone number for an individual who will serve as the point of contact for the grant applicant for the department; and

(iii) A new taxpayer recruitment program plan that includes the following:

(A) The total estimated cost of the program and the itemized estimated costs associated with the program's design, administration, marketing, and relocation incentive initiatives;

(B) A description of the program implementation roles undertaken and related costs of the grant applicant or other entities;

(C) The program's household goal and the estimated incentive amount per household;

(D) The program's estimated state and local tax impact; and

(E) The program's estimated total economic impact.

(2) Each fiscal year, the department shall award grants under the New Taxpayer Recruitment Grant Act to grant applicants with approved applications for the purpose of the administration of new taxpayer recruitment programs of such grant applicants and the costs associated with incentivizing households to relocate from locations that are outside of this state to municipalities in this state.

(3) To qualify for a grant under the New Taxpayer Recruitment Grant Act, a grant applicant shall:

(a) Demonstrate such grant applicant's ability to contribute funding equal to at least twenty percent of the total cost of the new taxpayer recruitment program and a description of anticipated funding sources. The grant applicant's contribution may include local funds or in-kind donations pursuant to section 81-12,254; and

(b) If the grant applicant is a previous recipient of a grant under the New Taxpayer Recruitment Grant Act, submit evidence that the grant applicant has met the household goal stated in the new taxpayer recruitment program plan that was submitted with the application for such previous grant.

(4) The department shall consider applications in the order in which they are received. If a grant applicant qualifies for a grant, the department shall approve the application and notify the grant applicant of the approval within thirty days of receiving the application.

(5) The department may approve applications and award grants under the New Taxpayer Recruitment Grant Act subject to available funding in the New Taxpayer Recruitment Grant Cash Fund.

(6) Any grant applicant shall not receive more than two hundred fifty thousand dollars in grants under the New Taxpayer Recruitment Grant Act in a fiscal year.

(7) The department shall disburse fifty percent of a grant to the grant applicant when the grant is initially awarded and fifty percent of the grant upon the grant applicant reporting to the department that it has successfully met half of the household goal stated in the new taxpayer recruitment program plan. If the grant applicant fails to meet half of such goal, the department shall not disburse the remaining amount of the grant and such remaining amount shall be reawarded to other grant applicants with approved applications.