Weekly summary of selected federal resources and info – August 28, 2017 edition

The following is a selection of recent announcements gleaned from various federal sources and colleagues, and is provided to EDA’s Economic Development Integrators to increase our awareness of complementary resources for economic development. Special thanks to ETA and other federal partners for sharing content included below.

Click here to view all weekly federal announcement posts.

Contents

Funding & Resource Announcements

Public Meetings, Events and Training

Reports, Tools and Data

Also of Interest

Funding & Resource Announcements

 

Funding Available:

HUD Announces Funds Available for Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grants – Applications due Nov 22.

Implementation Grants NOFA

Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grants support those communities that have undergone a comprehensive local planning process and are ready to implement their plan to redevelop the distressed public and/or assisted housing and neighborhood. The FY2017 NOFA was issued on August 24, 2017. The NOFA announced approximately $132 million available for awards. The Lead Applicant must be a Public Housing Agency (PHA), a local government, or a tribal entity. If there is also a Co-Applicant, it must be a PHA, a local government, a tribal entity, or the owner of the target HUD-assisted housing (e.g. a nonprofit or for-profit developer). The local government of jurisdiction, or tribe for applications that target Indian Housing, must be the Lead Applicant or Co-Applicant. Applications must present a plan to revitalize a severely distressed public and/or HUD-assisted multifamily housing project located in a distressed neighborhood into a viable, mixed-income community. Applications are due on November 22, 2017.

Also Available:

Planning Grants NOFA

Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants support the development of comprehensive neighborhood revitalization plans which focus on directing resources to address three core goals: Housing, People and Neighborhood. To achieve these core goals, communities must develop and implement a comprehensive neighborhood revitalization strategy, or Transformation Plan. The Transformation Plan will become the guiding document for the revitalization of the public and/or assisted housing units while simultaneously directing the transformation of the surrounding neighborhood and positive outcomes for families. The Planning Grants NOFA was posted to Grants.gov on June 28, 2017 and announces up to $5 million for Planning Grant awards. Applications are due August 28, 2017.

Mapping Tool

HUD established a mapping tool for the purposes of establishing neighborhood eligibility and to assign points for certain rating factors. This mapping tool will overlay the locally defined neighborhood boundaries with data associated with that area and estimate the rates of certain indicators in that neighborhood using a proportional allocation methodology. Click here for the mapping tool.

 

FTA Announces Funding Opportunity for Ferry Service Support and Rehabilitation; Applications due Oct 23

The Federal Transit Administration today announced the availability of $30 million under the FY 2017 Section 5307 Urbanized Area Formula Program. Funds will be awarded competitively to designated recipients or eligible direct recipients of Section 5307 funds to assist in the financing of capital projects to support existing passenger ferry service, establish new ferry service, and to repair and modernize ferry boats, terminals, and related facilities and equipment.

Eligible projects are capital projects for the purchase, replacement, or rehabilitation of ferries, terminals, related infrastructure, related equipment (including fare equipment and communication devices) and expansion. Projects are required to support a passenger ferry service that operates within an urbanized area, as defined under Federal transit law, but may include services that operate between an urbanized area and non-urbanized areas. Ferry systems that accommodate cars must also accommodate walk-on passengers in order to be eligible for funding. Recipients are permitted to use up to 0.5 percent of their requested grant award for workforce development activities eligible under 49 U.S.C. 5314(b) and an additional 0.5 percent for costs associated with training at the National Transit Institute. Applications are due by October 23.  FTA full announcement

 

NSF Announces Funding Opportunity to Create a NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub –Proposal due Nov 27.

Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (NSF INCLUDES) is a comprehensive national initiative designed to enhance U.S. leadership in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) discoveries and innovations focused on NSF’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, and broadening participation in these fields.

The initiative is developing a National Network composed of NSF INCLUDES Design and Development Launch Pilots, NSF INCLUDES Alliances, NSF-funded broadening participation projects, other relevant NSF-funded projects, scholars engaged in broadening participation research, and other organizations that support the development of talent from all sectors of society to build the STEM workforce.

To facilitate the Network’s operation, NSF announced today it is soliciting proposals for a NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub.  NSF has identified $10.5 million for a multi-year award to one recipient.  Proposals are due by November 27.

The three critical functions of the NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub are summarized below:

  • Communication and Networking. From the beginning the NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub should direct efforts toward building the Network infrastructure by facilitating continuous communication and information updates, designing community activities, and fostering collaboration across all elements of the Network.
  • Network Assistance and Reinforcement. As NSF INCLUDES Alliances and other organizations join the NSF INCLUDES National Network, the NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub should focus attention on assistance and reinforcement activities including technical assistance, conducting research, and facilitating shared measurement and data analysis across the Network.
  • Visibility and Expansion: The NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub should provide resources for efforts to focus on expansion and sustainability within the National Network, increase NSF INCLUDES visibility and communicate impact, while also serving as a repository for funding opportunities, research and knowledge generated by the NSF INCLUDES National Network and stakeholders.

The solicitation will be available here.

 

Reminder: FY 2017 Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Grant Program Applications Accepted Aug 14 through November 14, 2017.

As we head into the heard of disaster season, please be reminded of this previously announced opportunity -As appropriated by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (Public Law 115-31); the Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Grant Program provides resources to assist states, tribal governments, territories and local communities in their efforts to implement a sustained pre-disaster natural hazard mitigation program, as authorized by the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, Public Law 93-288, as amended (42 U.S.C. 5133).

FEMA announced the Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 application cycle on July 11, 2017. The application period is August 14 through November 14, 2017.  The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is posted on www.Grants.gov.  The FY 2017 PDM Fact Sheet provides an overview of the agency’s priorities for this year. FEMA will offer NOFO webinars for potential applicants prior to opening the application period.

Federal funding is available for up to 75 percent of the eligible activity costs. Small, impoverished communities may be eligible for up to a 90 percent Federal cost share in accordance with the Stafford Act. The remaining eligible activity costs must be derived from non-Federal sources.

 

Recently Announced Awards Made:

 

DOC Announces Second Year funding for 11 TAACs

August 22 – U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced $13.3 million in U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) grants to support 11 Trade Adjustment Assistance Centers (TAACs) in California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington that help manufacturers affected by imports adjust to increasing global competition and create jobs.

‪EDA’s Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms program funds 11 Trade Adjustment Assistance Centers across the nation. The centers support a wide range of technical, planning, and business recovery projects that help companies and the communities that depend on them adapt to international competition and diversify their economies. The grants announced today are for the second year of a funding cycle running from 2016 to 2021. Additional information on the program is available at www.taacenters.org.

 

Energy Department Awards Grants Focused on Energy Efficient Mobility Systems

On August 22, the Energy Department announced $13.4 million in support of five new cost-shared, community-based projects focused on energy efficient mobility systems including connected and autonomous vehicles and alternative fuel vehicles and infrastructure including natural gas, propane, biofuels, hydrogen, and electricity.

This Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) funding is an investment in highly-innovative, highly-leveraged, and scalable projects that will provide real-world experience and generate knowledge and lessons learned to help improve our nation’s energy security, support energy independence, improve transportation efficiency, and strengthen U.S. economic competitiveness.

To learn more about the Department’s work with industry, academia, and community partners on advanced vehicle technologies, please visit the Vehicle Technologies Office website.

Public Meetings, Events and Training

 

Webinar on Manufacturing in Rural America Features Businesses in St. Cloud MN, Sandpoint ID, and Western NC – September 8 @ 11:30 ET

America’s Rural Opportunity is a six-part series, co-sponsored by the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group and the Rural Development Innovation Group, that invites policymakers, economic and community development practitioners, and business and philanthropic leaders to engage in dialogue around advancing a rural opportunity agenda. ARO’s September panel will highlight how several rural-grown and local-owned businesses and networks are making manufacturing work in rural America.

America’s Rural Opportunity

September 8, 11:30-1:30 ET
The Aspen Institute
Washington, DC

Deb Markley (Moderator)
Senior Vice President, LOCUS Impact Investing
Co-Director, Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, Virginia

  • Brad Goskowicz – CEO, Microbiologics
    Cloud, Minnesota
    Dana Jordan – President and CEO, Cascade Rescue Company
    Sandpoint, Idaho
  • Molly Hemstreet – Founder & General Manager, Opportunity Threads
    Tanya Wade – Intake Administrator and Project Specialist, Carolina Textile District
    Western North Carolina – and surrounding states
  • John Molinaro – President and CEO
    Appalachian Partnership for Economic Growth

Register here to watch: https://aspeninstitute.formstack.com/forms/manufacturing

Learn more about the series and watch videos from previous events.

 

Webinar on Innovations and Successes of Apprenticeships – September 12 @1pm ET

Jobs for the Future (JFF) has highlighted this upcoming public event.

  • Video Conversation on September 12, 2017, 1pm – use WebEx to tune in

In recognition of the 80th anniversary of the National Apprenticeship (Fitzgerald) Act, JFF’s Center for Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning hosts a conversation to explore the rich history of apprenticeships in the United States, highlight successes of key leaders and programs, focus on recent innovations, and look toward apprenticeships of the future. Viewers and speakers will be representing U.S. Department of Labor grantees, leaders from organized labor, employers, community college staff, and a range of other stakeholders.

 

More Upcoming Economic Development Conferences

 

Reports, Tools and Data

 

Regional Planning Resources:  NADO’s CEDS Resource and Training Archive

With the support of the US Economic Development Administration (EDA), the NADO Research Foundation (NADO RF) has launched “Stronger CEDS, Stronger Regions.”  This program will enhance and expand current NADO RF resources available on the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), provide customized trainings and technical assistance to Economic Development Districts (EDDs) and other regional partners, and amplify EDA’s message about the tremendous value and potential of the CEDS to support broader regional economic and community development goals.  Through this program, NADO RF will continue to assist EDDs as they undertake regionally-owned planning processes to craft impactful, technically-sound strategies guiding economic development that will also position them to serve as leaders at the forefront of regional and national resilience efforts.

For years, NADO RF has provided training, resources, and tools for EDDs and other regional entities to provide a solid foundation for planning, developing, and implementing their CEDS.  Some of the most popular and well-received of these resources are now archived on this page for easy access and reference.   As more materials are developed through Stronger CEDS, Stronger Regions, stay tuned to www.nado.org and our Facebook and Twitter pages for the latest on CEDS development, resilience planning, and new approaches for getting the most out your CEDS to make it a true, inclusive driver of regional economic development.

Recently added materials include:

Click here for access to CEDS Webinars (6), Presentation Slide Decks )5) and Additional Resilience Resources (9).

 

MEP Blog Features 8 Benefits to Hiring Veterans for Manufacturing Jobs

The latest issues of MEP’s Innovation Blog features the many benefits to employers who hire veterans to fill the manufacturing skills gap. Among the reasons listed for turning to this uniquely qualified workforce:

  • The Special Employers Incentive program

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs administers the Special Employers Incentive(SEI) program. Under this program, businesses that hire eligible veterans receive up to 50 percent of the veteran’s first six months of salary back. The SEI award is meant to cover the training costs of new veteran employees.

  • Tax credits

Tax credits are available to companies that hire eligible veterans. The Wounded Warriors Tax Credit offers up to $9,600 in incentives, and the Returning Heroes Tax Credit offers up to $5,600. Both fall under the extended Work Opportunity Tax Credit signed into law in 2016.

Follow this link to see the full article and view six more reasons to hire veterans: http://nistmep.blogs.govdelivery.com/guide-hiring-veterans-fill-manufacturing-skills-gap/

 

EPA’s Updated EJSCREEN Provides Access to New Datasets and Mapping Tools

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently launched its annual update of EJSCREEN, the Agency’s nationally acclaimed environmental justice screening and mapping tool.

The tool is regularly used by other federal, Tribal, state and local government partners as well as by nonprofit and community groups, business and industry, and academia. Based on a recent EJSCREEN evaluation, the uses of the tool range from informing policy, strategic, and programmatic decisions to crafting outreach tools and educational materials.  The updated version incorporates the most up-to-date demographic and environmental data available. It also reflects improvements made based on feedback gleaned from users. In addition to updating the underlying datasets, the highlights of this year’s updates include:

  • a revised water data layer that vastly improves user ability to screen for surface water pollution;
  • the ability to look at municipalities as distinct geographic areas–a common request from our local government users–in addition to states, counties and census boundaries; and
  • new map layers that provide data on public institutions such as schools and public housing.

EPA will host a series of webinars on how to use the newly updated tool. Details about those webinars, which are scheduled for August 21, September 7 and September 14, are available at www.epa.gov/ejscreen.

For more information on EJSCREEN, please visit: www.epa.gov/ejscreen. 

Results from the BLS Longitudinal Survey: Number of Jobs Held, Labor Market Activity, and Earnings Growth among the Youngest Baby Boomers

Individuals born in the latter years of the baby boom (1957-1964) held an average of 11.9 jobs from age 18 to age 50, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Nearly half of these jobs were held from ages 18 to 24.

These findings are from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, a survey of 9,964 men and women who were ages 14 to 22 when first interviewed in 1979 and ages 49 to 58 when interviewed most recently in 2014-15. These respondents were born in the years 1957 to 1964, the latter years of the baby boom that occurred in the United States from 1946 to 1964. The survey spans 35 years and provides information on work and nonwork experiences, education, training, income and assets, health, and other characteristics. The information provided by respondents, who were interviewed annually from 1979 to 1994 and biennially since 1994, can be considered representative of all men and women born in the late 1950s and early 1960s and living in the United States when the survey began in 1979.

News Release / Access to Data Tables

 

Report Offers New Analysis of Digital Workforce in Manufacturing

UI LABS and ManpowerGroup recently released a groundbreaking workforce analysis that identifies 165 data-centric jobs that will define the future of manufacturing in the United States. DMDII financed the research using funds from the U.S. Department of Defense, with ManpowerGroup’s experts leading the detailed skills analysis.

Descriptions for jobs such as collaborative robotics specialist, manufacturing cybersecurity strategist and enterprise digital ethicist give a window into the advanced skills and knowledge needed to put new technology into practice and remain globally competitive.

The Digital Workforce Succession in Manufacturing report is the first to offer such a comprehensive workforce playbook to help companies develop a talent pipeline for existing and future factories. The research includes in-depth profiles for 20 roles that span a range of “digital” technologies and business practices, such as virtual reality/augmented reality systems specialist.

The report also describes the type and level of educational degree associated with each position, ranging from an AAS in Robotics Technology to a Ph.D. in Mathematics or Engineering.

Read the full report, The Digital Workforce Succession in Manufacturing, and view the 20 detailed profiles of advanced digital manufacturing roles at www.uilabs.org/taxonomy.

Also of Interest

 

DOE offers No-Cost Technical Assistance for Tribal Energy Projects

The DOE Office of Indian Energy provides federally recognized Indian tribes, including Alaska Native villages, tribal energy resource development organizations, and other organized tribal groups and communities, with technical assistance to advance tribal energy projects at no cost. Technical experts from DOE and its national laboratories, along with other partnering organizations, provide support to assist Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages with energy planning, housing and building energy efficiency, project development, policy and regulation, resilience, and village power.

For more information, visit the on-request technical assistance description

 

HUD Announces Disaster Assistance to West Virginia Counties Impacted by Storms

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has provided assistance to the State of West Virginia and provide support to homeowners and low-income renters forced from their homes due to severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides.

Last week, President Trump issued a disaster declaration for Harrison, Marion, Marshall, and Wetzel counties. The President’s declaration allows HUD to offer foreclosure relief and other assistance to certain families living in this county.

HUD is:

  • Assisting the State of West Virginia and local governments in re-allocating existing federal resources toward disaster relief – HUD’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME programs give the State and communities the flexibility to redirect millions of dollars in annual formula funding to address critical needs, including housing and services for disaster victims. HUD is currently contacting State and local officials to explore streamlining the Department’s CDBG and HOME programs in order to expedite the repair and replacement of damaged housing;
  • Granting immediate foreclosure relief – HUD granted a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures and forbearance on foreclosures of Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured home mortgages;
  • Making mortgage insurance available – HUD’s Section 203(h) program provides FHA insurance to disaster victims who have lost their homes and are facing the daunting task of rebuilding or buying another home. Borrowers from participating FHA-approved lenders are eligible for 100 percent financing, including closing costs;
  • Making insurance available for both mortgages and home rehabilitation – HUD’s Section 203(k) loan program enables those who have lost their homes to finance the purchase or refinance of a house along with its repair through a single mortgage. It also allows homeowners who have damaged houses to finance the rehabilitation of their existing single-family home; and
  • Offering Section 108 loan guarantee assistance – HUD will offer state and local governments federally guaranteed loans for housing rehabilitation, economic development and repair of public infrastructure.
  • Information on housing providers and HUD programs – The Department will share information with FEMA and the State on housing providers that may have available units in the impacted counties. This includes Public Housing Agencies and Multi-Family owners. The Department will also connect FEMA and the State to subject matter experts to provide information on HUD programs and providers.

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