Selected Federal Agency Announcements and Related for the Week of August 20, 2018

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.

Also visit the following links on our updated EDI webpages at www.eda.gov/edi for additional information about federal resources that are available to support comprehensive regional economic development strategies, including:

Click here to view all weekly federal announcement posts.

Contents

Funding & Resource Announcements

Announcements of Federal Funding & Assistance Available:

 

Access to Capital

 

Economic Development

 

NEW: USDA Announces Funding Opportunity under the Rural Economic Development Initiative

The Department of Agriculture is seeking applications to support regional economic development planning efforts in rural communities under the Rural Economic Development Innovation (REDI) initiative. USDA has identified the availability of $750,000 in competitive cooperative agreement funds in fiscal year (FY) 2018.

Excerpts:

The Project purpose must be to strengthen the capacity of rural communities (50,000 people or less in the United States plus Tribes and territories) in developing and implementing regional plans for economic development as referenced in Section 379H of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act. Eligible project purposes must include the two facets of technical assistance:Ø  Planning Technical Assistance: The proposed project should provide planning technical assistance to rural communities by assisting in the development of regional economic development plans. Ø  Implementation Technical Assistance: The proposed project should provide technical assistance toward implementation of the project priorities emerging from the regional economic development plans.

For purposes of this solicitation, a quality regional economic plan will include but not be limited to the following:

  • Evidence-based understanding of community assets, challenges and opportunities.
  • Goals are focused, logical, targeted and timely with tasks identified and with a responsible party assigned.
  • The plan was created through broad community participation, public input and buy-in.
  • The format must be persuasive in a non-technical manner.
  • The plan makes clear how each of its strategies is intended to help produce, either directly or indirectly, improvements in the local and regional economy.

The deadline for receipt of a complete application is midnight Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday, September 5, via www.grants.gov. See: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-08-17/pdf/2018-17765.pdf

 

Questions about this announcement can be directed to Christine Sorensen, Regional Coordinator, via 202–568–9832 or [email protected] .

 

 

EDA Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance Program – Now Accepting FY18 Applications

 

EDA has published a July 2 notification on www.grants.gov that it will make construction, non-construction, and revolving loan fund investments under the Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) Programs. Through this FY 2018 NOFO, EDA will also designate a portion of its EAA funding to support communities and regions that have been negatively impacted by changes in the coal economy (Assistance to Coal Communities, or ACC 2018). Grants made under these programs will leverage regional assets to support the implementation of regional economic development strategies designed to create jobs, leverage private capital, encourage economic development, and strengthen America’s ability to compete in the global marketplace. There are no submission deadlines under this opportunity.  Proposals and applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the publication of a new EDAP NOFO. See: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=306735

 

USDA Rural Utilities Service Has TA and Training Grants Available for Water and Wastewater Infrastructure. Apply by Sept 8.

USDA’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) has announced an additional application window for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 for the Technical Assistance and Training Grant Program (TAT) to support rural water and waste water systems operations. Applications are due by September 8. Full background / organizational eligibility / application requirements / evaluation criteria / reporting requirements: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-08-09/pdf/2018-16997.pdf

 

Entrepreneurship & Technology Commercialization

 

EDA FY18 Regional Innovation Strategies Program – Applications Due Aug 29.

EDA is soliciting applications for two separate competitions under its Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS) program—the 2018 i6 Challenge and the 2018 Seed Fund Support (SFS) Grant Competition. $16 million is available under the i6 Challenge to support the creation of centers for innovation and entrepreneurship that increase the rate at which innovations, ideas, intellectual property, and research are translated into products, services, viable companies, and jobs. $5 million is available under the SFS Grant Competition to support the creation, launch, or expansion of equity-based, cluster-focused seed funds that invest regionally-managed risk capital in regionally-based startups with a potential for high growth.

Current Closing Date for Applications: August 29, 2018 More information can be found on the RIS webpage.

Infrastructure

NEW USDA Publishes Notice of Solicitation for FY19 REAP Applications (Rural Energy for America Program

USDA’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service has published a Notice of Solicitation of Applications (NOSA) in the August 14 FEDERAL REGISTER prior to passage of a final appropriations act.  This publication allows potential applicants time to submit applications for financial assistance under Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) for Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2019, and give the Agency time to process applications within the current FY.

The REAP has two types of funding assistance:·         The Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvement Assistance provides grants and guaranteed loans to agricultural producers and rural small businesses to purchase and install renewable energy systems and make energy efficiency improvements to their operations. Eligible renewable energy systems for REAP provide energy from: Wind, solar, renewable biomass (including anaerobic digesters), small hydro-electric, ocean, geothermal, or hydrogen derived from these renewable resources.·         The Energy Audit and Renewable Energy Development Assistance Grant is available to a unit of State, Tribal, or local government; instrumentality of a State, Tribal, or local government; institution of higher education; rural electric cooperative; a public power entity; or a council, as defined in 16 U.S.C. 3451. The recipient of grant funds,  grantee, will establish a program to assist agricultural producers and rural small businesses with evaluating the energy efficiency and the potential to incorporate renewable energy technologies into their operations.The Agency will publish the amount of funding received in any continuing resolution or the final appropriations act on its website at https://www.rd.usda.gov/newsroom/notices-solicitation-applications-nosas. Expenses incurred in developing applications will be at the applicant’s risk.See: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-08-14/pdf/2018-17513.pdf

 

Workforce Development:

ETA Announces Availability of up to $100 Million for Trade and Economic Transition National Dislocated Worker Grants

The Employment and Training Administration has published Training and Employment Guidance Letter 2-18.  This TEGL announce the availability of up to $100 million for Trade and Economic Transition National Dislocated Worker Grants (DWGs), with funding amounts of up to $8million for each award. This grant will enable successful applicants to address ongoing or emerging workforce and economic challenges by providing training and career services to dislocated workers seeking reentry into the workforce, and increasing their skill levels to become competitive for growing or high-demand employment opportunities. Available funds for this grant could be reduced by other, unforeseen DWG funding needs, such as natural disasters and national emergencies, including national health emergencies such as the opioid crisis.

See: https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=5927

 

 

 

Previously Announced Federal Funding Opportunities Closing Soon:  

Below is a list of previously highlighted funding opportunities that are still open. Enter the Opportunity Number in Grants.gov to see announcement details. You can also search Grants.gov for a full list of current federal opportunities, including programs not listed below.

 

Opportunity Number Opportunity Title Agency Posted Date Close Date
EDAP2018 FY 2018 Economic Development Assistance Programs. Application submission and program requirements for EDA’s Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance programs DOC-EDA 07/02/2018
2018-NIST-DR Disaster Resilience (DR) Research Grants Program DOC-NIST 06/28/2018 08/27/2018
EDA-HDQ-OIE-2018-2005523 FY 2018 Regional Innovation Strategies Program DOC 05/31/2018 08/29/2018
ETA-TEGL-2-18-DWG Trade and Economic Transition National Dislocated Worker Grants DOL-ETA 08/08/2018 09/07/2018
TAT-NOFA-18 Rural Utilities Service Training and Technical Assistance Program WEP TAT NOFA FY 18 USDA-RUS   09/09/2018
FOA-ETA-18-04 YouthBuild DOL-ETA 05/18/2018 09/18/2018
EDA-HDQ-RNTA-2018-2005669 Economic Development Research and National Technical Assistance FY18-FY20 DOC 05/31/2018 09/30/2020
NSF 17-590 Improving Undergraduate STEM Education NSF 08/22/2017 10/01/2018
FOA-ETA-18-08 Scaling Apprenticeship Through Sector-Based Strategies DOL-ETA 07/18/2018 10/16/2018
FOA-ETA-18-08 Scaling Apprenticeship Through Sector-Based Strategies DOL-ETA 07/18/2018 10/16/2018
USDA-NIFA-SBIR-006649 Small Business Innovation Research Program Phase I Fiscal Year 2019 USDA-NIFA 07/23/2018 10/25/2018

 

Non Federal Awards Announced:

NEW Six communities will receive assistance on small-scale manufacturing

Smart Growth America announced the six communities that will receive technical assistance in using small-scale manufacturing as a strategy to create economic opportunity, boost the prospects of Main Street, and build great places. This free assistance in partnership with Recast City is made possible with support from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA).

The six communities are Baltimore, MD; High Point, NC; Lafayette, LA; South Bend, IN; Columbia, MO; and the Kalispel Tribe of Indians in Cusick, WA.

Public Meetings, Events and Training

NEW: DHS Announces President’s National Infrastructure Advisory Council to Meet September 13

The Department of Homeland Security has announced that the President’s National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC) will meet Thursday, September 13, 2018, in Arlington, VA. This meeting will be open to the public.

The NIAC will meet to discuss issues relevant to critical infrastructure security and resilience, as directed by the President. The Council will discuss future tasks and host a cross-sector panel discussion about various risks facing critical infrastructure. All slide presentations will be posted prior to the meeting on the Council’s public web page, www.dhs.gov/NIAC.

 

Full background and contacts for registration and/or provision of comments:

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-08-16/pdf/2018-17716.pdf

 

Also Upcoming:

·         SOAR Summit to Discuss Plan for Appalachia Kentucky (August 30 – 31, Pikeville KY)

Click here to learn more and to register.

 

 

  • NERETA’s Developing a Talent Pipeline for the Healthcare Industry (September 17 – 18, Scranton, PA) http://summit.nereta.org/

 

·         NTIA Broadband Summit on October 30 (Roanoke, Virginia)

Notice of Virginia Broadband Summit 10/30/2018

 

 

 

Reports, Tools and Data

NEW: Census Bureau Releases 2016 Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs

The Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs provides a demographic portrait of the nation’s employer businesses by gender, ethnicity, race and veteran status. Tables released by the Census Bureau this week provide estimates on the number of firms, receipts, payroll and employment for the nation, the states and the District of Columbia, and the 50 most populous metropolitan statistical areas. The Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs is being folded into the Annual Business Survey. Announced in June 2018, this new survey will include an innovation content module and replaces the Survey of Business Owners, Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs and Business Research and Development and Innovation Survey for Microbusinesses.

The Bureau notes:

  • Women-owned employer firms in the United States increased by approximately 2.8 percent in 2016 to 1,118,863 from 1,088,466 in 2015, according to findings from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2016 Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs.
  • The data also shows that women owned approximately 20.0 percent (1,118,863) of all employer businesses (5,601,758) nationwide. Additionally, about one-quarter (289,326 or 25.9 percent) of all women-owned employer firms were minority owned. More than half (approximately 153,177 or 52.9 percent) of these minority women-owned firms were Asian -owned.
  • These data are currently available on American FactFinder. Data will be available on the Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs web page under “Data” and “ASE Tables” soon.
  • For more information about the Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs, including survey design, methodology and data limitations, visit <www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ase.html>.

NEW Rethinking Cluster Initiatives – Brookings Institution

A new report from the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program argues that initiatives to support and grow industry clusters remain a potentially powerful strategy to jumpstart local economic growth, but only if certain market and civic fundamentals are in place.

The report, Rethinking cluster initiatives, by Ryan Donahue, Brookings fellow Joseph Parilla, and Brookings nonresident senior fellow Brad McDearman, takes a fresh look at the concept of industry clusters—groups of firms that gain a competitive advantage through local proximity and interdependence—and offers practical guidance for metropolitan leaders considering investments in cluster initiatives, drawing on five in-depth case studies.

 

Full report can be viewed at: https://www.brookings.edu/research/rethinking-cluster-initiatives/

 

Disaster Recovery Resources & Info

Primary site for Disaster Recovery Assistance: https://www.disasterassistance.gov/

Funding Assistance for Recovery Efforts:

Transitional Sheltering Assistance Program in Puerto Rico Extended to Aug 30

FEMA has extended its Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) program for Puerto Ricans displaced by Hurricanes Maria and Irma, to August 30. Through the TSA program, FEMA provides direct payments to hotels and motels that house individuals and families who were forced to evacuate after the hurricanes caused severe damage to homes across the island.

USDA Has Nearly $2 Billion Available to Assist Eligible Producers Affected by 2017 Hurricanes and Wildfires

Agricultural producers affected by hurricanes and wildfires in 2017 now may apply for assistance to help recover and rebuild their farming operations. Signup begins July 16, 2018, and continues through November 16, 2018.

See: https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2018/07/16/nearly-2-billion-now-available-eligible-producers-affected-2017

 

NIST Disaster Resilience (DR) Research Grants Program Seeks Applicants

The Disaster Resilience (DR) Research Grants Program seeks applications from eligible applicants to conduct research aimed at advancing the principles of resilience in building design and building codes and standards.  Research proposals must support the overall effort of developing science-based building codes by evaluating potential technologies and architectural design criteria to improve disaster resilience in the built environment. See Grants.gov for more information and application instructions: 2018-NIST-DR

EDA Has Supplemental Funding Available for Areas Impacted by 2017 Hurricanes, Wildfires and Other Disasters

In April 2018, EDA issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity, (EDA-2018-DISASTER) inviting applications for $587 million in grants available to eligible entities to address economic challenges in disaster-impacted areas. These grants will support disaster recovery activities in areas receiving a major disaster designation as a result of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and wildfires and other 2017 natural disasters. EDA plans to accept proposals on a rolling basis until all funds are obligated.  Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis. See the following links for details:

 

Related Resources – NonFederal:

Updates on FEMA Response in Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands

Where to Find Federal Disaster Declarations

  • Is your home, business or community included in a federally declared emergency or disaster area? You can find the latest federal emergency and disaster declarations, as well as prior declarations for other areas, on FEMA’s disaster declarations webpage.

Amended Declarations

Existing Declarations may be subsequently amended to expand covered areas, provide notification that an incident has been closed, or make other necessary changes.

These are posted in the Federal Register here: https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/federal-emergency-management-agency#documents

Economic Recovery Support