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.
See more open funding opportunities at federal agencies on the EDI webpage at https://www.eda.gov/edi/assistance/
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:
- Federal Assistance for Economic Development
- Tools and Other Resources for Economic Development Integration
- Economic and Community Development Networks and Partners
Click here to view all weekly federal announcement posts
Contents
- Funding & Resource Announcements
- Notable Recent Funding Awards
- Public Meetings, Events and Training
- NEW: Sept 4 Webinar – Applying for EPA Local Foods Local Places TA
- NEW: Apply by Sept 8 to Join America’s Competitiveness Exchange (ACE) in Santiago, Chile
- New: FCC Issues Proposed Rule for Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. Comment by Sept 20
- NEW: Sept 24 Webinar on Apprenticeship Programs – Leveraging National Certifications
- HBCU Conference Scheduled for Sept 8 -12 in Washington D.C.
- SBA’s SBIR Road Tour: Final Stops on the East Coast (Sept 16-20) and Caribbean (Nov 13-15)
- SBA Announces National Veterans Small Business Week (Nov 4 – 8)
- Reports, Tools and Data
- NEW: BLS Data (QCEW) Now Incorporated into Census Business Builder v2.6
- NEW: 2019 National CDFI Directory is Available
- NEW: HUD Encourages Partnerships Between CDBG Recipients and Non-Profit Organizations
- DOL Launches Online Help Desk to Provide Compliance Assistance to Federal Contractors and Stakeholders
- HHS/ACF Launches Website to Help Families Find Child Care Resources
- Pew Charitable Trusts Tool Permits Browsing through State Broadband Policies and Funding
- EDA 2018 Annual Report Available
- Disaster Recovery Resources & Info
Funding & Resource Announcements
OPPORTUNITY ZONES
NEW: EDA’s Opportunity Zone Web Page
EDA now has an EDA Opportunity Zone Web page for economic development stakeholders and others to use as a resource to further help foster job creation and attract private investment to support development in economically distressed areas across the United States.
NEW: HUD updates List of Federal Programs Offering Opportunity Zone Benefits
The White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council has updated its report of “Completed Program Targeting Actions” to support projects and drive investment to Opportunity Zones. The original list published in April 2019 has now grown to 143 grants and programs – an increase of 93 additional grants and programs. As of August 8, 2019, the report now captures actions of 16 Federal agencies that are now offering Opportunity Zone benefits (including bonus points, preference points, priority consideration or special consideration). See details here: https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/documents/OppZone_Agency_Completed_Actions_2019_0808.pdf
LISC Playbook for Community Partners in OZs
The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) has partnered with the Council for Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) and the Ford Foundation to develop a playbook for community partners on Opportunity Zones. This playbook is the first in a series in which LISC aims to lay out potential trajectories and best practices for the range of Opportunity Zones actors. The new playbook is available here.
CAPACITY BUILDING
EPA Technical Assistance Available through Local Foods, Local Places. Apply by Sep 30
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an opportunity to apply for technical assistance for communities interested in revitalizing neighborhoods through development of local food systems. The assistance will be provided through the Local Foods, Local Places (LFLP) program. Deadline for applications is September 30, 2019.
LFLP partner communities work with a team of agricultural, environmental, public health and regional economic development experts to set goals and identify local assets that can support the local food economy. Communities also develop an action plan and identify potential resources from the participating federal agencies to support implementation. Communities with projects located in federal designated Opportunity Zones will receive special consideration.
To apply for LFLP assistance: https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/local-foods-local-places-2019-2020-application
NEW: FY19 Brownfields Training, Research, and Technical Assistance Grant. Apply by Sep 20
The EPA’s Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization is soliciting applications for funding under Section 104(k)(7) of CERCLA, which authorizes funding to eligible entities to provide training, research, and technical assistance to facilitate the inventory of brownfield sites, site assessments, remediation of brownfield sites, community involvement, or site preparation. Grants awarded under the “Brownfields Training, Research, and Technical Assistance Program” will help communities, organizations, agencies, businesses, and individuals tackle the challenge of cleaning up and revitalizing brownfield properties. For more information, visit the funding opportunity description.
Related Resource: EPA’s No Cost Technical Assistance to Brownfields Communities –
EPA’s Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB) Communities Program helps communities, states, tribes and others understand risks associated with contaminated or potentially contaminated properties, called brownfields, and learn how to assess, safely clean up and sustainably reuse them. EPA funds three organizations—Kansas State University, the New Jersey Institute of Technology and the Center for Creative Land Recycling—to serve as independent sources of technical assistance. Each of these TABs has an extensive network of partners, contractors and other contacts that provides services across the country. They help communities tackle a variety of challenges related to identifying, assessing, cleaning up and redeveloping brownfields. The technical assistance comes at no cost to communities. For more information, visit the technical assistance description
INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENUERSHIP
USDA FY20 and FY21 SBIR Opportunities. Apply by Oct 23 for FY20 Funds
The Department of Agriculture announced the opening of the solicitation process for the FY 2020 and FY 2021 for its SBIR program. Funds may be awarded up to $100,000 for a Phase I project. Projects dealing with agriculturally related manufacturing and alternative and renewable energy technologies are encouraged. Click here for the solicitation
DOE FY20 SBIR/STTR Phase I Opportunities Available.
Department of Energy topics for FY 2020 SBIR/STTR Phase I Release 1 Funding Opportunity Announcement are now available at: https://science.osti.gov/sbir/Funding-Opportunities. Letters of Interest are due September 3; Full Applications will be due October 15.
DOE Wave Energy Prize Competition. Apply by Sept 6.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) opened the first stage of the Waves to Water Prize, which seeks to accelerate the development of wave energy-powered desalination systems and launch novel technologies to address critical water security challenges. The prize is divided into four stages, and the first concept stage is now open for applications through September 6, 2019.
INFRASTRUCTURE
NEW: SBA Extends Reduction in Surety Bond Fees for Small Business Contractors
SBA announced a one-year extension of the temporary decrease in the fees it charges on each guaranteed bond (other than a bid bond) issued in SBA’s Surety Bond Guarantee (SBG) Program. The temporary initiative to lower fees in the SBG Program, will be extended for an additional year to apply to all SBA surety bond guarantees approved through September 30, 2020.
Under its SBG Program, the SBA guarantees a certain percentage of bid, payment, and performance bonds for small and emerging contractors who cannot obtain surety bonds through regular commercial channels. The SBA guarantee assists small businesses in obtaining greater access to contracting opportunities. More information about SBA’s Surety Bond Guarantee Program is available at: https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/surety-bonds
DOT Funding Available for Port Infrastructure. Apply by Sep 16
The Department of Transportation has announced the availability of funding for grants under its Port Infrastructure Development Program. this program and establishes selection criteria and application requirements. A total of over $292M will be available, with $92.7M directed for grants to the 15 coastal seaports that handled the greatest number of loaded foreign and domestic twenty-foot equivalent units of containerized cargo in 2016. Applications must be submitted September 16, 2019. See Grants.gov NOFO for detail: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=316986
NEW FY19 Brownfields Training, Research, and Technical Assistance Grant
Funding solicitation for proposals to conduct research and provide technical assistance to new, existing, and/or prospective EPA Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training grantees and to develop/facilitate specific convening events. Application Deadline: September 20, 2019
DOL Funding for Apprenticeships. Apply by Sept 24.
The Employment Training Administration (ETA) has announced up to $100 million in grant funding available for the Apprenticeships: Closing the Skills Gap grant program. The Department intends to fund up to 30 apprenticeship grants, with awards ranging from $500,000 to $6 million. Grants may be local/regional, statewide, or national in scale, and funding will depend on the proposed geographic scope of the apprenticeship project. View the announcement on Grants.gov here: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=317245
Open Federal Funding Opportunities:
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 | |
| EDA-2019-DISASTER
|
FY 2019 EDA Disaster Supplemental | DOC-EDA | 08/13/2019 | Open | |
| 693JJ319NF-NSFLTP | Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects (NSFLTP) | DOT-FHWA | 10/04/2018 | Open | |
| EDAP2018 | FY18 Economic Development Assistance Programs: Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance | DOC-EDA | 07/02/2018 | Open | |
| 693JF7-19-BAA-0002 | Port Infrastructure Development Grants | DOT-MA | 06/12/2019 | 09/16/2019 | |
| EPA-OLEM-OBLR-19-03 | FY19 BROWNFIELDS TRAINING, RESEARCH, AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE GRANT | EPA | 07/09/2019 | 09/20/2019 | |
| 2019-NIST-SBIR-03 | Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) | DOC-NIST | 07/19/2019 | 09/20/2019 | |
| FOA-ETA-19-09
|
Apprenticeships: Closing the Skills Gap | DOL-ETA | 06/24/2019 | 09/24/2019 | |
| FR-6300-N-14 | Jobs Plus Initiative | HUD | 07/30/2019 | 10/01/2019 | |
| USDA-NIFA-SBIR-006790 | FY 20 and FY21 SBIR Phase I RFA | USDA-NIFA | 07/25/2019 | 10/23/2019 | |
| USDA-NIFA-SBIR-006790 | FY 20 and FY21 SBIR Phase I RFA | USDA-NIFA | 07/25/2019 | 10/23/2019 | |
| FR-6300-N-34 | FY19 Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant Program | HUD | 08/05/2019 | 11/04/2019 |
Notable Recent Funding Awards
SBA Announces MaTCH Pilot Winners
U.S. Small Business Administration Acting Administrator Chris Pilkerton announced the winners of the Makerspace Training, Collaboration and Hiring (MaTCH) Pilot Competition. The SBA awarded $1 million in prize money to competition winners. The SBA’s MaTCH Pilot Competition awarded grants according to the following tiers:
Seed: up to $25,000 awarded to seed small workforce development programs. Winners include:
- Forge Greensboro Community Makerspace (Greensboro, NC)
- The Fab Lab Puerto Rico (Gurabo, PR)
- Rightfully Sewn (Kansas, City, MO)
Proof of Principle: up to $100,000 awarded to grow programs with a proven history of training and/or workforce development. Winners include:
- Monadnock Art X Tech (MAxT) (Peterborough, NH)
- Net Positive, The Foundry (Buffalo, NY)
- RUCKUS Makerspace (Indianapolis, IN)
Scale: up to $200,000 awarded for capacity building of successful existing programs with a strong history of training and/or workforce development. This winner would also have graduated participants in at least two training cycles. Winners include:
- Workshops for Warriors (San Diego, CA)
- New Jersey Institute of Technology Makerspace (Newark, NJ)
- The Clubhouse Network (Roxbury, MA)
- NextFab (Philadelphia, PA)
- Vocademy (Riverside, CA)
- Fab Lab Tulsa (Tulsa, OK)
NGA Selects 6 States to Upskill Adult Learners through the Educate for Opportunity Project
August 19 — The National Governors Association (NGA) in partnership with Strada Education Network began its newest effort to help states design education and training programs to increase upward mobility of residents by selecting six states for its Educate for Opportunity project.
Minnesota, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Louisiana and Wyoming will receive financial as well as policy and technical assistance from NGA and Strada over the next 18 months as part of a $2.3 million grant from Strada. The states will build data-driven approaches to connect residents to jobs in growing industries, strengthening local economies and helping people embark on meaningful careers that allow them to support themselves and their families.
Representatives from each state team will join Strada, NGA, and other policy matter experts in St. Louis, Missouri, Sept. 18 for the formal launch of the project. The project runs from Sept. 1, 2019 through March 1, 2021.
Public Meetings, Events and Training
NEW: Sept 4 Webinar – Applying for EPA Local Foods Local Places TA
On September 4, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Eastern time, EPA will host a webinar that provides an overview of the Local Foods, Local Places technical assistance program and the selection criteria for the 2019-2020 application. Register for the webinar at https://epawebconferencing.acms.com/lflp6-application/event/event_info.html.
See application instructions at https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/local-foods-local-places-2019-2020-application. Communities with projects located in federally designated Opportunity Zones will receive special consideration. Application deadline is September 30.
NEW: Apply by Sept 8 to Join America’s Competitiveness Exchange (ACE) in Santiago, Chile
Join Senior Leadership from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of State as part of the United States’ Delegation for the 12th Americas Competitiveness Exchange (ACE) in Santiago, Chile. Top global leaders are selected to participate in a week-long program to engage with innovation hubs, advanced technology centers, leading firms, educational and research institutions and explore local, regional, urban, and rural economic development models. Through the exchange, leaders share experiences and knowledge and build networks to enhance competitiveness in the Americas. These interactions help promote sustainable and inclusive economic development initiatives and increase trade opportunities. Deadline is to apply is Sept 8, 2019.
ACE 12 is organized by the University for Development of Chile (UDD) and the Corporation for the Promotion of Production (CORFO) of the Ministry of Economy of Chile. More info: http://riacevents.org/ACE/chile/en/home/
New: FCC Issues Proposed Rule for Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. Comment by Sept 20
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has published a proposed rule today which would establish the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. In the document, the Commission proposes to build on the success of the CAF Phase II auction by establishing the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, which will commit at least $20.4 billion over the next decade to support high-speed broadband networks in rural America.
The FCC invites comments “on its overall approach,” setting a deadline of September 20 (reply comments are due by October 21).
NEW: Sept 24 Webinar on Apprenticeship Programs – Leveraging National Certifications
Join ACT on Tuesday, September 24 (1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EDT) for a free webinar on
- How to identify quality, stackable credentials and incorporate them into apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs
- How to implement strategies which help individuals navigate the overwhelming number of credentials available
- How to align foundational skills development to work-based learning programs that can lead to industry-recognized credentials, exceptional retention rates, and successful employment
HBCU Conference Scheduled for Sept 8 -12 in Washington D.C.
The Department of Education reports that registration is now open for the 2019 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Week Conference, September 8-12 in Washington, D.C. Presidents and other representatives from HBCUs, federal agencies, corporations, and foundations will participate in discussions on significant issues of interest to the HBCU community.
SBA’s SBIR Road Tour: Final Stops on the East Coast (Sept 16-20) and Caribbean (Nov 13-15)
The Small Business Administration (SBA) is continuing its 16-stop road tour connecting entrepreneurs working on advanced technology to the country’s largest source of early stage funding – the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Remaining stops include:
- The Eastern Tour will run from September 16-20, with stops in Burlington, Vermont; Albany, New York; New Brunswick, New Jersey; State College, Pennsylvania; and College Park, Maryland.
- Caribbean: the SBIR Road Tour will stop in Miami, Florida on November 13 and in Puerto Rico on November 15.
Small technology firms, innovators, scientists or researchers seeking more information on the SBIR Road Tour, including a schedule of stops and participating agencies should visit: www.sbirroadtour.com.
For more information about SBIR/STTR programs, please visit www.sbir.gov.
SBA Announces National Veterans Small Business Week (Nov 4 – 8)
The Small Business Administration has announced a celebration veteran-owned small businesses during the sixth annual National Veterans Small Business Week (November 4 – 8). This year’s theme will highlight the veteran entrepreneurship journey and the many resources available to support their mission to successful business ownership. Learn more
Reports, Tools and Data
NEW: BLS Data (QCEW) Now Incorporated into Census Business Builder v2.6
The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data are now available in the Census Business Builder, a web data tool from the U.S. Census Bureau that provides demographic and economic data to business owners and regional