Selected Federal Agency Announcements and Related for the Week of February 11, 2019

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

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION

EDA 2019 Regional Innovation Strategies Program. NEW: Webinar Feb 12. Apply by April 4.

EDA is pleased to announce that it is now accepting applications for the 2019 Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS) Program funding starting today, February 1, 2019.

The RIS Program, operated by EDA’s Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIE), again offers funding through two competitions:

  • FY19 i6 Challenge—catalyzing high-growth entrepreneurship throughout the country, the i6 Challenge awards up to $750,000 for projects that increase regional capacity to accelerate the translation of innovations, ideas, intellectual property, and research into products, services, companies, and jobs.
  • FY19 Seed Fund Support (SFS) Grant Competition—unlocking risk capital for entrepreneurs and startups to grow, SFS grants provide up to $300,000 for projects that create, launch, or expand equity-based seed funds or that create networks and tools that enable capital to flow into high-growth startups in all parts of the U.S.

All applications to the 2019 RIS Program competitions must be submitted no later than 11:59pm Eastern Time on Thursday, April 4, 2019. For information on eligibility and how to apply, interested organizations are encouraged to visit EDA’s Regional Innovation Strategies webpage for more info.

 

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN RURAL COMMUNITIES

Funding Available for Northern Border Communities – Forest Based Economies. LOI due March 15.

The Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) is pleased to announce a new opportunity for regional approaches to economic development under the Regional Forest Economy Partnership.

This NOFO allows for creative opportunities to improve communities in NBRC’s service area, including parts of ME, NH, NY and VT. See the Notice of Funding Opportunity or http://www.nbrc.gov for details.

ARC Accepting Proposals for 2019 POWER Initiative. Due April 10.

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is accepting applications for the FY 2019 POWER (Partnership for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) Initiative. ARC’s POWER Initiative will continue focusing on regional investments that maximize economic revitalization in the Appalachian region’s coal-impacted communities. The 2019 Request for Proposals (RFP) is available here. ARC has also scheduled upcoming regional RFP Workshops at these remaining locations:

  • February 13 – Johnson City, Tennessee, ETSU Millennium Centre
  • March 6 – Morgantown, West Virginia, Morgantown Marriott at Waterfront Place

 

HHS Solicits Applications from Tribal Communities for Social and Economic Development Strategies Program. Due April 15.

The Administration for Native Americans within the HHS Administration for Children and Families is seeking applications for its 2019 Social and Economic Development Strategies –SEDS program. This program is focused on community-driven projects designed to grow local economies, strengthen Native American families, including the preservation of Native American cultures, and decrease the high rate of current challenges caused by the lack of community-based businesses, and social and economic infrastructure in Native American communities. Applications are due April 15. See details in announcement posted on Grants.gov (HHS-2018-ACF-ANA-NA-1339) at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=298007

INFRASTRUCTURE

EXTENDED: USDA Extends Deadlines for ReConnect Rural Broadband Program to May 31. Informational Webinar- Feb 13 @ 2pm ET.

USDA’s Rural Utilities Service announced USDA will extend application deadlines for the Rural eConnectivity Pilot Program (ReConnect Program). To give potential applicants adequate time to access technical assistance from USDA staff and its partners, the first application deadline will be pushed back to May 31, 2019 or later. Previously, application deadlines began in April.

 

New specific deadlines for ReConnect Program grants, loans, and grant-loan combination applications will be posted in the Federal Register in late February. USDA is hosting a webinar with general information about the ReConnect program and guidance from experts for potential applicants. This webinar is open to the public and interested parties, and will be offered at 2:00 pm Eastern Time on Wednesday, February 13, 2019.

More information about the ReConnect program may be found at http://reconnect.usda.gov.

DOT Opens 2nd Round of INFRA Grant Program. Apply by March 4

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is announcing the second round of the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) discretionary grant program through a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) at Grants.gov (Opportunity Number NSFHP-19-INFRA19).  The INFRA program will make approximately $855-902.5M available to projects that are in line with the Administration’s principles to help rebuild America’s crumbling infrastructure – a priority for this Administration. Eligible INFRA project costs may include: reconstruction, rehabilitation, acquisition of property (including land related to the project and improvements to the land), environmental mitigation, construction contingencies, equipment acquisition, and operational improvements directly related to system performance. The Application Deadline is March 4, 2019.

 

FY19 WaterSMART Grants Available: Deadlines in March and April.

The US Bureau of Reclamation is making funding available through its WaterSMART Program for water and energy efficiency grants. These grants will be awarded to projects that will result in quantifiable and sustained water savings and support broader water reliability benefits. To learn more visit www.usbr.gov/watersmart, and search www.grants.gov, using the opportunity numbers below:

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

NEW ETA Publishes Work Opportunity Tax Credit Funding Allotments for Fiscal Year 2019

US DOL’s Employment and Training has conveyed the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 grant funding allotments (Attachment I: FY 2019 State Allotments ) and application requirements for the State Workforce Development Agencies, also known as State Workforce Agencies (SWA). Allotments are used in part to assist State Agencies to promote WOTC incentives to prospective employers seeking to hire qualified workers that face barriers to employment. Questions can be directed to the appropriate Regional WOTC Coordinator, listed on the WOTC website at: https://www.doleta.gov/business/incentives/opptax/contact/regional-offices.cfm.

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 FY18 Economic Development Assistance Programs: Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance DOC-EDA 07/02/2018 Open
693JJ319NF-NSFLTP Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects (NSFLTP) DOT-FHWA 10/04/2018 Open
19-501 Accelerating Research through International Network-to-Network Collaborations NSF 10/06/2018 02/28/2019
NSFHP-19-INFRA19 INFRA Grants DOT-DOT X-50 01/02/2019 03/04/2019
BOR-DO-19-F004 WaterSMART Grants: Water and Energy Efficiency Grants for Fiscal Year 2019 DOI-BOR 01/31/2019 03/19/2019
BOR-DO-19-F003 WaterSMART Drought Response Program: Drought Resiliency Projects for Fiscal Year 2019 DOI-BOR 01/24/2019 03/27/2019
EDA-HDQ-OIE-2019-2005942 FY 2019 Regional Innovation Strategies Program DOC 02/01/2019 04/04/2019
HHS-2018-ACF-ANA-NA-1339 Social and Economic Development Strategies -SEDS HHS-ACF-ANA 02/06/2018 04/15/2019
BOR-DO-19-F005 WaterSMART Grants:Small-Scale Water Efficiency Projects for Fiscal Year 2019 DOI-BOR 01/24/2019 04/24/2019
HRSA-19-092 Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention (NEPQR) – Veteran Nurses in Primary Care (VNPC) Training Program HHS-HRSA 01/07/2019 03/08/2019

 

Public Meetings, Events and Training

NIH Online Course for Biomedical Innovators: Applying for SBIR/STTR Funding

The federal grant-making agency recently released a five-module online course for biomedical innovators considering funding through the NIH SBIR/STTR programs. The course aims to help prospective applicants “evaluate the use of federal grant funding within the context of a broader financial plan.” For information on the latest SBIR/STTR Opportunities at NIH, visit https://sbir.nih.gov/ .

 

Also Upcoming:

 

Reports, Tools and Data

New Research Documents Economic Resilience across Appalachia

 

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) recently released Strengthening Economic Resilience in Appalachia, a new study identifying factors common across communities experiencing persistent economic growth in the aftermath of the 2008 Recession and other economic disruptions. The research includes a statistical analysis of key factors common to economic resilience, as well as a guidebook featuring ten communities that have rebounded after experiencing significant economic shocks.

To quantify economic resilience, 35 measures of demographics/mobility; economics/ industry; and community/health were analyzed in the Technical Report. With this analysis, each of Appalachia’s 420 counties was given a “resilience score”.

 

These strategies include:

  • Investing in education, technology, infrastructure and broadband;
  • Engaging the community over the long-term;
  • Growing youth engagement and next generation leadership;
  • Identifying and growing the assets in the community and region;
  • Building networks and fostering collaboration;
  • Moving multiple sectors forward for economic development and growing value chains; and
  • Cultivating entrepreneurs and developing resources for business start-ups.

In the accompanying Guidebook for Practitioners, case studies from counties in the Region and across the country offer additional insight into how communities have rebounded from the Recession and other economic disruptions in mining, manufacturing, hospitality, education, transportation or similar industries. These findings can successfully inform economic development strategies across Appalachia.

Both the Technical Report and the Guidebook are available at www.arc.gov/resilience.

NEW: USDA Launches High-Speed Broadband e-Connectivity Resource Guide

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has launched a new toolkit to help support the deployment of high-speed broadband e-Connectivity in rural communities.

 

The e-Connectivity Toolkit (PDF, 4.3 MB) features 27 USDA programs that support broadband deployment. The easy-to-use resource is a simple guide that allows customers to identify their type of e-Connectivity project and locate resources the federal government offers for planning, equipment, construction, research and other e-Connectivity projects. Resources such as grants, loans and technical assistance are available from multiple Mission Areas at USDA, including Rural Development, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Forest Service.

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USDA’s launch of the e-Connectivity Toolkit closely follows Secretary Sonny Perdue’s unveiling of the ReConnect Program, a pilot program authorized by the Consolidated Budget Act of 2018, to facilitate broadband deployment in rural areas that lack sufficient access to broadband.

 

For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.

 

 

Census Bureau Releases Revised Economic Indicator Calendar

The U.S. Census Bureau has announced updates to the 2019 economic indicator release schedule in coordination with other agencies and the Office of Management and Budget.

 

BEA Released Prototype GDP by County 2012-2015

The Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis is requesting feedback and comments on its recently released prototype statistics for gross domestic product (GDP) by county for 2012-2015. Access the data: https://www.bea.gov/news/2018/prototype-gross-domestic-product-county-2012-2015

 

HHS Publishes 2019 Update of the Poverty Guidelines

The Department of Health and Human has published its annual update of the Poverty Guidelines in the February 1 FEDERAL REGISTER. The Poverty Guidelines continue to be derived from the Census Bureau’s current official poverty thresholds; they are not derived from the Census Bureau’s Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM).Click here for the full text; the graphic is based on the tables.

 

Census Posts Latest American Community Survey Data (2013-2017)

The U.S. Census Bureau released the 2013-2017 American Community Survey (ACS) five-year estimates, which features more than 40 social, economic, housing and demographic topics. The 2013-2017 ACS data are available on www.data.census.gov . County-level geography profiles of the 3,142 counties are available in a visual format with maps, charts and graphs. For official ACS statistics, please access American FactFinder at factfinder.census.gov.

 

Disaster Recovery Resources & Info

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

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.

Find recent amendments here: https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/federal-emergency-management-agency#documents

 

Funding and other Assistance Available for Recovery:

 

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

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:

 

More Resources for Recovery and Resilience

EDA Invests $800,000 to Support Disaster Economic Recovery in Houston, Texas

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding an $800,000 grant to the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) of Washington, D.C., to support ongoing economic recovery needs in Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. This investment will provide leadership training, peer learning, technical assistance, and best practices for disaster-stricken communities. IEDC will match expert economic developers to specific areas for economic recovery advancement. The project will also leverage investments from local and state government to provide a program of in-kind support and volunteers, which will enable IEDC to contribute a 20% or more match-share. This project is funded under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (PL 115-123) (PDF), in which Congress appropriated to EDA $600 million in additional Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) Program (PDF) funds for disaster relief and recovery as a result of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, wildfires and other calendar year 2017 natural disasters under the Stafford Act.

Self-Paced Webinar – A Guide to SBA’s Disaster Assistance Programs

Take this free self-paced training course for an overview of SBA’s disaster assistance programs which provide low-interest disaster loans to help businesses of all sizes and homeowners recover from declared disasters. Launch the course

BLS Has Employment, Wages, and Establishment Counts in Flood Zones

USDOL’s Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program has created a set of maps and data for hurricane flood zones on the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts For more information, see the flood zone FAQ page.

Economic Recovery Support & the National Disaster Response Framework