Selected Federal Agency Announcements and Related for the Week of July 1, 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.

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:

Click here to view all weekly federal announcement posts

Contents

Funding & Resource Announcements

ACCESS TO CAPITAL

NEW: Treasury Department Opens the FY 2019 Funding Round for the Capital Magnet Fund

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) today opened the fiscal year (FY) 2019 funding round for the Capital Magnet Fund. Through the Capital Magnet Fund, the CDFI Fund competitively awards funds to CDFIs and qualified non-profit housing organizations. These awards can be used to finance affordable housing activities, as well as related economic development activities and community service facilities. The objective is to attract private capital to economically distressed communities, including underserved rural areas. Funding for the Capital Magnet Fund comes from allocations made by the Government-Sponsored Enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and varies from year to year.

The CDFI Fund plans to provide up to $130.8 million in awards for the FY 2019 round. Capital Magnet Fund recipients are able to utilize these funds for financing activities such as affordable housing funds, economic development funds, loan loss reserves, revolving loan funds, risk-sharing loans, and loan guarantees. For more info, see www.cdfifund.gov/cmf

 

NEW: NSF’s Regional Big Data Hub Grantees to Include Seed Funds for Start-ups

 The National Science Foundation has just announced continuation grants for the Big Data Hubs– data science community centers where academics, community leaders, local and state government representatives, regional businesses, and local maker groups come together to solve grand challenges of regional importance.  The original grants were awarded in 2015.

  • Continuation grants award $4 million each to four hubs over four years (total investment, $16M)
  • One Big Data Hub is located in each census region:  Northeast Hub (Columbia University); West Hub (University of California Berkeley, UC San Diego, and University of Washington; MidWest Hub (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Iowa State University, the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, Indiana University and the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor); and the South Hub (Georgia Tech and the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill).
  • Each BD Hub serves as a thought leader and convening force on social and economic challenges that are unique to the region – and will coordinate nationally as needed to respond to issues that cross regions, such as the U.S. transportation infrastructure and workforce development.
  • A new requirement under this round of funding stipulates that each BD Hub maintain a seed fund as part of its project budget. This seed fund will provide small start-up grants to pilot early feasibility studies for innovative new solutions to grand challenges of importance to the region in which the hub is located.

For more information about the Big Data Hubs, contact NSF at: [email protected]

 

CAPACITY BUILDING

Closing Soon: NEA Opportunities for FY2020 Creative Placemaking TA and Art Works 2:

The National Endowment for the Arts (“Arts Endowment”) assists organizations in effectivity incorporating the arts into community development efforts by funding creative placemaking projects across the country. NEA currently has two funding opportunities, closing soon.

  • Creative Placemaking Technical Assistance. These projects advance local economic, physical, and/or social outcomes by placing the arts at the table with other sectors, such as agriculture and food, economic development, education and youth, environment and energy, health, housing, public safety, transportation, and workforce development. The Creative Placemaking Technical Assistance Program will serve both prospective applicants to and grantees of the Our Town program, as well other communities interested in undertaking creative placemaking activities. Short-term technical assistance institutes will be convened to gather experts with teams of local leaders. More information available at: NEA Website Announcement Apply by July 29
  • Artworks 2 FY2020 Grants. NEA encourages applications for projects that meet any of the following goals: Engage with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic or Latino organizations, or the Native American, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian arts; Celebrate America’s creativity and cultural heritage; Invite a dialogue that fosters a mutual respect for the diverse beliefs and values of all persons and groups; Enrich our humanity by broadening our understanding of ourselves as individuals and as a society. The Arts Endowment’s support of a project may start on or after June 1, 2020. For more info see:NEA Web Site Announcement Apply by July 11, 2019

 

INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

NEW: Prize Competition to Develop Wave Energy Powered Water Systems -Apply by Sep 6.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has officially 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.

The Waves to Water Prize is the first prize under the Water Security Grand Challenge, a White House-initiated, DOE-led framework to advance transformational technology and innovation to meet the global need for safe, secure, and affordable water. The Waves to Water prize is led by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) and administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) on the American-Made Challenges platform.

The following nonfederal opportunity may also be of interest:

(Non Fed) The Nature Conservancy, Natural Climate Solutions Accelerator: Supports projects with potential to substantially increase the use of natural climate solutions throughout the United States. The focus is on helping to kick-start innovative and scalable approaches to capturing greenhouse gas emissions by using natural and working lands. The program strives to support and develop a portfolio of proven approaches and mechanisms to deploying natural solutions that landowners, state and federal governments, corporations, and other climate leaders can efficiently implement on a broad scale. August 16, 2019

 

INFRASTRUCTURE

NEW: DOT Announces Funding Available for Port Infrastructure Development Program. Apply by Sep 16

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 appropriated $292,730,000 for the Port Infrastructure Development Program to make grants to improve port facilities at coastal seaports. The Department of Transportation has announced the availability of funding for grants under this program and establishes selection criteria and application requirements. The Act directed that $92,730,000 of the appropriated funds shall be 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, as identified by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  Funds for the Port Infrastructure Development Program are to be awarded as discretionary grants on a competitive basis for projects that will improve the safety, efficiency, or reliability of the movement of goods into, out of, around, or within a coastal seaport, as well as the unloading and loading of cargo at a coastal seaport. All Port Infrastructure Development Program funding grant recipients must meet all applicable Federal requirements, including the Buy American Act. The purpose of this notice is to solicit applications for Port Infrastructure  Development Program. Applications must be submitted September 16, 2019.

USDA Rural Broadband Opportunities –July 12 deadline for loans.

USDA offers several resources to support expansion of rural broadband under is Rural e-Connectivity Pilot Program: ReConnect Grants and Loan program. The program furnishes loans and grants for the costs of construction, improvement, or acquisition of facilities and equipment needed to provide broadband service in eligible rural areas. Up to $200 million in low-interest loans will be available for applications received by July 12, 2019.  For more information and to request technical assistance from USDA, fill out the contact form at https://www.usda.gov/reconnect/contact-us.

 

DOT Invites FY20 Applications for BUILD Grants. Apply by July 15.

The Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Transportation Grants 2019 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is now available on Grants.gov and at www.transportation.gov/buildgrants/build-nofo. See below for links to pages with helpful information about the new round of BUILD:

 

MANUFACTURING AND INNOVATION

NIST Seeking Economic Research on the Need for Technology Infrastructure to Support the IoT. Apply by July 24

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking applications from eligible applicants for activities to assess the potential economic impacts, resulting from Federal research investments, of meeting the Nation’s need for technology infrastructure to support the Internet of Things (IoT). By identifying technological and economic trends in IoT research and assessing critical gaps in the Nation’s IoT technology infrastructure, the recipient will produce an economic study to help guide industry, academia, and federal researchers in their efforts to accelerate the critical research needed for timely IoT development.

NIST has identified $400,000 for investment in a cooperative agreement.  The solicitation is available here.  Applications are due by July 24.

 

WORKFORCE

NEW:  DOL Funding for Apprenticeships. Apply by Sept 24.

The Department of Labor Employment Training Administration has announced a new solicitation to award up to $100 million in grant funds authorized by Section 414(c) of the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 (ACWIA) 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.  Grant funds will be awarded to apprenticeship partnerships of public- and private-sector entities, which together will develop and implement new apprenticeship models or expand existing apprenticeship programs.  The full solicitation will be published on grants.gov today.

This Announcement solicits applications for the Apprenticeships: Closing the Skills Gap grant program.  The purpose of this program is to promote apprenticeships as a significant workforce solution in filling current middle- and high-skilled job vacancies and closing the skills gap between employer workforce needs and the skills of the current workforce.  The overarching goals of this grant program are threefold: (1) to accelerate the expansion of apprenticeships to new industry sectors and occupations, such as cybersecurity and those involving artificial intelligence; (2) to promote the large-scale expansion of apprenticeships across the nation to a range of employers, including small- and medium-sized employers; and (3) to increase apprenticeship opportunities for all Americans.

View the announcement on Grants.gov here: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=317245

 

SBA’s MaTCH Competitive Will Award $1M in Prizes to Help Makerspaces Create or Expand Job Training. Apply by July 8.

Through its Makerspace Training, Collaboration, and Hiring (MaTCH) Pilot Competition, SBA challenges individual organizations or teams to use existing makerspaces to create or expand skills training programs, including industry or trade certification when feasible, with a goal to immediately place all program graduates in positions with previously-identified employers that are in need of skilled labor.

The SBA will award up to $1 million in total prizes to fund winning program proposals.

To enter, individuals or organizations should submit a business plan detailing their qualifications, experience, and resources; the proposed training curriculum; the nature and length of the training/certification program; and the number of trainees that will be accommodated.

  • Submission Period: May 21, 2019 to July 8, 2019
  • Entry Review and Judging Period: July 9, 2019 – August 5, 2019
  • Winners Announced: August 6, 2019

Review the MaTCH competition rules and the FAQs for more detail on how the prizes are disbursed. Applicants should review all the MaTCH competition rules and the FAQs before entering the competition.

DOL-ARC-DRA Grant Initiative for Rural Workforces. Apply by July 15

US DOL’s Employment Training Administration (ETA), in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and the Delta Regional Authority (DRA), announce the available funds for demonstration grant projects supporting  alignment of workforce development with existing strategies and plans for economic development and diversification in rural communities from the following areas hard hit by economic transition and recovering slowly: 1.) The Appalachian region, and 2.)  The Lower Mississippi Delta (Delta) region,. The Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities (WORC) is posted on Grants.gov at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=315986.

Applicants must identify, cite, and describe how their project aligns with any strategic or economic development plans for the geographical area the applicants propose to serve. Alignment with these plans is crucial because these local plans most likely will have the closest, ground-level assessment of the challenges and strengths of the applicant’s proposed service areas. See ETA Funding Announcement FOA-ETA-19-08  for full details, eligibility and application requirements.

 

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
FOA-WB-19-01 Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) Technical Assistance Grant Program DOL-ETA 06/06/2019 07/08/2019
693JK319NF0010 Assistance for Local Emergency Response Training Grants DOT-PHMSA 06/12/2019 07/12/2019
DTOS59-19-RA-BUILD FY 2019 National Infrastructure Investments DOT 04/16/2019 07/15/2019
FOA-ETA-19-08 Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities (WORC): A Grant Initiative for the Appalachian and Delta Regions DOL-ETA 05/15/2019 07/15/2019
2019-NIST-TPO-IOT-01 Economic Research and Analysis of the National Need for Technology Infrastructure to Support the Internet of Things (IoT) DOC-NIST 05/22/2019 07/24/2019
MBDA-OBD-2019-2006126 Virtual Business Center DOC 06/14/2019 07/26/2019
FOA-ETA-19-04 YouthBuild DOL-ETA 06/06/2019 08/06/2019
2019-NIST-TPO-02 Enabling Federal Technology Transfer Program (EFTT) DOC-NIST 06/17/2019 08/16/2019
DE-FOA-0001980 FY19 Advanced Manufacturing Office Multi-Topic FOA DOE-GFO 05/07/2019 08/29/2019
FOA-ETA-19-09 Apprenticeships: Closing the Skills Gap DOL-ETA 06/24/2019 09/24/2019

Recent Federal Awards Announced

NEW: EPA Brownfields Grants – Over 100 Opportunity Zone Projects

EPA recently announced 151 grant awards totaling $64,623,553 million in EPA Brownfields funding through the Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup (MAC) Grant Programs. These funds will aid under-served and economically disadvantaged communities in Opportunity Zones and other parts of the country in assessing and cleaning up abandoned industrial and commercial properties. Forty percent of the communities selected for funding will receive assistance for the first time.

One hundred and eight communities selected for grants this year have identified sites or targeted areas in census tracts designated as federal Opportunity Zones. An Opportunity Zone is an economically-distressed community where new investment, under certain conditions, may be eligible for preferential tax treatment.  Some of the Opportunity Zone projects selected for funding include:

  • Detroit, Michigan – to clean up the Riverside Park and provide a unique recreational venue that will include energy efficient LED and solar-powered lighting throughout the park.
  • Waukegan, Illinois – to remediate vacant property along Lake Michigan
  • Rock Falls, Illinois – to clean up the last brownfield site along Rock River
  • Columbus, Georgia – to clean up dilapidated buildings near the Chattahoochee Waterfront, including a restaurant, offices, warehouses, loading areas, and a vehicle maintenance building.
  • Huntington, West Virginia – to help redevelop former facilities into a new multistate enterprise for materials upcycling, recycling, composting operations, and logistics.
  • Belfast, Maine – to help clean up and revitalize a contaminated building and make energy-efficient improvements.

See the News Release and  following links for more information:

 

NEW: IMLS Announces $16.2 Million in Grants to Libraries Across America

The Institute of Museum and Library Services on 6/27/19 announced 60 grants totaling $16,288,536 to support libraries across the country. The awards were made through the FY 2019 National Leadership Grants for Libraries Program and the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program. The awarded grants search on the IMLS website contains a complete list of grantees and project descriptions. Projects include assistance programs serving veterans and persons returning to the community after parole or prison, and programs inspiring lifelong learning, developing next generation career skills and fostering digital literacy.

Public Meetings, Events and Training

SBA’s SBIR Road Tour Continues Southwest, East Coast and Caribbean

The U.S. 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.

The SBIR Road Tour plays an important role in increasing engagement with entrepreneurial ecosystems across the country and building out greater networks to support the creation of small businesses focusing on high-impact research.

Each SBIR Road Tour stop will be hosted by a local organization involved in supporting entrepreneurs in next generation R&D. Program managers from the participating federal agencies will conduct one-on-one meetings with attendees, take part in targeted panels, discuss technology areas, and share insights into how the agencies make funding decisions.

  • The Central Plains Tour was held May 20-24, with stops in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Kansas City, Kansas; Des Moines, Iowa; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Fargo, North Dakota. 
  • The Southwest Tour will run from August 12-16, with stops in Tucson, Arizona; El Paso, Texas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Boulder, Colorado. 
  • 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.

 

 

Reports, Tools and Data

NEW: Select USA Issues Report on Reshoring Manufacturing Companies.
Select USA, a national program led by the U.S. Department of Commerce, has issued a June 2019 report on the experience and lessons learned by six manufacturing companies that chose to reinvest in the United States over other market:  Reinvesting in the USA: A Case Study of Reshoring and Expanding in the United States.

Find Select USA publications here:

https://www.selectusa.gov/reports-and-publications

Broadband Resources:  Searchable Database of 50 Federal Programs in 12 Agencies

NTIA has developed a new searchable database of 50 federal broadband programs, spanning a dozen federal agencies with billions of dollars for broadband grants, loans and other resources. The database, created with help of participating federal agencies, fulfills a goal set out in the American Broadband Initiative announced in February to make it easier for community leaders to find federal funding and permitting information.  Applicants can search for programs by agency, program purpose and eligible recipients. The inventory includes well-known infrastructure efforts at USDA and FCC, as well as other programs from ARC, EDA, HUD and other agencies that offer grants and loans for targeted purposes or specific regions of the country. To search or download the guide visit: https://broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov/new-fund-search

Opportunity Zones: Report Lists Federal Programs that Target OZs

The White House Opportunity Council issued a Report that Lists Federal Programs That Support Opportunity Zones Click here to see a list of over 50 programs that federal agencies have already taken action to better target resources to Opportunity Zones. This list will continue to be updated and augmented as additional resources become available, including the new  Investment Priority that EDA recently added for projects based in or benefitting Opportunity Zones. See EDA’s June 12, 2019 press release for more information.

Disaster Recovery Resources & Info

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

Where to Find Federal Disaster Declarations

  • 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.

Link: https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/federal-emergency-management-agency#documents

Funding and other Assistance Available for Recovery:

NEW: DOL Dislocated Worker Grants for Nebraska Floods

U.S. Department of Labor on 6/27/19, approved Disaster Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) funding up to $2,000,000, with $800,000 released initially, for the Nebraska Department of Labor. Record-setting water levels caused significant losses to highways, roads, and bridges. The funding assists with the assessment of workforce needs in response to storms and flooding that affected more than three quarters of the state in March 2019. The state received a major disaster declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on March 21, 2019, which allows the state to request DWG funding to assess workforce needs in 76 counties declared eligible for FEMA’s Public Assistance Program.

EDA Disaster Supplemental Funding for Areas Impacted by 2017 Disasters

In 2018, EDA received supplemental funding to provide Economic Adjustment Assistance grants to support economic recovery in federally declared disaster areas impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and wildfires and other 2017 natural disasters. Please contact your EDA regional office for more information about eligibility and availability of these funds. See the following links for details:

Economic Recovery Support & the National Disaster Response Framework