Selected Federal Agency Announcements and Related for the Week of July 29, 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.

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

Treasury Department Opens the 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. 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

 

INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENUERSHIP

NIST Enabling Federal Technology Transfer Program (EFTT). Apply by Aug 16

NIST, on behalf of the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) Executive Board, is soliciting applications for a cooperative agreement to enable Federal technology transfer.  Under the Enabling Federal Technology Transfer (EFTT) Program, members of the FLC’s Executive Board, including NIST, will collaborate with academia and industry on the development of outreach and educational programs, tools, and best practices that will enhance the ability of the academic and private sectors to engage with Federal Laboratories in technology transfer and research commercialization. Follow this link for more info:  
https://www.nist.gov/tpo/enabling-federal-technology-transfer-program

 

NEW: USDA and Dpt of Energy Announce SBIR Opportunities.

USDA Announces FY20 and FY21 SBIR Phase I Opportunities. Apply by October

The Department of Agriculture announced the opening of the solicitation process for the FY 2020 and FY 2021 for its SBIR program, identifying $25,000,000 for investment with the projection of 90 awards.  Funds may be awarded up to $100,000 for a Phase I project. Proposed Phase I projects should prove the scientific or technical feasibility of the approach or concept. Projects dealing with agriculturally related manufacturing and alternative and renewable energy technologies are encouraged across all SBIR topic areas.  Click here for the solicitation.

  • Closing date for 2019 applications: October 23, 2019
  • Closing date for 2020 applications: October 1, 2020

Department of Energy Announces FY20 SBIR/STTR Phase I Opportunities. LOI Due Sept 3.

DOE topics for its FY 2020 SBIR/STTR Phase I Release 1 Funding Opportunity Announcement have been issued and are available on our website.  Letters of Interest are due September 3; Full Applications will be due October 15. The following DOE program offices within the Office of Science (SC) are participating in the solicitation:

    • Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR)
    • Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
    • Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
    • Office of Nuclear Physics (NP)

WEBINARS:  DOE will hold a webinar to discuss the Funding Opportunity and application process on Friday, August 16, 2019.   Learn more about the topics beforehand, by registering for one or both of the DOE FY 2020 Phase I Release 1 SBIR/STTR Topics webinars with DOE Topic Managers:

  • Webinar 1:  SC, ASCR and BES Topics 1-24 Monday, July 22, 2019:  Register here.
  • Webinar 2:  BER and NP Topics 26 – 35 Tuesday, July 23, 2019:  Register here.

 

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.

 

INFRASTRUCTURE

DOT Funding Available for Port Infrastructure. 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. Applications must be submitted September 16, 2019.

WORKFORCE

NEW:  DOL Invites Applications for Grants to Fund Training for Women Impacted by Opioid Crisis

The U.S. Department of Labor announced a new grant program to help women affected by the opioid crisis re-enter the workforce. The Re-Employment, Support, and Training for the Opioid Related Epidemic (RESTORE) grant will award $2.5 million to organizations that assist in providing coordinated, employment-focused services to women.

The RESTORE program will provide approximately four to eight grants to governments of states and outlying areas, Indian/Native American Tribal governments or organizations, state or local workforce development boards, or nonprofit organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) status, including community-based or faith-based organizations. The recipients can use the grant to foster cooperative relationships among a wide range of entities, including key stakeholders, public health and substance abuse treatment professionals, and other human services and support service providers, to provide skills development and employment services to women workers.

Organizations applying must provide the following types of activities:

  • Providing skills development and employment services to women workers affected by the opioid crisis;
  • Establishing a new program or expanding an existing program to quickly address the urgent challenges faced by women in areas of the country hardest hit by the opioid crisis; and
  • Forming partnerships with key stakeholders, including women’s organizations and state and local women’s commissions, as well as agencies and organizations in workforce development, public health and substance abuse, human services, and other supportive services.

The Department’s Women’s Bureau and the Employment and Training Administration administer these grants. Organizations must apply at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=318777 by August 23, 2019. For further information about this opportunity, see the FAQs or contact Grants Management Specialist Marc Purvis at 202-693-3204 or [email protected].

 

NEW  Department of ED Invites Applications for Innovative Adult Education Programs Project

Is your local adult education program implementing innovative practices that lead to improved learner outcomes? Consider submitting an application for your program’s innovative practice to be part of the Advancing Innovation in Adult Education project funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE). The innovative practices selected for the project will be disseminated nationally through LINCS and other project activities. The application process includes technical assistance to assist applicants in determining their practices’ innovativeness and outcomes.

This project is identifying, highlighting, and disseminating innovative practices in adult education that lead to improved learner outcomes.  Before preparing an application, use the Advancing Innovation Checklist to think about the characteristics of your program’s practice and whether your practice may meet the Advancing Innovation project’s definition of “innovative.” If your program’s practice meets this definition, we encourage you to submit an application to the project by September 30, 2019. To learn more, visit the project webpage.

To obtain the checklist and application, please contact the project at [email protected].

 

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.  View the announcement on Grants.gov here.

 

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
FOA-ETA-19-04

 

 YouthBuild DOL-ETA 06/06/2019 08/06/2019
2019-NIST-TPO-IOT-01-AMENDED Economic Research and Analysis of the National Need for Technology Infrastructure to Support the Internet of Things (IoT) Amendment 1 DOC-NIST 07/12/2019 08/13/2019
OPPE-013 Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers USDA-DMOAO 07/17/2019 08/15/2019
2019-NIST-TPO-02 Enabling Federal Technology Transfer Program (EFTT) DOC-NIST 06/17/2019 08/16/2019
2019-NIST-TPO-02

 

 Enabling Federal Technology Transfer Program (EFTT) DOC-NIST 06/17/2019 08/16/2019
FOA-WB-19-02

 

 Re-Employment Support and Training for the Opioid Related Epidemic, RESTORE Grant Program DOL-ETA 07/24/2019 08/23/2019
 

DE-FOA-0001980

 FY19 Advanced Manufacturing Office Multi-Topic FOA DOE-GFO 05/07/2019 08/29/2019
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
USDA-NIFA-SBIR-006790 FY 20 and FY21 SBIR Phase I RFA USDA-NIFA 07/25/2019 10/23/2019
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

Recent Federal Awards

Department of Commerce’s  EDA Awards $23M  to Fuel High-Growth Entrepreneurship

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross this week announced that 44 organizations — including nonprofits, institutions of higher education, and entrepreneurship-focused organizations — from 28 states and two territories will receive grants totaling $23 million to create and expand high-growth entrepreneurship and increase access to capital for communities across America. The grants are made annually under the Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS) program competition. The 2019 awardees will leverage an additional $26 million in matching funds from a variety of private and public sector sources.

Selected from a pool of 183 applicants, this year’s awardees include a new impact investing effort managed by the Halcyon in Washington, D.C that will increase access to capital for social entrepreneurs in the D.C. region, a space technology commercialization project led by the Maui Economic Development Board in Hawaii that will expand entrepreneurship training and STEM-focused career pathway curriculum, and a biomedical healthcare and bioscience initiative led by Cincinnati Children’s Impact Investment Fund in Ohio that will increase access to early stage capital for emerging biomedical companies in the Greater Cincinnati Region. In addition, projects in federally-designated Opportunity Zones will bring capital and opportunity to communities bypassed by recent economic growth.

The 2019 Seed Fund Support Program grantees can be found here.

The full list of 2019 i6 grantees can be found here.

 

Dept of Energy Announces Winners of AIM Onshore Prize

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced two winners for the final prize of the American Inventions Made Onshore (AIM Onshore) Prize Competition, which opened in 2018 as part of a DOE initiative to close the gap between American innovators who develop new energy technologies and domestic manufacturers who produce them.

First-place winner Fuzehub and second-place winner ADL Ventures were awarded $250,000 and $100,000, respectively. They were selected among four finalists who were awarded AIM Onshore initial prizes of $150,000 each, and then leveraged DOE’s Build4Scale training over the past year to help bolster U.S. manufacturing. AIM Onshore prize competition sought out creative, specific, and innovative proposals to train innovators and help create partnerships with U.S. manufacturers. After documenting their work, each finalist submitted applications for the final prize, which were reviewed and scored by a team of external reviewers.

The Build4Scale training—developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in collaboration with industry, academia, and government—helps innovators avoid the common pitfalls of product design by teaching them manufacturing design fundamentals in the early stages of prototype development and providing the know-how needed to work with manufacturers. DOE’s Build4Scale training and other resources are available to the public for use and dissemination at Build4Scale.org. To learn more about these programs, visit the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Advanced Manufacturing Office website. EERE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office supports early-stage research to advance innovation in U.S. manufacturing and promote American economic growth and energy security.

Public Meetings, Events and Training

NEW:  10 States Selected to Participate in NIST MEP Manufacturing Policy Academy

from STTI’s bulletin: Ten states from across the country have been selected as part of a unique program designed to grow and strengthen their manufacturers. Over the course of the next year, interdisciplinary state teams will meet together in Washington, D.C., and separately in their home states, to develop and refine strategies impacting manufacturing industries.

Based on their specific needs and goals, participating states developed working teams with representatives from areas such as the private sector, governor’s offices, state workforce and economic development departments, Manufacturing Extension Partnership centers, and manufacturing trade associations, among others. The participating states are: Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

With support from the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) based at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), two national organizations — SSTI and the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC) – are coordinating the Policy Academy. The 10 states applied through an RFP process and were reviewed by an independent panel of judges. Four states (Kentucky, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and Utah) were selected in 2018 to participate in the Policy Academy’s first cohort. Read more on SSTI’s blog post at: https://ssti.org/blog/ten-states-selected-manufacturing-focused-policy-academy

 

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.  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.

 

Reports, Tools and Data

NEW:  EDA Releases 2018 Annual Report

For over 50 years, the Economic Development Administration (EDA) has helped communities generate jobs, retain existing jobs, and stimulate industrial and commercial growth. EDA’s Annual Report provides an account of the agency’s activities during Fiscal Year 2018.

  • Between FY 2012 and FY 2017, EDA invested over $1.6 billion in 4,058 projects to help communities and regions build the capacity for economic development. Clear here to view these past awards: (Underlying Data(XLSX))

Department of ED Considers Priority to Align Discretionary Grants with OZs

The Secretary of Education proposes to establish a priority for discretionary grant programs that would align the Department of Education’s discretionary grant investments with the Administration’s Opportunity Zones initiative, which aims to spur economic development and job creation in distressed communities. The formal notice appears in the July 29 FEDERAL REGISTER, here: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/07/29/2019-16062/secretarys-proposed-priority-for-discretionary-grant-programs

 

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.

 

NEW:  National Governors Association Announces Release of “Good Jobs for All Americans”

The Good Jobs for All Americans report was released this week at the summer meeting of the National Governors Association.  From the introduction: “A Governor’s Action Guide to Achieving Good Jobs for All Americans” offers a toolbox of high-impact actions that governors can take to connect workers to good jobs today and in the future. These actions fall into three categories:

  • Workforce of the future: Governors can partner with businesses to identify the skills they will need in the future and how to best equip workers with these skills;
  • Second acts: Governors can help midcareer workers succeed in the workforce through increased access to continuous learning opportunities, improved career transitions and holistic support; and
  • .Rural resurgence: Governors can empower the rural workforce

 

A related resource may also be of interest for those wondering about Counties and their Workforce Programs: the recently released National Association of Counties Guide to Understanding the Federal-State-Local Workforce Investment System.

 

NEW: Brookings Releases New Report – Skills and Opportunity Pathways: Building an Inclusive Workforce for the Future

On the heels of the Economic Development Administration’s announcement this week of new awards under the Regional Innovation Strategies program,  this new report from may be of interest.

This report presents a framework that engages education policymakers and workforce planners in innovative ways. It assesses the scale and breadth of emerging trends across local job markets and intersects these data with regional innovation hubs to enhance the capacity of policymakers to design data-driven policies tailored to the strengths of individual ecosystems.

The report, “Skills and Opportunity Pathways: Building an Inclusive Workforce for the Future,” is available for download here.

 

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 Department of Labor Announces Additional Resources for Communities impacted by Hurricane Barry, Hurricane Florence, and California Storms

Open the links below for a list of recent actions and funding available:

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

 

Reports and Other Information on Disaster Recovery:

NEW: GAO Issues FEMA Statement on Disaster Recovery in PR and USVI:

GAO’s prior and ongoing work highlighted challenges with the Public Assistance program including concerns about the clarity of FEMA’s guidance, and the time and resources needed to transition to a new Public Assistance delivery model in Puerto Rico. Further, Puerto Rico and USVI officials reported difficulties understanding FEMA’s implementation of new flexibilities authorized by law as well as delays in jointly developing cost estimates for long-term recovery projects such as the repair or replacement of hospitals, buildings, and other public infrastructure. FEMA has taken some actions to help address these issues, including developing additional guidance and specific training. However, it is too soon to determine the effectiveness of FEMA’s actions.

GAO’s July 11, 2019 statement (GAO-19-662T)  describes (1) the status of FEMA’s Public Assistance grant funding in Puerto Rico and the USVI in response to the 2017 hurricanes as of April 2019, (2) the establishment of recovery offices in Puerto Rico and the USVI, and (3) challenges in implementing the Public Assistance program and actions FEMA has taken to address them. This statement is based on GAO reports issued in February, March, and June 2019, and includes preliminary observations from ongoing GAO reviews of FEMA operations. Read the complete report here: FEMA’s Disaster Recovery Efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

GAO will continue to evaluate the Public Assistance program in the USVI and Puerto Rico and plans to report its findings in late 2019 and early 2020, respectively.