Weekly Summary of Selected Federal resources and info for the Week of September 11, 2017

 

Selected Federal Agency Announcements and Related for the Week of September 11, 2017

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.

Click here to view all weekly federal announcement posts.

Contents

Funding & Resource Announcements

Public Meetings, Events and Training

Reports, Tools and Data. 

Also of Interest

 

Funding & Resource Announcements

New Announcements re: Funding Available:

 

DOT Announces Funding Opportunity for TIGER Grants– Applications due Oct 16

 The Department of Transportation has published a notice of funding opportunity—National Infrastructure Investments under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017. The FY 2017 Appropriations Act appropriated $500 million to be awarded by DOT for the TIGER Discretionary Grants program.  The FY 2017 TIGER Discretionary Grants are for capital investments in surface transportation infrastructure and are to be awarded on a competitive basis for projects that will have a significant impact on the Nation, a metropolitan area, or a region. The FY 2017 Appropriations Act also allows DOT to retain up to $20 million of the $500 million for oversight and administration of grants and credit assistance made under the TIGER Discretionary Grants program. If this solicitation does not result in the award and obligation of all available funds, DOT may publish additional solicitations. Eligible projects for TIGER Discretionary Grants are capital projects that include, but are not limited to: (1) Highway, bridge, or other road projects eligible under title 23, United States Code; (2) public transportation projects eligible under chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code; (3) passenger and freight rail transportation projects; (4) port infrastructure investments (including inland port infrastructure and land ports of entry); and (5) intermodal projects.  Applications on October 16, 2017. The notice is available here.

 

DOE Opens Applications for Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (Seeking 6 Post-Doctoral Innovators for Argonne National Lab, Chicago) 

The Energy Department announced the opening of the application period for innovators to join the second cohort of Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). CRI, one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Programs, embeds top technical talent with ANL to perform early-stage research and development (R&D) that may lead to the launch of energy or manufacturing businesses in the future. DOE’s Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Programs address critical gaps in human capital development by providing stipends and institutional homes where talented postdoctoral scientific innovators can become first-time entrepreneurs.

DOE plans to select up to six postdoctoral innovators to join Chain Reaction Innovations.   View the solicitation and submission instructions to apply.   Also, sign up to join an information webinar and Q&A on Sept. 13.

EERE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) supports early-stage applied research & development of new materials, information, and processes that improve American manufacturing’s energy efficiency, as well as platform technologies for manufacturing clean energy products.

Smart Cities Council Readiness Challenge Grants – Applications due Nov 10

 

The Smart Cities Council ‒ the world’s largest smart cities network ‒ has expanded eligibility for its 2018 Readiness Challenge Grants to include government jurisdictions across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Cities, counties, states, provinces and regional authorities (transit, ports, etc.) are invited to apply. Grant applications are available online starting today (September 7) at

http://www.smartcitiescouncil.com/scc-2018-readiness-challenge-info.

The deadline for submitting an application is Nov. 10, 2017.

Any community that wants advice on how to win can participate in a free half-day workshop on Oct. 3, where experts will help them improve their applications. More …

 

Changes to Funding Announcements:

ETA Rescinds Guidance for Dislocated Worker Grants; Redirects Resources to Texas Communities Impacted by Hurricane Harvey

The Employment and Training Administration has issued Change 2 to Training and Employment Guidance Letter 01-17.  This Change rescinds TEGL 1-17 Dislocated Worker Opportunity Grants and TEGL 1-17, Change 1 as funds are no longer available for this funding opportunity.

 

In response to the critical need posed by the clean-up and recovery required in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is redirecting its funding resources to areas within the State of Texas impacted by this storm and to other qualifying events. As a result, the Dislocated Worker Opportunity Grant funding solicitation — originally transmitted via Training and Employment Guidance Letter No. 1-17 — is canceled.

 

Recently Announced Awards:

 

ARC Announces $2M in additional Awards to Coal Communities (POWER)

 

Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) announced nearly $2 million in additional awards to continue strengthening the economies of Appalachia’s coal-impacted communities. These investments will help grow an emerging local agricultural network, develop an innovative suite of training programs to serve growing industries, and p

 

rovide technical assistance with strategic planning for an emerging social enterprise in Central Appalachia.

The awards were made through ARC’s POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) Initiative, a congressionally funded multi-agency strategy bringing federal resources directly to help communities and regions that have been affected by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations, and coal-related supply chain industries due to the changing economics of America’s energy production. They include:

  • $1,200,000 to the Natural Capital Investment Fund, Inc., in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, to continue local food systems development work across 58 counties in five Appalachian states through the Central Appalachian Network.
  • $596,250 to the Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College (SKCTC) in Cumberland, Kentucky, to develop an innovative series of training programs in hospitality, technology, construction, and other emerging sectors.
  • $101,981 to the Southern Appalachian Labor School in Kincaid, West Virginia, for technical assistance to establish a social enterprise focusing on construction and housing. More information about ARC’s work in diversifying the economies of Appalachia’s coal-impacted communities, including a full list of POWER investments to date, and videos of grantees describing their work, are available at www.arc.gov/power.

IMLS Awards Grants to Support Library Projects; Extends Deadline for Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) recently announced 49 grants to institutions totaling $10,216,923. The awards are made through the FY 2017 second cycle of the National Leadership Grants for Libraries Program and the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program. Among the funded projects:

  • Rural Engagement to Advance Learning In STEM Digitally (REALISD) in School Libraries, a project of the University of West Georgia in collaboration with the University of Buffalo to deliver professional development with STEM educators, school library leaders, and digital resource experts for 80 rural school librarians to help them better facilitate STEM learning in their libraries.
  • A project to help public and academic libraries serve as key partners in local open civic data ecosystems. The University Library System at the University of Pittsburgh with the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center, and the Urban Institute will develop a guide and toolkit that will help libraries address needs, develop practices, anticipate challenges, and learn from successful civic data partnerships.

Visit the IMLS website for more information about the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program.

IMLS has also recently extended the submission deadline under the FY 2018 funding cycle for the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program in consideration of Hurricane Harvey. More …

Public Meetings, Events and Training

National Coal Council to Meet on September 27

 

The National Coal Council provides advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Energy, on general policy matters relating to coal and the coal industry. The National Coal Council will hold its 2017 fall meeting on September 27 in Birmingham, Alabama.

Additional background  / agenda / attendance

 

September 28 Webinar:  Strategies for Attracting and Retaining Youth in Rural Communities

 

Join USDA for a free webinar, 5 Strategies for Attracting and Retaining Youth in Rural Communities, on Thursday, September 28, 2017, from Noon to 1:00 p.m.

There are a number of things that local government officials can do to help their communities retain youth. The webinar, presented by Pam Schallhorn, Community and Economic Development Educator, University of Illinois Extension, will be based on research done at the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship in Lincoln, Nebraska over the last decade, and will provide strategies communities can use to get young people to stay in their communities or return after college.

 

There is no cost to attend the webinar, however pre-registration is required.  Register online or contact Nancy Ouedraogo at [email protected].

NTIA Webinar Series (Oct 2017 – Sep 2018) on Broadband Connectivity and Digital Inclusion

 

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) BroadbandUSA program provides expert advice and field-proven tools for assessing broadband adoption, planning new infrastructure and engaging a wide range of partners in broadband projects. NTIA will host monthly webinars to engage the public and stakeholders with information to accelerate broadband connectivity, improve digital inclusion, strengthen policies and support local priorities.

Practical Broadband Conversations webinar series

2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET

3rd Wednesday of every month, beginning October 18, 2017

 

Registration is free and open to the public. Information on webinar content and how to register for one or more webinars will available on NTIA’s website at http://www2.ntia.doc.gov/WEBINARS.

 

 

Upcoming Economic Development Conferences

·         SSTI Annual Conference (September 13 – 15), Washington, DC

·         Best Practices-Innovations in Career & Technical Education (Sept 27-29) Albuquerque NM

·         UEDA Annual Summit (October 1 – 4), Long Beach, CA

·         CDFA National Development Finance Summit (November 15-17), Atlanta, Georgia

 

Reports, Tools and Data

FHWA Posts New Reports on Megaregional Planning, Resilience and Sustainable Transport

The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Office of Planning, Environment, and Realty’s latest newsletter, the HEP Update, features three recent reports on trends in regional transportation planning. Click on the links to see full content: 

 

 

Also of Interest

Disaster Recovery and Resilience Resources on EDA’s Website

 

In light of the continued hurricanes, flooding, wild fires and other damaging events continue to unfold, we repeat the following information on federal resources for disaster support:

 

 

EDA’s role in disaster recovery is to facilitate delivery of Federal economic development assistance to local governments for long-term community economic recovery planning, reconstruction, redevelopment and resiliency. EDA’s Economic Recovery Support Function, and the roles of other federal agencies are set forth in The National Disaster Recovery Framework (PDF),which is a guide that enables effective recovery support to disaster-impacted States, Tribes, Territorial and local jurisdictions.

EDA will continue to update our webpage at https://www.eda.gov/programs/disaster-recovery/ to include more information about federal disaster assistance including post-disaster economic recovery resources, fact sheets, data tools and planning guides that can support your community’s recovery and rebuilding process.

In addition, information about several different types of disaster recovery assistance is available at USA.gov, including:

  • How to Apply for Disaster Assistance
  • Help Survivors of a Natural Disaster
  • How to Replace Lost or Destroyed Vital Documents
  • Health and Safety
  • Travel and Transportation
  • Citizenship and Immigration
  • Money and Taxes

 

2018 STEP Ahead Award Nominations Open -Recognizes the Impact of Women in Manufacturing

The Manufacturing Institute has recently announced that the 2018 STEP Ahead Award nominations are open.

The STEP Ahead initiative was designed to showcase the impact of women in manufacturing to help attract and retain the talent manufacturers need to succeed. In 2018, the Institute will honor 100 women and 30 Emerging Leaders, a category introduced to honor women under the age of 30 who have achieved unique accomplishments at the start of their careers.

Visit http://www.themanufacturinginstitute.org/women to nominate leading women in manufacturing. Nominations will close September 29, 2017.

 

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