Economic Development Technical Assistance

 

EDA?s NTA program supports a small number of projects that provide technical assistance at a national scope. These projects support best practices among communities trying to solve problems related to economic development goals. By working in conjunction with its national technical assistance partners, EDA helps States, local governments, and community-based organizations to achieve their highest economic potential. The NTA program supports activities that are beneficial to the economic development community nationwide and includes, but is not limited to, outreach, training, and information dissemination. It can also provide assistance with implementation of economic development best practices and proven techniques.

Active 11.303 Economic Development Administration, Department of Commerce B - Project Grants Not applicable. Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965, as amended (42 U.S.C. § 3121 et seq.) (PWEDA). Effective date: 5/31/2018, Title 42 Pursuant to PWEDA, eligible applicants for and eligible recipients of EDA investment assistance under this NOFO include a(n): a. District Organization; b. Indian Tribe or a consortium of Indian Tribes; c. State, county, city, or other political subdivision of a State, including a special purpose unit of a State or local government engaged in economic or infrastructure development activities, or a consortium of political subdivisions; d. Institution of higher education or a consortium of institutions of higher education; e. Public or private non-profit organization or association acting in cooperation with officials of a political subdivision of a State; f. A private individual or g. For-profit organization,. o Description of the technical assistance that will be provided to stakeholders; o Description of how the proposed project increases the economic development capacity of individuals, firms, or communities; o Discussion of how the project will stimulate economic development in distressed regions; and o Explanation of how the proposed project supports EDA's mission to lead the Federal economic development agenda by promoting innovation and competitiveness, preparing and supporting American regions for growth and success in the global economy. Not applicable. Preapplication coordination is not applicable. This program is excluded from coverage under 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. EDA will award investment assistance in accord with the procedures set forth in the applicable announcement of NOFO. Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines From 60 to 90 days. Not applicable. Not applicable. The evaluation criteria are set forth in the applicable NOFO. Technical assistance is used to provide information, data, resources and toolkits which practitioners and policymakers can utilize when evaluating, shaping and implementing specific projects and programs to promote economic development efforts in their respective economically distressed regions. EDA announces opportunities to compete for funding to support University Centers through its annual Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) on University Centers, and the intent to support local technical assistance through its annual FFO on planning and local technical assistance. EDA may identify specific training, research or technical assistance projects it will fund under National Technical Assistance, which will be subject to competition. Ordinarily, these projects are specified in a FFO, which will provide the specific requirements, timelines and the appropriate points of contact and addresses. The EDA-supported University Center (UC) sub-program is specifically designed to marshal the resources located within colleges and universities to support job creation and economic growth in regions experiencing economic distress. UCs, which EDA considers long-term partners in economic development, are required to devote the majority of their funding to respond to technical assistance requests originating from organizations located in the economically distressed portions of their service regions. EDA-sponsored University Centers provide strategic technical assistance to regional partners; including, tribal entities, local governments, and public and private sector organizations; conduct economic impact assessments; support cluster development and conduct cluster studies; facilitate regional collaboration; support commercialization and technology transfer efforts; and undertake other activities with the goal of enhancing regional economic development by promoting a favorable business environment to attract private capital investment and higher-skill, higher-wage jobs.. EDA University Center competitions are held once every five years in each EDA Region. The project must be consistent with the CEDS of the region in which it is located, if applicable. At least eighty (80) percent of EDA funding under a University Center Economic Development award must be allocated to direct costs of program delivery; unrecovered indirect costs are not chargeable to the award without EDA’s express approval. All EDA grants are competitive: EDA does not award formula grants. The Local Technical Assistance (Local TA) sub-program, one of EDA’s smallest programs in terms of funding, is an extremely flexible and useful economic development tool. The most common purpose of a Local TA project has been to analyze the feasibility of a potential economic development project, such as an industrial park or a high-technology business incubator, or to support other critical studies necessary for economic development professionals to make informed business decisions, including economic impact assessments. The National Technical Assistance sub-program is designed to provide economic development professionals with access to tools and resources on cutting edge economic development concepts that can inform their decision-making and help support good decision making which will lead to strong, vibrant economic development and regional prosperity. Through this program, EDA provides a wide array of resources, including a cluster mapping tool (http://clustermapping.us), a website to identify innovation index of self-selected communities and compare against other geographies (www.statsamerica.org/innovation/), and a resource to help support best practices among venture development organizations (VDOs) (http://regionalinnovation.org/). Performance Reports: EDA reviews progress and financial reports for compliance with all award terms and conditions, as well as EDA regulations. EDA reserves the right to conduct site visits on an as-needed basis. The applicant is reminded that EDA or the Department of Commerce's Office of Inspector General also may conduct an audit of an award at any time. All financial and programmatic records, supporting documents, statistical reports, and other records of recipients and sub-recipients are required to be maintained by the terms of the agreement. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching is voluntary. EDA encourages cost sharing, and applications that include matching funds may be more competitive than those that do not. Generally, the amount of an EDA award may not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of the project. However, for RNTA awards, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development (Assistant Secretary) has the discretion to establish a maximum Investment Rate of up to 100 percent where the project: (i) Merits, and is not otherwise feasible without, an increase to the Investment Rate; or (ii) Will be of no or only incidental benefit to the Eligible Recipient.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. EDA anticipates a twelve (12) to eighteen (18) month project period for investments funded under this NOFO, subject to the availability of funds, EDA policy, and satisfactory performance under the award. Applicants should ensure that their proposal and budget clearly specify how they will complete the scope of work outlined above within this timeframe. A typical project period begins with an initial kickoff meeting between the recipient and EDA staff to discuss project scope and to ensure that all parties are in agreement as to the project terms. After the initial meeting, the recipient generally will be required to submit a final work plan to EDA staff for review and approval. Progress and financial reports and project work will be submitted to EDA based on the dates agreed to during the initial meeting and as outlined in the Special Award Conditions. In accordance with the grant terms and conditions. None/Not specified. David Ives
1401 Constitution Avenue, NW Room 71030
Washington, DC 20230 US
dives@eda.gov
Phone: 202-482-0529

Ryan M. Smith
1401 Constitution Ave., NW, Room 71030
Washington, DC 20230 US
rsmith2@eda.gov
Phone: 2024821464 http://www.eda.gov 13-2050-0-1-452 (Project Grants) FY 18$1,000,000.00; FY 19 est $9,500,000.00; FY 20 FY 17$1,000,000.00; FY 16$10,321,215.00; - In recent years, the average size of R&E and NTA investments has been approximately $350,000, and investments generally range from $200,000 to $500,000. Historically, EDA has funded approximately five R&E projects per year and three NTA projects. EDA anticipates making similar awards in FY 2018-2020, subject to availability of funds. 13 C.F.R. parts 300-302, 306. Not applicable.