Press Release
U.S. EDA Partners with Christian Evangelistic Economic Development to Promote Economic & Job Growth in Pittsburgh
March 30, 2011
Contact: John Atwood, (202) 482-4085
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration (EDA) today announced a $300,000 grant to Christian Evangelistic Economic Development (CEED) of Pittsburgh, Pa., to provide technical assistance to economically distressed microenterprises in the Pittsburgh region. This project, an example of the important partnership between the federal government and faith-based organizations, is expected to facilitate the creation of new jobs and generate private investment in microenterprises that are a key building block in the repositioning of challenged areas.
"EDA makes strategic investments to expand access to innovators and entrepreneurs and provide the resources they need to thrive and bring their ideas to market," said U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development John R. Fernandez. "This grant to Christian Evangelistic Economic Development to help create economic and job opportunity in Pittsburg is the type of collaboration the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships is promoting to help accelerate the nation's recovery."
President Obama's Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships works to engage community groups in the national economic development process by promoting awareness of funding opportunities in order to ensure faith-based community groups, such as Christian Evangelistic Economic Development can play a role in helping to increase competitiveness.
"Providing technical assistance to enthusiastic entrepreneurs ready to achieve the American Dream is a key component of CEED's economic development efforts. Already, efforts have seen the creation of a number of successful neighborhood businesses and its expansion will provide opportunity to 75 new microbusinesses," said Rufus Idris, Executive Director of the Christian Evangelistic Economic Development.
The EDA investment will support local efforts to address the challenges faced by start-up and existing underserved and disadvantaged entrepreneurs, by providing pragmatic technical assistance to immigrant-owned, refugee-owned, minority-owned, veteran-owned, microenterprises in a ten-county region including Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Westmoreland, Washington, and Lawrence Counties. Assistance may include business review and planning, training and counseling, market analysis, current business technology, and on-going mentoring, case management and capacity building.
About the U.S. Economic Development Administration:
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.