Press Release

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $1.1 Million in CARES Act Funding to Boost Economic Development Programs Critical to Helping California Respond to Coronavirus

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $1.1 million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance grants to three EDA Economic Development District organizations across California to update economic development plans and fortify programs to assist communities in responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The Trump Administration is eager to allocate these essential CARES Act funds and deliver on our promise to help American communities recover from the impact of COVID-19,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “I am proud of the perseverance and strength shown by our communities coast to coast throughout this pandemic, and these funds will help provide California with resources to make a swift and lasting economic comeback.”

“These investments come at a crucial time to help California’s and our nation’s economy come roaring back and provide hard-working Americans with new opportunities,” said Dana Gartzke, Performing the Delegated Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “We are pleased to make these investments in California’s EDA Economic Development Districts to help them prevent, prepare, and respond to coronavirus.”

“The Trump Administration has strongly supported Northern California’s efforts to bring our local economies back up to speed,” said Congressman Doug LaMalfa (CA-01). “I look forward to the expanded rural broadband, new forestry and wildfire-preparedness jobs, and improved economic recovery plans that will result from these funds from the EDA.”

“Families and businesses throughout my district are teetering on the brink and are in dire need of federal assistance,” said Congressman Jared Huffman (CA-02). “Congress approved this CARES funding months ago, and it’s great to see it finally disbursed. The Sonoma-Mendocino Economic Development District has done collaborative work to build a stable regional economy by creating the first joint economic development strategy for our region. The economic fallout from this crisis will continue to be far-reaching, and additional support like these grants will be needed well into the future. I look forward to continuing my work to get relief into the hands of my constituents and the millions of people in need of help during this crisis.”

The EDA investments announced today are:

• Sonoma-Mendocino Economic Development District, Santa Rosa, California, will receive a $400,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by updating its Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy to address recovery and resiliency, as well as coordinating recovery and resiliency plans from both Sonoma and Mendocino counties into a regional approach.
• 3CORE Economic Development Corporation, Chico, California, will receive a $400,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic in Butte, Glenn and Tehama counties by creating a roadmap to a diversified, strengthened, and resilient economy and providing capacity for regional economic recovery coordination.
• Sierra Business Council, Truckee, California, will receive a $329,272 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by addressing a critical need to build a more diversified local economy through broadband deployment; providing technical assistance for micro-enterprises; and focusing efforts on wildfire mitigation and forest health job creation.

These entities, all EDA-designated Economic Development Districts (EDD), are some of the more than 850 existing, high-performing EDA EDD, University Center, Tribal, and Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) grant recipients invited to apply for supplemental funding under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The CARES Act, signed into law by President Donald J. Trump, provides EDA with $1.5 billion for economic development assistance programs to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

On May 7, Secretary Ross announced that EDA is accepting applications for CARES Act Recovery Assistance funding opportunities.

EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance, which is being administered under the authority of the bureau’s flexible Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) (PDF) program, provides a wide-range of financial assistance to eligible communities and regions as they respond to and recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. For complete information, please visit our recently updated EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance page.

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
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.