Press Release
U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $68,250 in CARES Act Recovery Funds to Support Entrepreneurial Growth Efforts in West Michigan
Contact: EDA Public Affairs Department, (202) 482-4085
September 11, 2020
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $68,250 CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission, Muskegon, Michigan, to develop a study to analyze the entrepreneurial support needs in Muskegon and West Michigan, including business start-up, business acceleration, and potential sectors for new growth. The EDA grant will be matched with $17,063 in local funds.
“President Trump champions the small businesses and entrepreneurs who help drive our country’s economy,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “This investment will provide the resources that West Michigan needs to support entrepreneurial growth and rebound from the coronavirus pandemic and, in turn, create a stronger and more resilient state economy for the future.”
“The Economic Development Administration is pleased to support the efforts of the Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission in evaluating the needs of the region’s entrepreneurial and small business communities,” said Dana Gartzke, Performing the Delegated Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “Working with Grand Valley State University's (GVSU) Hub, the Entrepreneurial Market Analysis will gather information on the needs of the region’s entrepreneurial and small business communities, catalog services currently available to those communities, and provide successful examples of other entrepreneurial and small business support programs and practices.”
West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission is an EDA-designated Economic Development Districts (EDD).
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.