Grant

May 31-June 5, 2020

  • EDA announced 19 investments from May 31-June 5, 2020, totaling $1,590,000, which is matched by $1,395,219 in local investments. These investments include the following: (1) $314,000 in two Economic Adjustment Assistance projects to help communities design and implement strategies to adjust or bring about change to their economy in response to structural damage to their underlying economic base, which includes one investment for $250,000 that will help create 160 jobs; (2) $236,000 in two Technical Assistance University Center projects to make the varied and vast resources of universities available to the economic development practitioner community; and (3) $1,040,000 in 15 Partnership Planning projects to support the development and implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy process.
    • $314,000 in two Economic Adjustment Assistance projects, matched by $123,143 in local investments, as follows:
      • $250,000, matched by $107,143 in local investment, to Homewise, Inc., Santa Fe/Santa Fe County, New Mexico, to support Homewise, Inc. with providing training and technical assistance to construction businesses through its BuildWise program, which is designed to foster job and private investment growth in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a designated Opportunity Zone. The program’s curriculum is developed through a partnership with the Central New Mexico Community College to assess existing business’ knowledge and capacity, provide technical assistance and advice from business experts, and provide opportunities to develop new revenue and recruit staff. Once completed, the project will create a sustainable job pathway for workers in the construction industry, support entrepreneurialism, attract private investments, and enhance the advancement of economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 160 jobs.
      • $64,000 in 2019 Disaster Supplemental funding, matched by $16,000 in local investment, to the Lumber River Council of Governments, Pembroke/Robeson County, North Carolina, to support the Lumber River Council of Governments with conducting a regional study to fill the critical need for broadband demand aggregation information in Robeson, Bladen, Hoke, Richmond, and Scotland counties in North Carolina, an area hit hard by Hurricane Florence in 2018 and Hurricane Matthew in 2016. The study will collect data, identify locations that lack access, provide documentation of the need for more broadband infrastructure development, and create a strategic plan for access. Once completed, the project will help mitigate the effects of future natural disasters, increase resiliency, and attract and retain employers throughout the region.
    • $236,000 in two Technical Assistance University Center projects, matched by $236,000 in local investments, to support a five-year University Center (UC) program, which is a competitively-based partnership between EDA and academic institutions that makes the varied and vast resources of universities available to the economic development practitioner community.
    • $1,040,000 in 15 Partnership Planning projects, matched by $1,036,076 in local investment, to support the development and implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) process. The CEDS process is designed to bring together the public and private sectors in the creation of an economic development roadmap to diversify and strengthen the regional economy.