ED Now

EDA is now accepting applications for the new $200-million Recompete Pilot Program, which is designed to make focused investments in communities most in need of economic resources and options. Authorized through the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, the program targets areas where prime-age employment (ages 25 to 54) significantly trails the national average, with the goal to close this gap through bottom-up, long-term strategies that tackle a community’s unique economic challenges. EDA will make large, flexible investments based on communities’ priorities. The program will have two phases. The first Recompete Pilot Program NOFO allows applicants to apply for strategy development grants, approval of a recompete plan, or both. ...

EDA is accepting applications on a rolling basis for the FY 2023 Disaster Supplemental Notice of Funding Opportunity. Grants awarded under the NOFO will address economic challenges faced by communities affected by Hurricanes Fiona and Ian, major wildfires and floods, and all other declared natural disasters that occurred in 2021 and 2022. Funding will help communities devise and implement long-term economic recovery strategies through a variety of construction and non-construction projects. Eligible applicants include Tribal nations, nonprofit organizations, colleges and universities, district organizations of an Economic Development District (EDD), and state, county, and city subdivisions engaged in economic and infrastructure ...

EDA is now accepting applications for the FY23 STEM Talent Challenge. Applications are due June 12. The FY23 STEM Talent Challenge will award $4.5 million in grants to strengthen regional innovation economies by building a robust STEM workforce in high-growth sectors such as aerospace, aeronautics, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, and cybersecurity. Eligible applicants include EDOs, cities, counties, states, Tribal Nations, nonprofit organizations, public-private partnerships, institutions of higher education, federal laboratories, and science and research parks. Applicants should demonstrate how they will develop or expand regional STEM workforce capacity to support entrepreneurship, innovation, and industries of the future.

EDA has published a Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance (PWEAA) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for FY23. The Public Works program provides resources for construction and infrastructure design to enable communities to become more economically competitive. The Economic Adjustment Assistance program supports activities such as construction and upgrading of public infrastructure, sector partnerships for workforce training, design and engineering, technical assistance, economic recovery strategies, and capitalization or recapitalization of Revolving Loan Funds (RLFs). Through this NOFO, EDA intends to pursue projects that prioritize equity, workforce development, and climate resilience. EDA supports bottom-up strategies that ...

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has launched the first CHIPS for America funding opportunity to revitalize the domestic semiconductor manufacturing industry, support good-paying jobs, and bring supply chains back to the U.S. As part of the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, the first funding opportunity seeks applications for projects to construct, expand, or modernize commercial facilities for the production of cutting edge semiconductors. NIST will also be releasing a funding opportunity for semiconductor materials and equipment facilities in the late spring, and one for research and development facilities in the fall. The first funding opportunity will evaluate applications with a primary focus on how projects ...