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The Just Transition Fund—whose mission is to create opportunity for the communities hardest hit by the decline of coal—has launched the Coal Communities Get Ready! Challenge. Communities often have visionary ideas for growing and transforming their local economies but need support to apply for and manage the federal investment that can bring these ideas to scale. The Coal Communities Get Ready! Challenge will identify 8 to 10 organizations that are building readiness to apply for and manage federal funds. Prospective organizations should be working to create equitable and inclusive local economies through replicable community development strategies and workforce programs. This opportunity is designed for organizations ...

This year’s Economic Development Week will take place May 8–12. ED Week gives economic developers a platform to create awareness of the value that the profession brings to communities. Articulate your contributions to your local economy, organize a base of support, show and tell the importance of economic development, and amplify your message to increase exposure. Download the 2023 Economic Development Week Toolkit for communication and social media strategies, artwork, sample posts, event ideas, brochures to distribute, and more. Fill out this form to be featured on IEDC’s website and news and social media channels. IEDC started Economic Development Week in 2016 to increase awareness of local programs that create ...

How does climate change impact economic development and an economic developer’s ability to operate and equitably grow their local or regional economy? What responsibility do economic developers have to do something about climate change? Here are five steps that will help you get started on the climate change journey.

The Biden Administration will cancel $10,000 worth of student loan debt for individuals making less than $125,000 per year and $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients, the president announced at the White House on August 24. The administration’s student loan debt relief program also caps monthly payments for undergraduate student loans at 5 percent of monthly income. The relief comes as student loan payments have been frozen since March 2020 due to the pandemic—a freeze that the president has extended until the end of 2022. The 45 million student loan borrowers in the United States collectively hold $1.7 trillion in debt. This figure skyrocketed over the course of the 2010s as college tuition spiked. For many borrowers who dropped ...

Despite the ubiquity of grocery and meal delivery apps, broadband, digital literacy, and high cost remain barriers to food access for many communities. Widespread food insecurity continues to plague communities across the United States. In 2020, 38.3 million people lacked sufficient access to healthy food, a disproportionate number of whom identify as people of color, fall below the poverty line, and/or live in rural areas. During the same time, the pandemic and e-commerce transformed the food landscape with a proliferation of web- and app-based delivery services that redefine the meaning of food access. Since one can now purchase fresh produce, prepared meals, and other essentials without visiting a brick-and-mortar grocery store, ...

IEDC is urging members to reach out to their elected representatives about supporting the reauthorization of the Economic Development Administration (EDA). Reauthorizing EDA would bring new funding potential, new programming, and key policy changes that would allow the agency to truly become a 21st-century leader in economic development. The past few years have demonstrated the great need for a more robust federal partner in local economic development nationwide. EDA has committed extraordinary resources and programming to meet this need, but more is needed that can only be achieved through reauthorization. When contacting your senator and congressperson, be prepared to share your ZIP code and indicate if you need a response (not ...

Transitioning to employee ownership is a powerful strategy to preserve local businesses and jobs and support economic recovery and resilience. For the last decade, Project Equity has worked closely with numerous regions and economic development partners to unlock the power of employee ownership and create thriving local economies.

A recent Regional Economic Models, Inc. (REMI) webinar reviewed the economic and environmental impacts of military base closures through the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) system used by the U.S. Armed Forces. The discussion began with an overview of the BRAC system and the economic and environmental impact of the U.S. military. BRAC has been significant in changing the economic climate of a region, and with the Biden administration looking to hit a greenhouse gas reduction target by 2030 and the Department of Defense signaling for an all-electric vehicle fleet by 2035, the impacts could be felt nationwide. For historical context, the webinar analyzed the economic and environmental impacts of the post-Cold War closures of Bergstrom ...