ED Now

In recent years, our economic development profession, organizations, and the communities we serve have faced seemingly unprecedented challenges and uncertainties. What makes leaders effective in turbulent times? In his book Leadership Reinvented, Hamza Khan points to four strategies: practicing empathy, exercising servitude, driving diversity, and sparking innovation. According to Khan, such leadership is the art of continuous reinvention.

An economic sustainability plan can help communities and economic development programs create consensus around goals, strategies, and actions that meet the needs of the present without risking the prospects of future generations. Learn how to develop an economic sustainability plan and what critical questions to ask.

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 ...

IEDC, in partnership with EDA and six national and international associations, has officially launched the Economic Recovery Corps (ERC) program. The multiyear, $30-million collaborative initiative will place up to 65 ERC fellows from diverse backgrounds and disciplines within partnering organizations across the United States to activate economic development projects and plans that generate new practices and paradigms for equitable and inclusive change. Organizations interested in hosting a full-time fellow for 2.5 years (30 months) will have until June 30, 2023, to submit an expression of interest and initiate the application process. This is a great opportunity for organizations that are looking to drive their economic development ...

IEDC is accepting submissions through May 30 for the 2023 Excellence and Leadership in Economic Development Awards. The Excellence and Leadership in Economic Development Awards recognize the world’s best economic development programs, partnerships, and marketing materials, and the year’s most influential economic development leaders. These prestigious awards honor organizations and individuals for their efforts in creating positive change in urban, suburban, and rural communities. Receiving an award showcases your achievements and impact in the field, and winners are recognized at IEDC's Annual Conference. Please email [email protected] with any questions. mRNA Victoria’s development of an mRNA vaccine ecosystem in ...

Led by the City of Tucson Office of Economic Initiatives, the Southern Arizona Coalition for Climate Adaptation and Resilience was named one of 60 finalists in EDA’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge out of more than 500 applicants from across the U.S. Though they did not win the phase two award, the region came away stronger and the coalition is staying together to maintain its commitment to building back better.

At a strategy briefing on the CHIPS Act hosted by NIST, representatives from the U.S. Department of Commerce expressed growing excitement as the procurement process begins to heat up. As senior advisor Sree Ramaswamy put it, “It is impossible to overstate that this is our most ambitious program in the past 80 years.” The CHIPS Act is an enormous funding package that is attempting to boost domestic research and manufacturing of semiconductors. It has $280 billion in total funding and profound implications for economic developers looking to invest in American manufacturing. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo praised the package in an opening statement, emphasizing the sweeping ambition and national security implications of the ...

While the City of Tucson Office of Economic Initiatives continues to welcome large employers relocating or expanding to the area, including Sion Power and American Battery Factory, its work with small local employers is especially personal and innovative. Small, locally owned businesses make up a large swath of Tucson’s economy and contribute to the community’s vitality. But many of these are owned by soon-to-retire baby boomers—roughly 2,000 are legacy businesses more than 20 years old. The Office of Economic Initiatives has partnered with Project Equity, which fosters economic resilience through worker ownership, to hold workshops and meet-and-greet events on succession planning through employee ownership. Several ...