Greetings Colleagues,

The following four funding opportunities come from the US Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration. The overall goals of these funded programs are to improve the economic viability of communities; the metrics that are most often used to measure success are new jobs produced, jobs maintained, and funds leveraged. These grants are also a response to the pandemic and the need to emerge economically strong. In terms of thinking out of the box, the hope is to not limit ourselves to regarding this funding only to address prominent San Antonio economic development industrial sectors (such as aerospace, cybersecurity, financial services, health/medical, and manufacturing), but also extend our thinking to K-12 teaching, mental health counseling, and other professional shortages addressed by COEHD. No doubt the pandemic has caused many SA residents to put their higher education plans on hold, and these grants may provide a means for them get back on track. Furthermore, the Statewide Planning, Research, and Networks grant addresses the need for more research.

US DOC EDA FY 2021 STEM Talent Challenge Program Due October 12, 2021

https://eda.gov/files/oie/stem/2021/FY21-STEM-Talent-Challenge-NOFO-Final.pdf

The STEM Talent Challenge aims to build STEM talent training systems to strengthen regional innovation economies. This competition seeks applications from eligible applicants that are creating and implementing STEM talent development strategies that complement their region’s innovation economy, particularly as such strategies relate to emerging, transformative sectors and future industries such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, advanced manufacturing and robotics, space exploration and commerce, bioscience, quantum information science, green products, processes and buildings, and aqua- and agricultural technologies.

The STEM Talent Challenge is designed to help communities with implementing programs that align with the assessed needs of the region and its innovative businesses. Projects should implement or scale STEM competency-based work-and-learn education and training models that are directly connected with the needs of employers in a regional economy. These needs should be evaluated, through a formal or informal needs assessment, meant to determine the types of skills needed by the drivers of regional innovation, including innovative businesses that employ STEM talent. Projects should be responsive to these assessed needs and should clearly indicate how workers will be prepared for employment.

Training should prioritize STEM skills tied to the use of emerging, transformative sectors and the needs of future industries and should include an on-the-job training component. Training models are not tied to existing industry definitions and can include any combination of work-based and classroom learning; experimentation and innovation are encouraged. Applicants should leverage partnerships with local and regional innovation leaders, including technology centers, business incubators and accelerators, community colleges, and STEM industry leaders such as technology startups, advanced manufacturers, life science businesses, and other similar entities. Projects should be closely tied to the needs of the regional innovation economy and should aim to build a talent pipeline for entrepreneurs, startups, and other innovation leaders, as well as place new employees into immediate job openings.

Applicants should have, or have a plan to build, community-based partnerships that connect training and employment with those from underserved populations, with the ultimate goal of increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM fields.

US DOC EDA American Rescue Plan Act Build Back Better Regional Challenge This is a two-phase competition. The deadline for Phase 1 Concept Proposals is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on October 19, 2021. For Phase 1 finalists selected to proceed to Phase 2, the deadline for Full Applications is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on March 15, 2022.

https://eda.gov/arpa/build-back-better/

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=334735

EDA’s mission is to lead the Federal economic development agenda by promoting innovation and competitiveness, preparing American regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. Through this American Rescue Plan Act Build Back Better Regional Challenge Notice of Funding Opportunity (ARPA BBBRC NOFO), EDA aims to assist communities and regions impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic has caused, and continues to cause, economic injury to U.S. communities and regions in devastating and unprecedented ways. This ARPA BBBRC NOFO is designed as a two-phase competition to (1) help regions develop transformational economic development strategies and (2) fund the implementation of those strategies that will create and grow regional growth clusters. Such efforts will help regional economies recover from the pandemic and build economic diversity and resiliency to mitigate impacts of future economic disasters as well as benefit regional workforces and residents through creation of high-quality jobs, increased wages, and revitalized communities.

This ARPA BBBRC NOFO is designed to support clusters in transforming their regional economy through groups of complementary, aligned construction and non-construction projects. The projects should be organized under a singular vision to support industry growth across the region. Interested regions should form regional coalitions, in coordination with private sector partners and other partners, that share a common vision for how significant investment from EDA could catalyze wage growth, increased economic growth, the creation of a new industry, and/or the scaling or growth of existing industries in their region. The identified projects should foster economic growth and competitiveness through job creation, capacity building, and attracting private investment.

This ARPA BBBRC NOFO will be administered in two phases:

• In Phase 1, EDA will provide technical assistance grants to approximately 50-60 coalitions (through an eligible entity that serves as a lead institution). These coalitions will be considered “finalists” and the grants will be used by the finalists to prepare more detailed applications for transformational projects that benefit their respective geographic regions and are aligned around a holistic approach to building, strengthening, or scaling a strategic industry or industries.

• In Phase 2, EDA will select 20-30 of the finalist coalitions to receive $25-75 million (and potentially up to $100 million) each to fund the collection of projects they identified. The projects will be funded through grants to coalition members.

While geographic diversity is encouraged, the applicant’s footprint should be designed and bounded in a way that ensures maximum collaboration and impact. The target region could correspond closely to statistical labor market areas such as metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, or to an industry that may be geographically dispersed but has unusually strong connectivity due to an established coalition of local government, industry, labor, and academic leaders. Regional growth clusters might reflect a hub and spoke model, anchored around a “hub” such as a city, business park, port, educational or research institution, or technology center, and complemented by significant investment strategies in multiple “spokes” that represent demographic and geographic diversity. Coalitions should clearly articulate how the chosen geographic footprint presents potential for globally competitive industries and a purposeful approach to ambitious yet actionable economic transformation, leading to quality jobs,1 long-term economic competitiveness, and creates stronger urban-rural linkages or stronger rural regional growth clusters. Regardless of the geographic and economic characteristics of the regions, it must be clear how the proposed projects will address economic distress, both historical challenges and those created by the global pandemic.

<<This funding opportunity is possibly also being pursued by UTSA’s Institute for Economic Development so please contact me for further information>>

US DOC EDA FY 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Statewide Planning, Research, and NetworksDue October 31, 2021

https://eda.gov/arpa/planning-grants/

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=334728

The ARPA Statewide Planning, Research, and Networks NOFO is part of EDA’s multi-phase effort to respond to the coronavirus pandemic as directed by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Specifically, this NOFO seeks to build regional economies for the future through two primary avenues: a) Statewide Planning and b) Research and Networks.

The first part is relevant only to the State making an application.

b. Research and Communities of Practice Challenge

Through Research and Communities of Practice awards, EDA will fund data, tools, and institutional capacity for evaluating and scaling evidence-based economic development efforts and for creating Communities of Practice to connect and provide technical assistance to existing EDA grantees like University Centers, the Revolving Loan Fund network, the Build to Scale network, Economic Development Districts, Tribal partners, and new grantees under the ARPA Build Back Better Regional and Jobs Challenges.

i. Research Program

For Research awards, EDA solicits applications for investments that support research and evaluation projects2 related to economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. EDA will support the development of tools, recommendations, and resources that shape Federal economic development policies and inform economic development decision-making. Awards will provide critical, cutting-edge research and best practices to regional, state, and local practitioners in the economic development field, thereby enhancing understanding and implementation of economic development concepts throughout the country. EDA is specifically interested in research projects that will enable real-time research into EDA’s ARPA programs, especially those related to the new Jobs Challenge, Build Back Better Regional Challenge, Indigenous Communities NOFO, and travel and tourism programs. See also section D.2 for more detail on the evaluation parameters EDA seeks.

ii. Communities of Practice Challenge

For the Communities of Practice Challenge, EDA seeks to fund nationwide communities of practice that focus on key groups of economic development stakeholders and provide technical assistance to those groups, including developing methods to increase information and practice sharing, strengthening networks, and accelerating economic recovery. As communities and organizations face depleted institutional resources and are stressed with coronavirus-related demands, they have been unable to connect with and learn from peers across the industry to evaluate and nurture strategies needed to rebuild a more equitable and resilient economy.

US DOC EDA FY 2021 American Rescue Plan Act Good Jobs Challenge Due January 26, 2022

https://eda.gov/arpa/good-jobs-challenge/

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=334720

EDA’s mission is to lead the Federal economic development agenda by promoting innovation and competitiveness, preparing American regions, States, and Tribes for growth and success in the worldwide economy. Through this American Rescue Plan Act Good Jobs Challenge Notice of Funding Opportunity (ARPA Good Jobs Challenge NOFO), EDA aims to assist communities and regions impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic has caused, and continues to cause, economic injury to U.S. communities and regions in devastating and unprecedented ways.

For the purposes of this NOFO:

• “Sectoral partnership” is defined as a partnership of employers from the same industry who join with other strategic partners to train and place workers into high-quality jobs that the employers need filled and intend to fill through the partnership. The strategic partners can include: government, education (including community and technical colleges), training organizations, economic development organizations, workforce development organizations, unions, labor management partnerships, industry associations, employer-serving organizations, and/or community-based organizations. A sectoral partnership is focused on one specific industry and one or more specific roles within that industry.

o The lead entity of a sectoral partnership is referred to in this NOFO as a “Backbone Organization.” The Backbone Organization serves as an intermediary across all the partners in the sectoral partnership and must be an EDA eligible applicant.

• “Regional workforce training system” is defined as a system that fosters and supports sectoral partnerships. A mature regional workforce training system will include a lead entity and multiple sectoral partnerships, each with their own Backbone Organization, training provider, and industry partners. The lead entity (e.g., a state government, municipal government, state workforce board, local workforce board) coordinates across and supports the sectoral partnerships within its system. A regional workforce training system may also include other entities that support across multiple sectoral partnerships (e.g., a community-based organization that supports recruiting for all of the sectoral partnerships). In a region that does not yet have a regional workforce training system, interested partners are encouraged to join together to apply for funding under this NOFO to develop such a system. Interested parties would include a convener (e.g., a state government, municipal government, state workforce board, local workforce board) who is an eligible EDA applicant as well as entities interested in forming sectoral partnerships (e.g., employers, training providers, unions, community-based organizations).

o The lead entity of a regional workforce training system is referred to in this NOFO as a “System Lead Entity.” The System Lead Entity must be an EDA eligible applicant.

This ARPA Good Jobs Challenge NOFO is designed to help get Americans back to work by investing in (1) developing and strengthening regional workforce training systems that support sectoral partnerships, (2) designing sectoral partnerships, and (3) implementing sectoral partnerships that will lead to high-quality jobs. The goal of regional workforce training systems is to create and support effective training programs that will connect the in-demand and emerging skills needs of employers with qualified workers and help workers find and keep quality jobs1 and advance along their chosen career path.

This program is designed to get Americans back to work and increase wage growth, as well as develop demand-driven systems that will continue to support Americans in securing and retaining quality jobs. Successful applicants will include proactive employer engagement and mobilization and employer commitments to hire.

Regional workforce training systems and sectoral partnerships funded under this NOFO should connect employers in an industry with key regional stakeholders, including State, Tribal, and local governmental entities, economic development organizations, workforce development boards, Career OneStops, employer-facing organizations and employer associations, education and training providers, community-based organizations (CBOs) (including faith-based organizations), worker-serving organizations (WSOs), labor unions, and/or other key stakeholders with responsibilities in advancing the goals of the sectoral partnerships. The system or partnership should be led by a System Lead Entity or Backbone Organization, respectively, serving as an intermediary that has convening power in the region and the capacity to coordinate engagement and collaboration across all necessary stakeholders.

EDA encourages sectoral partnerships to address populations with labor market barriers such as persons with disabilities, disconnected youth, individuals in recovery, individuals with past criminal records including justice-impacted and reentry participants, serving trainees participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and veterans and military spouses. EDA also encourages partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, or Minority-Serving Institutions.

Here is a list of recently funded programs by EDA: https://www.eda.gov/grants/

Please contact me if you want to discuss any of these possibilities.

Thank you

--Iwan