Selected Federal Agency Announcements and Relatedfor the Week of January 16, 2018
The following is a selection of recent announcements gleaned from various federal sources and colleagues, and is provided to EDA’s Economic Development Integrators to increase our awareness of complementary resources for economic development.Special thanks to ETA and other federal partners for sharing content included below.
Contents
Funding & Resource Announcements
Announcements of Federal Funding & Assistance Available:
Current Availability of Section 108 Financing - CDBG Entitlement and State Grantees
USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) Improvements Grants and Guaranteed Loans –Accepts Rolling Applications
EPA Solicitation for Funding of Environmental Education Grants
Federal Awards Announced:
Energy Department Selects 7 Projects to Advance High Performance Computing in Manufacturing
Reminder of Federal Funding Opportunities Closing Soon:
Public Meetings, Events and Training
Jan 17 Webinar on Census Business Builder, 2.3 Edition
January 17 Webinar on Funding for Digital Inclusion Programs (Broadband)
January 24-26: U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting in DC
Feb 20 Webinar for EDA Revolving Loan Fund Administrators
March 21 NADO Training Workshop on CEDS (Arlington VA)
Reports, Tools and Data
Interagency Rural Prosperity Task Force Releases Report -100 Recommendations
New SBA Report on Latino Business Ownership and Income
Report Highlights Savings through Natural Hazard Mitigation
Also Of Interest:
ARC Announces New State’s Co-Chair for 2018 - Mississippi Governor
VA Proposes Amended Rule on the Veteran-Owned Small Business Verification Program
Disaster Recovery Resources & Info
Non-Federal Funding Opportunities
Hurricane Community Recovery Fund
San Antonio Area Foundation Fund Accepting Applications for Hurricane Harvey Relief
Updates on FEMA Response in Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands
Where to Find Federal Disaster Declarations
Amended Declarations
Economic Recovery Support
Funding & Resource Announcements
Announcements of FederalFunding & Assistance Available:
Current Availability of Section 108 Financing - CDBG Entitlement and State Grantees
HUD has updated the information on the current availability of Section 108 loan authority for state and local governments based on Fiscal Year 2017 CDBG allocations. The Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program allows state and local governments to leverage their Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds into federally guaranteed loans large enough to pursue significant economic revitalization, housing rehabilitation, and infrastructure projects.
To find out how much your community can access through the program, please check out the link below:
View the Current Availability of Section 108 Financing for CDBG Entitlement and State Grantees.
USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) Improvements Grants and Guaranteed Loans –Accepts Rolling Applications
URL:
Provides financial assistance to agriculture producers and rural small businesses to purchase, install, and construct renewable energy systems or complete energy efficiency improvements. An example of a potential funded project may be the installation of solar panels for hospitals or clinics to improve energy costs. Geographic coverage: Nationwide, Sponsors: U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA Rural Development.
EPA Solicitation for Funding of Environmental Education Grants
The Environmental Protection Agency has announced that up to $3 million in funding for locally-focused environmental education grants will be available this week under the 2018 EE Local Grant Program. EPA will award three to four grants in each of EPA’s ten regions, for no less than $50,000 and no more than $100,000 each, for a total of 30-35 grants nationwide. The Requests for Proposals for Region 4 has been posted (A-EE-18-04), with postings for other regions to follow on
In addition to other environmental topics, the 2018 EE Local Grant Program includes support for projects that reflect the intersection of environmental issues and agricultural best-practices, conservation of natural resources, food waste management, and natural disaster preparedness.Find background on the EE Grants Program and resources for applicants at
Proposals are due by March 15, 2018. The full solicitation notices will be posted atand at .
Federal Awards Announced:
Energy Department Selects 7 Projects to Advance High Performance Computing in Manufacturing
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $1.87 million for seven projects to advance innovation in U.S. manufacturing through high performance computing. Part of DOE's High Performance Computing for Manufacturing (HPC4Mfg) program, the seven new public private partnerships will enable greater collaboration between DOE national labs and the U.S. manufacturing industry.
The HPC4Mfg program is operated by DOE's Advanced Manufacturing Office within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). Each of the seven projects will receive up to $300,000 to support modeling and simulation subject-matter experts at the national laboratories and provide the needed supercomputing power. Industry partners will provide 20% to 50% cost-share, including the technical know-how and manufacturing data needed to tackle the project goals.
Reminder of Federal Funding Opportunities Closing Soon:
Below is a list of previously highlighted funding opportunities that are still open. Visitfor a complete list of all current opportunities:
Opportunity Number / Opportunity Title / Agency / Posted Date / Close DateCNCS-08-24-17 / AmeriCorps State and National Grants FY2018 / CNCS / 08/24/2017 / 01/17/201
BOR-DO-18-F005 / WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management Program Phase I Grants for Fiscal Year 2018 / DOI-BOR / 11/15/2017 / 01/31/2018
BOR-DO-18-F007 / WaterSMART Drought Contingency Planning Grants / DOI-BOR / 11/16/2017 / 02/07/2018
OWBO-2017-01-1 / SBA Women’s Business Center - Initial Phase Grant / SBA / 12/29/2017 / 02/12/2018
BOR-DO-18-F008 / WaterSMART Drought Response Program: Drought Resiliency Projects / DOI-BOR / 11/16/2017 / 02/13/2018
2018NEA01AW1 / NEA Art Works I, FY2019 / NEA / 12/06/2017 / 02/15/2018
EPA-OP-OEJ-18-01 / Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving / EPA / 11/15/2017 / 02/16/2018
A-EE-18-04 / Environmental Education Local Grants Program for Region 4 / EPA / 01/12/2018 / 03/15/2018
2018NEA01CA / NEA Challenge America, FY2019 / NEA / 12/05/2017 / 04/12/2018
Public Meetings, Events and Training
Jan 17 Webinar on Census Business Builder, 2.3 Edition
The US Census Bureau will offer a primer on the Small Business and Regional Analyst Editions of the Census Business Builder tool set. The Census Business Builder (CBB) is a suite of services that provide selected demographic and economic data from the Census Bureau tailored to specific types of users in a simple to access and use format. This one-hour webinar introduces these web-based applications and how to access them. For those already familiar with CBB, this webinar features enhancements to version 2.2 including the inclusion of agricultural economic data and the ability to upload your own data tables.
Time:2:00-3:00 p.m. (ET)
To register:
Dial-in Info:1-800-475-0498
Passcode:6493559
The Webinar is free but registration is required. This webinar will be repeated on February 13. Visit the Upcoming Trainings page at for additional webinars on Census tools and data.
January 17 Webinar on Funding for Digital Inclusion Programs (Broadband)
Join BroadbandUSA's January 17 webinar to learn how communities have funded digital inclusion programs using a variety of funding options such as local philanthropies, city budget mechanisms, and private sector support.
DATE/TIME: January 17, 2018 / 2:00 PM Eastern
REGISTER HERE: Please pre-register forthe webinar here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Speakers:
- Leon Wilson, Chief of Digital Innovation & Chief Information Officer, Cleveland Foundation
- Rahman Khan, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, Charter Communications
- John Speirs, Digital Inclusion Program Manager, City of Austin (TX)
January 24-26: U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting in DC
The U.S. Conference of Mayors will hold its 86th Winter Meeting in Washington D.C. on January 24. 26. The latest draft agenda (dated January 3) notes concurrent workshops on education and workforce development, “future of work,” broadband deployment, disaster recovery, immigration, small business, and technology and innovation.
Feb 20 Webinar for EDA Revolving Loan Fund Administrators
CDFA will offer a webinar for EDA RLF Grantees on February 20, 2018 at 2pm Eastern. Topic is: Maximizing Revolving Loan Fund Impact. Speakers will be announced soon.Register in advance to confirm your participation and receive login information. Registration is free and open for all EDA RLF grantees. See
March 21 NADO Training Workshop on CEDS (Arlington VA)
The workshop will be held at the Marriott Crystal Gateway, 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. Registration for the workshop will open in January. A limited number of travel stipends will be available on a first-come-first-served basis. This workshop is part of NADO Research Foundation’s Stronger CEDS, Stronger Regions program, supported through a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.
Please e-mail Program Manager Brett Schwartz at with any questions.
Reports, Tools and Data
Interagency Rural ProsperityTask Force Releases Report -100 Recommendations
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue presented the findings of the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to President Donald J. Trump at the 2018 American Farm Bureau Annual Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. On April 25, 2017, President Trump signed an Executive Order establishing the task force “to ensure the informed exercise of regulatory authority that impacts agriculture and rural communities.”
Perdue served as the task force’s chairman and identified over 100 recommendations to help improve life in rural America. The recommendations centered around these five areas: E-Connectivity, Quality of Life, Rural Workforce, Technology, and Economic Development.Clickhere to read the Rural Prosperity Task Force Report in its entirety on the newly unveiled Rural Prosperity website, which includes a link for farmers, ranchers, foresters, and producers to submit comments and ideas on regulatory reform.
New SBA Report on Latino Business Ownership and Income
A new report prepared for the Office of Advocacy by Professor Robert Fairlie, “Latino Business Ownership: Contributions and Barriers for U.S. Born and Immigrant Latino Entrepreneurs,” evaluates the differences in Latino self-employment rates and business income, comparing immigrant and U.S.-born Latino men and women with non-minorities.
Roughly 600,000 business owners are U.S.-born Latinos, with an additional 1.2 million immigrant Latino business owners. Combined, the study shows Latino business owners generating $62.5 billion in business income. However, Latino business owners on average report less business income, and U.S born Latinos have a smaller self-employment rate. The report’s analysis shows the relative importance of key demographics, like age, education and personal wealth, on these differences.
Report Highlights Savings through Natural Hazard Mitigation
The National Institute of Building Sciences recently issued the Natural Hazard Mitigation Saves: 2017 Interim Report, which highlights the benefits of mitigation strategies.
The Institute's project team looked at the results of 23 years of federally funded mitigation grants provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and found mitigation fundingcan save the nation $6 in future disaster costs, for every $1 spenton hazard mitigation.
In addition, the project team looked at scenarios that focus on designing new buildings to exceed provisions of the 2015 model building codes. The2017 Interim Reportdemonstrates that investing in hazard mitigation measures to exceed select requirements of the2015 International Codes(I-Codes), the model building codes developed by the International Code Council (ICC), can save the nation $4 for every $1 spent.
The project team estimated that just implementing these two sets of mitigation strategies would prevent 600 deaths, 1 million nonfatal injuries and 4,000 cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the long term. In addition, designing new buildings to exceed the2015 International Building Code(IBC) andInternational Residential Code(IRC) would result in 87,000 new, long-term jobs and an approximate 1% increase in utilization of domestically produced construction material.
Sponsors of the report include FEMA, HUD, EDA, ICC, the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Access the full Natural Hazard Mitigation Saves: 2017 Interim Report and Supporting Documents.
Also Of Interest:
ARC Announces New State’s Co-Chair for 2018 - Mississippi Governor
Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Federal Co-Chair Earl F. Gohl announced on January 11, 2018, that Appalachia’s 13 governors have elected Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant to serve as ARC’s states’ co-chair for 2018. As part of ARC’s federal-state partnership structure, the states’ co-chair works directly with the federal co-chair to invest in economic growth and development across the Appalachian Region. As the states’ co-chair, Bryant will also host ARC’s 2018 annual conference, to be held in Mississippi this fall. Twenty-four Mississippi counties are part of ARC’s 420-county footprint, which stretches from northern Mississippi to New York’s Southern Tier.
Bryant is ARC’s 65th states’ co-chair, and the sixth governor from Mississippi to hold the position. He succeeds Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, who served as ARC states’ co-chair in 2017. Since its formation in 1965, ARC has invested in thousands of community-based projects contributing to the economic growth of Appalachia by training workers, creating jobs, and attracting additional investment capital to the Region. All of ARC’s investments are made in concordance with ARC’s Five-Year Strategic Plan for Capitalizing on Appalachia’s Opportunities.
VA Proposes Amended Rule on the Veteran-Owned Small Business Verification Program
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today it is proposing to amend its regulations governing VA's Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) Verification Program. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2018 placed the responsibility for issuing regulations relating to ownership and control for the verification of VOSBs with the Small Business Administration (SBA).
This proposed regulation seeks to remove all references to ownership and control and to add and clarify certain terms and references that are currently part of the verification process. The NDAA also provides that in certain circumstances a firm can qualify as VOSB or Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) when there is a surviving spouse or an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP).
Comments must be received by VA on or before March 12, 2018. More …
Disaster Recovery Resources & Info
Primary site for Disaster Recovery Assistance: /
Non-Federal Funding Opportunities
Hurricane Community Recovery Fund
Enterprise Community Partners is making grants available through its Hurricane Community Recovery Fund to support nonprofit organizations engaged in recovery and relief services to low- and moderate-income homeowners and renters affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.
URL:
Application Deadline: Ongoing
San Antonio Area Foundation Fund Accepting Applications for Hurricane Harvey Relief
Grants of up to $50,000 will be awarded to nonprofit organizations in the San Antonio area working to help residents affected by the storm or those who have been evacuated from other areas of the state.
URL:
Application Deadline: Ongoing
Updates on FEMA Response in Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands
- Click on these links to find up-to-date informationon FEMA's response toPuerto Ricoand theU.S. Virgin Islands on FEMA’s webpage
Where to Find Federal Disaster Declarations
- Is your home, business or community included in a federally declared emergency or disaster area? You can find the latest federal emergency and disaster declarations, as well as prior declarations for other areas, on FEMA's disaster declarations webpage.
Amended Declarations
Existing Declarations may be subsequently amended to expand covered areas, provide notification that an incident has been closed, or make other necessary changes.
These are posted in the Federal Register here:
Economic Recovery Support
- Read more about the Economic Recovery Support Function and the National Disaster Response Framework here:
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