$30M Goes for Economic Development Planning

Commerce Department (Economic Development Administration (EDA)
Public Works and Economic Development Act (PWEDA): Planning Program and Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP)

Eligibility: Governments, institutions of higher education and nonprofits;
Funding: $28.59 million for Planning Grants (approximately $28 million for Partnership Planning Grants and $2.4 million for Short-Term/State Planning Grants) and $1.4 million for LTAP awards; Deadline: Applications are accepted on a continuing basis and processed as received.

Purpose: These two programs provide planning funds to help EDA meet its mission to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting innovation and competitiveness

Under PWEDA's Planning Program, EDA provides funds to create regional economic development plans to stimulate and guide the economic development efforts of a community or region.

EDA supports two types of funding: Partnership Planning Grants and Short-Term Planning Grants. Partnership Planning investments facilitate the development, implementation, revision or replacement of comprehensive economic development strategies. Partnership Planning funds go to the designated planning organization serving EDA-designated Economic Development Districts in the United States. For more on Economic Development Districts, please visit http://www.eda.gov/PDF/EDD%20List_030410.pdf

Short-Term Planning and State Planning investments go to create and retain higher-skill, higher-wage jobs, particularly for the unemployed and underemployed in the nation's most economically distressed regions.

EDA's LTAP helps eligible recipients fill the knowledge and information gaps that may prevent leaders in the public and nonprofit sectors in economically distressed regions from making optimal decisions on local economic development issues. For example, EDA might provide funds to help a city prepare a feasibility study regarding the use of an abandoned manufacturing facility for an activity that advances local economic development.

Insider's tip: LTAP funding is split between EDA's six regional offices, which oversee the grant making process. The regional offices are located in Atlanta, Denver, Austin, Philadelphia, Chicago and Seattle. For regional office contact information, please visit http://www.eda.gov/AboutEDA/Regions.xml

Info: For grant guidance, please visit http://tinyurl.com/2we3nwp  (lists of contacts are provided on pages 17-23).