Economic Development Assistance Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance Programs

Contact the appropriate state economic development representative.

Economic Development Assistance (EDA) funding is provided in rural, tribal, and urban communities in distressed regions to support the implementation of regional economic development. The goal is to spur job creation, leverage private capital investments, and strengthen America's ability to compete in a global marketplace.

Past projects have included funding for water and wastewater projects in hospitals and healthcare facilities and road infrastructure projects that would support the expansion of healthcare facilities.

Project examples include:

• Public Works Projects:
  • Water and sewer system improvements
  • Industrial parks
  • Shipping and logistics facilities
  • Workforce training facilities
  • Brownfield development
  • Telecommunications infrastructure and development facilities
• Economic Adjustment Assistance:
  • Construction or upgrading of public infrastructure
  • Capitalization or recapitalization of revolving loan funds
  • Development and implementation of long-term disaster recovery and resiliency plans
  • Enhancement of infrastructure to make it more resilient to natural disasters
  • Procurement of equipment for workforce training programs

Projects must be located in a region that meets one (or more) of the following economic distress criteria:

• A 24-month unemployment rate that is at least 225% of the national average
• Per capita income that is not more than 80% of the national average
• "Special Need," as determined by EDA and as discussed in section C.3 of the application instructions

Entities eligible to apply include:

• District organizations
• Tribes or a consortium of tribes
• States, cities, counties, or other political subdivisions of a state
• Institutions of higher education
• Public or private nonprofit organizations
• Associations acting in cooperation with officials of a political subdivision of a state

Generally, the amount of the EDA funding may not exceed 50% of the total cost of the project. Projects may receive a cost share waiver up to an additional 30%, based on the relative needs of the region in which the project will be located.

The Public Works Program expects to make investments ranging from $600,000 to $5,000,000.

The Economic Adjustment Assistance Program expects to make investments ranging from $150,000 to $2,500,000.

Links to the full announcement and online application process are available through grants.gov. The application instructions will be found on the related documents tab.

EDA staff provides technical assistance to prospective applicants to assist in proposal development and application submission. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the appropriate state economic development representative before beginning the proposal preparation process.