Economic Development District
Certified by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce as an Economic Development District (EDD) in 1987, CDRPC receives annual grants from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) for Regional economic planning. The inclusion of the four counties in the EDD also allows them to be eligible for EDA technical assistance and public works grants.
EDA financial support materially assists the Planning Commission in the collection and publication of demographic and economic data and information for the Region.
Ongoing EDA Grant Opportunities (Rolling Deadline):
Economic Adjustment Assistance
The EAA program provides a wide range of technical, planning, and public works and infrastructure assistance in regions experiencing adverse economic changes that may occur suddenly or over time. These adverse economic impacts may result from a steep decline in manufacturing employment following a plant closure, changing trade patterns, catastrophic natural disaster, a military base closure, or environmental changes and regulations.
Individual awards under the EAA program range from $150,000 to $1 million. Federal cost-share ranges from 50 to 80 percent; the applicant must supply the remaining 20 to 50 percent, with the exception of federally recognized Tribal applicants whose projects may have their matching requirement waived (100 percent federal share). EDA accepts applications from eligible entities under this program on a rolling basis.
Eligible uses include developing key public infrastructure, such as technology-based facilities using distance learning networks, smart rooms, and smart buildings, multitenant manufacturing, outfitting business and industrial parks with fiber optic cable or other forms of telecommunications development facilities, as well as traditional public works projects, including water and sewer systems improvements, industrial parks, and expansion of port and harbor facilities. Investments made through the Public Works program must be aligned with a current Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS) or equivalent regional economic development plan and clearly lead to the creation or retention of long-term high-quality job.
In order to be eligible for funding an applicant must propose a project that meets EDA’s distress criteria. Applicants must self-define the appropriate region geographically. Applicants must provide third-party data that clearly indicate that the relevant region is subject to one (or more) of the following economic distress criteria: (i) an unemployment rate that is, for the most recent 24-month period for which data are available, at least one percentage point greater than the national average unemployment rate; (ii) per capita income that is, for the most recent period for which data are available, 80 percent or less of the national average per capita income; or (iii) a “Special Need,” as determined by EDA. Please use the map below to identify if your municipality qualifies.
CDRPC as the EDA’s Economic Development District serves as the regional liaison for the program. Please contact Kate Maynard at kate.maynard@cdrpc.org to discuss eligibility, potential projects, and assist with applications.
Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
A federal Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) is designed to bring together the public and private sectors in the creation of a plan to strengthen and diversify a regional economy. The Capital District CEDS is developed by analyzing the regional economy and based on that information, serves as a guide for establishing regional goals and objectives, developing and implementing a regional plan of action, and identifying investment priorities and funding sources.
Our region’s CEDS is the result of a continuing economic development planning process which includes broad-based and diverse public and private sector participation. It identifies the goals and objectives necessary to address our region’s economic development challenges and identifies the metrics of success. The CEDS also provides the region with a useful benchmark by which a regional economy can evaluate opportunities with other regions in the national economy.