We’re thrilled to announce our support of five visionary plans in coal-impacted communities across the country in their applications to Phase 2 of the Economic Development Administration (EDA)’s Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program. Through this program, the EDA will make major investments (4-8 awards of $20-$50 million each) designed to close the prime age employment gap (ages 25-54) in economically distressed communities. Of the more than 200 applicants that applied in Phase 1, 22 finalists were selected to submit Phase 2 applications. We are proudly supporting the applications of the following organizations:
- Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation (Mobile, AL): The Gulf Coast Chambers Network (GCCN)’s Recompete Plan seeks to overcome three key barriers to employment: training, transportation, and childcare, leveraging a “workforce influencer” model to connect job seekers to training and wraparound services.
- Plenty Doors Community Development Corporation (Crow Agency, MT): The Closing the Gap Recompete Plan focuses on developing water infrastructure in Crow Agency and the surrounding areas, as well as constructing a vocational education center and expanding workforce development programming in skilled trades.
- Santa Cruz County (Santa Cruz County, AZ): The Santa Cruz River/Sonoran Corridor (I-19) Recompete Plan features a culturally-responsive continuum of training and services for job placement and creation focused on climate resiliency, digital equity, and industry re-investment.
- Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) (Pikeville, KY): Focused on 12 of the most coal-impacted counties in Appalachian Kentucky, The Eastern Kentucky Runway Recompete Plan supports the construction of two new healthcare training facilities, creates a social enterprise accelerator supporting business formation, and establishes a collaborative support network.
- Wind River Development Fund (Wind River Indian Reservation, WY): The Wind River Indigenous-based Economy Recompete Plan emphasizes a holistic, indigenous approach to addressing the prime-age employment gap by leveraging existing resources through eco-tourism, cultural preservation, agriculture, and more.
The Recompete Program supports comprehensive economic development solutions and provides potentially transformational levels of federal investment. We are proud to support these partners in their efforts to ensure that those funds reach the economically distressed, rural coal communities we serve.
Through our Federal Access Center, we help coal communities overcome barriers to accessing federal funds – high matching requirements, time-intensive application processes – and leverage historic amounts of available funding to strengthen local economies. If you are working in a transitioning coal community and need assistance applying for federal funds, please fill out this brief inquiry form to get started.
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