ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

AUTHORIZATION:

Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965, Public Law 89-136, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 3151, 3152.

OBJECTIVES:

To assist in providing administrative aid to multi- county Economic Development Districts, Redevelopment Areas and Indian Tribes to establish and maintain economic development planning and implementation capability and thereby promote effective utilization of resources in the creation of full-time permanent jobs for the unemployed and the underemployed in areas of high distress.

TYPES OF ASSISTANCE:

Project Grants.

USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS:

Grants are used for staff salaries and other planning and administrative expenses of the economic development organization.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:   (1) Public bodies and other nonprofit organizations representing groups of state-delineated and EDA-approved adjoining counties, which include at least one area designated as a Redevelopment Area by the Secretary of Commerce and one or more growth centers not over 250,000 population; (2) Indian Tribes; and (3) counties designated as Redevelopment Areas or nonprofit organizations representing redevelopment areas or parts of such areas.

Beneficiary Eligibility:   Areas and regions of substantial and persistent unemployment or low per capita income and residents (particularly unemployed and low income persons) of those areas.

Credentials/Documentation:   Evidence that the governing body of the development organization is at least 51 percent elected officials and broadly representative of the community's social economic and political groups in area.

APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS:

Preapplication Coordination:   Submission of letter of interest and proposed work program to the EDA Regional Office serving the area. State and EDA concurrence in organization and boundary of multi-county district. The standard application forms as furnished by the Federal Agency and required by 15 CFR, Part 24, "Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments" must be used for this program. This program is subject to the E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance.

Application Procedure:   Completion of Standard Form 424, Application for Federal Assistance, prescribed by 15 CFR, Part 24. The application is submitted through an Economic Development Administration representative to the appropriate Regional Office. Applications must be cleared through the State's Intergovernmental Review Process as authorized by Executive Order 12372.

Award Procedure:   Applications for continuation grants are approved by the EDA Regional Office Director; initial grants are approved by the Assistant Secretary for Economic Development.

Deadlines:   Formal applications will be processed in the order received. Applications received after the fiscal year funds are exhausted may be retained by EDA for consideration the following fiscal year, if funds are made available by Congress.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:   From 45 to 60 days.

Appeals:   Not applicable.

Renewals:   Grants are made for a 1-year period and are renewable if grantee's performance is satisfactory and the proposed work program is acceptable.

ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:   A minimum of 25 percent of total project cost must be obtained from nonfederal sources. This may be in the form of cash and in-kind contributions. The Secretary is authorized to fund up to 100 percent planning support grants to Indian tribes.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:   Up to 1 year. Funds are released in two payments over the course of the grant period.

POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:   Semi-annual financial reports; progress reports 5 months and 10 months after grant start date; annual updating of an Overall Economic Development Program (OEDP) due on June 30 of every year.

Audits:   In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A- 133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), recipients that are States, Local Governments, Non-profit Organizations (to include Hospitals), and Institutions of Higher Learning shall be subject to the audit requirements contained in the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996 (31 U.S.C. 7501-7507). Commercial organizations shall be subject to the audit requirements as stipulated in the award document. States, local governments and non-profit governments that expend $300,000 or more in a year in Federal awards shall have a single or program-specific audit conducted for that year.

Records:   Financial records must be maintained until 3 years after the completion of the grant project or submission of the final financial report, whichever is later, and be readily available for inspection and audit. All financial and programmatic records, supporting documents, statistical reports, and other records of grantees or sub grantees are required to be maintained by the terms of the agreement.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION:

Account Identification:   13-2050-0-1-452.

Obligations:   (Grants) FY 99 $20,591,000; FY 00 est $20,000,000; and FY 01 est $20,000,000.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:   $25,000 to $153,000; $60,000.

PROGAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

The number of grantees funded in fiscal year 1999 was 384.

REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:

13 CFR 303, 304, 307, 311.

INFORMATION CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office:   Refer to Appendix IV of the Catalog for EDA Regional Office addresses.

Headquarters Office:   Luis F. Bueso, Director, Planning and Development Assistance Division, Economic Development Administration, Room H7317, Herbert C. Hoover Building, Washington, DC 20230. Telephone: (202) 482-3027. Fax: (202) 482-0466. Use the same numbers for FTS.

Web Site Address:   http://www.doc.gov/eda/.

EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS:

Support to hire professional staff or the following types of areas; a 10-county rural planning organization; a 6-county rural/urban organization; a 5-county rural organization that includes an Indian reservation; and a 30,000-acre Indian reservation.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS: