Economic Adjustment Assistance and Public Works Programs

Description

The Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) program provides support for technical, planning, and public works and infrastructure efforts in regions that are experiencing “adverse economic changes.”

EAA provides Strategy Grants to develop or update a comprehensive economic development strategy (CEDS) and Implementation Grants to support the execution of activities identified in a CEDS. Eligible activities include infrastructure improvements including site acquisition, site preparation, construction, rehabilitation and equipping of facilities, market and environmental studies, and planning or construction grants.

The Public Works program supports distressed communities to build, design or engineer critical infrastructure and facilities that will foster regional development strategies and advance economic development goals. Eligible uses of funds include design and construction of projects such as water and sewer system improvements, industrial parks, workforce training facilities, business incubators and accelerators, brownfield redevelopment, and technology based facilities.

EDA may award funds as a grant or as a cooperative agreement. The latter stipulates “substantial involvement” by the federal agency.

Eligibility
  • District organization
  • Indian tribe or a consortium of Indian tribes
  • State, county, city or other political subdivision of a state, including a special purpose unit of a state or local government engaged in economic or infrastructure development activities, or a consortium of political subdivisions
  • Institution of higher education or a consortium of institutions of higher education
  • Public or private nonprofit or association acting in cooperation with officials of a political subdivision of a state
Role In Creative Placemaking

These funding opportunities may be helpful to set the stage and build infrastructure for broader local or regional economic development strategies that include arts and culture. Artists might be involved in planning processes.

Match

Generally 50%, but may vary depending on economic conditions in target area

Previous

Public Works: Amarillo College makerspace – Amarillo, TX

Economic Adjustment Assistance: Friends of Chennault Aviation & Military Museum – Monroe/Quachita County, LA

Role in Creative Placemaking

This section represents our attempt to capture how this specific funding opportunity might fit into a placemaking initiative.

Eligibility

Who can apply? Eligibility is often limited, but in partnership with other entities you may identify an access point, such as subgrant opportunities. This information can help you determine which potential partners in your community might be able to access the funds.

Previous Projects/Grantees

These examples show how these funds have been used for creative or placemaking endeavors in the past, the types of organizations that have successfully accessed the funds and/or the types of activities for which the funds can be used.

Max Award

Maximum funding amounts can vary from year to year. We have provided the most recent information available. Where available, we also include a median or a range in cases in which the maximum is not typical of an average award.

Match Requirement

Most federal programs require some form of cost sharing. This is expressed differently for different agencies and programs. Sometimes a direct 1:1 match is specified. Other times, the application will state the maximum percentage of a project cost that the funding award can cover. We include this information, where available, in order to give you a sense of what to expect when applying for a particular funding program.

Compliance

Most federal funding programs will require financial and progress reports at least annually, along with a final report. We consider this to be a "moderate" compliance burden. Where a higher degree of data collection and reporting is indicated, we convey that information with a "substantial" rating.