EDA’s Public Works Program funds the construction, expansion, or upgrade of public infrastructure and facilities. The Economic Adjustment Assistance program funds projects, such as long-term disaster recovery and resiliency plans and upgrades that make infrastructure more resilient, that address diverse economic development needs and prioritize local and regional stakeholders.

Allows in-kind services to contribute toward nonfederal cost share requirements

Application cycle: EDA opened applications in March 2023 and will accept applications on a rolling basis.

Summary: Rural and urban communities implementing resilience measures to mitigate both future disaster-related infrastructure losses and existing adverse economic impacts from flooding can take advantage of the Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Public Works (PA) and Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) programs. The PW program supports the construction, expansion, or upgrade of public infrastructure and facilities, while the EAA program flexibly supports the design and implementation of strategies to help communities that have experienced or are under threat of serious damage to their underlying economic base.

Eligible applicants: State, county, city or other political subdivision of a State, Indian Tribes, Economic Development Districts, institution of higher education, public or private nonprofit organization acting in cooperation with a political subdivision of a State.

Eligible activities: Supports construction and development of public works facilities, industrial parks and incubators, water and sewage system improvements (under both the PW and EAA programs), non-construction, technical assistance, and revolving loan fund projects (under the EAA program). For example, Arcadia, Wisconsin (population 3,000), received a $4.3 million grant to mitigate the impact of repetitive flooding on local businesses through improvements to local stormwater systems. Examples of eligible resilience activities include efforts to:

• Diversify a region’s economic base, such as by creating jobs in industries that help communities recover from and become more resilient to disasters.
• Engage the community in comprehensive planning to define and implement a collective vision for economic recovery and resiliency.
• Build local capacity, such as through recovery/resiliency coordinators.
• Conduct vulnerability assessments to identify disaster risks to economic assets, infrastructure, and industry and businesses, and planning, design, and construction projects to reduce these risks.
• Plan, design, and ultimately place industrial parks and critical economic development infrastructure in more resilient locations.

Funding: 

• $150,000 to $2.5 million for Economic Adjustment Assistance awards, with an average award of $650,000.
• $600,000 to $5 million for Public Works awards, with an average award of $1.4 million.

Cost share: 

• 50% federal / 50% local.
• EDA may increase the federal share up to 80%, based on the relative needs of the region where the project is located in accordance with EDA’s regulations; EDA may allow a federal share up to 100% for Indian tribes, and for States, political subdivisions of a State, or nonprofit organizations that can demonstrate they have exhausted their taxing and/or borrowing capacity.

Application process: 

• Most recent application cycle began March 14, 2023. EDA plans to accept applications on a rolling basis until all funds are obligated; there is no deadline for applications.
• For more information, visit EDA’s website.
• Applications are to be submitted through EDGE (sfgrants.eda.gov).
• More information can be found here. Search by CFDA numbers 11.307 (EAA program) and 11.300 (PW program).