- Granting Agency: Economic Development Administration (EDA), U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC)
- Appropriation Amount: $2,500,000
- Grant Amount: Award Ceiling $1,500,000 (Recent awards averaged $200,000 to $500,000), no match, encourages cost sharing
- Announcement Date: June 9, 2021
- Closing Date: There are no submission deadlines under this NOFO. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the termination of this NOFO or publication of a superseding RNTA NOFO.
Purpose: Promote innovation and competitiveness, preparing American regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. Through its RNTA programs, EDA works towards fulfilling this mission by funding research, evaluation, and national technical assistance projects that promote competitiveness and innovation in distressed rural and urban regions throughout the United States and its territories. Such projects will support the DOC Strategic Plan (2018-2022) and the EDA Learning Agenda by providing analysis that supports evidence-based policy making consistent with the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (the Evidence Act).
Eligible Expenditures:
R&E investments may be awarded to:
• Evaluate the success of economic development programs, policies, and strategies for improving economic outcomes, including the priority research projects listed in the forthcoming EDA Learning Agenda;
• Research and evaluate topics or issues to improve the understanding of economic development principles, strategies, and concepts;
• Improve understanding of the causes of economic distress, entrenched poverty, underserved areas or populations, and distressed communities and provide effective strategies or recommendations for addressing the causes thereof;
• Develop innovative tools, measures and widely applicable data sets for studying economic development outcomes, principles, and policies; or
• Perform other activities determined by EDA to be appropriate under the R&E program.
NTA investments may be awarded to:
• Determine the causes of excessive unemployment, underemployment, low per capita income, outmigration, or other economic distress-related problems throughout the nation;
• Formulate and implement economic development tools, models, and innovative techniques that will alleviate or prevent conditions of economic distress;
• Formulate and implement economic development programs to increase regional and national capacity;
• Evaluate the effectiveness and economic impact of programs, projects, and techniques to alleviate economic distress and promote economic development;
• Disseminate information about effective programs, projects, and techniques that alleviate conditions of economic distress and promote economic development;
• Assess, market, and establish business clusters and associations; or
• Perform other activities determined by EDA to be appropriate under the NTA program.
Eligible Applicants: An Indian Tribe or a consortium of Indian Tribes; a State; a 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; an institution of higher education or a consortium of institutions of higher education; a public or private non-profit organization or association acting in cooperation with officials of a political subdivision of a State; a private individual; or a for-profit organization.