EDA Leads $35M Multi-Agency Initiative to Strengthen, Diversify Coal-Reliant Communities

Through the Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative, an effort among multiple federal agencies led by the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), up to $35.5 million in funding is now available to provide investments in communities and workers negatively impacted by changes in the coal industry and power sector. As the ways in which electricity is generated and used continue to change, workers in coal-reliant communities are heavily impacted by market, technological, and regulatory forces such as booming natural gas production, declining costs for renewable energy, increases in energy efficiency, flattening electricity demand, and updated clean air standards. The initiative seeks to attract projects from partnerships of regionally driven economic development and workforce development organizations with the intent of enabling grantees to build economic resilience, industry diversification, and promote new job creation opportunities. 

The Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) outlines the POWER Initiative implementation grant priorities, evaluation factors, and application guidance for the initiative, which include:

• Up to $12.5 million in funding from the EDA;
• Up to $20 million from Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA);
• Up to $2.5 million from the Small Business Administration; and,
• Up to $500,000 from the Appalachian Regional Commission.

According to the FFO, applicants are welcome to apply to any combination of funding from the above agencies. Those applicants with strong and diverse partnerships would best be suited to seek funding from multiple funding sources. The closing date for applications is July 10, 2015, and the ceiling for awards has been set at $1 million.

The POWER Initiative was announced in late March and intends to support several of the proposals laid out in the POWER+ Plan included in the president’s FY 2016 budget.  The EDA previously announced $3 million in planning assistance grants for the program. Furthermore, in conjunction with the National Association of Counties (NACo) and the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) Research Foundation, a new website, Resources for Transitioning Economies, has been created to assist those interested in diversifying and strengthening their local economies, with an emphasis on county and regional leaders in coal-reliant communities.