BUILD TO SCALE

 

Entrepreneurs, especially technology entrepreneurs, flourish in healthy ecosystems. Technology-based economic development (TBED) grows ecosystems in which entrepreneurs can build and scale technology-driven businesses, which in turn create high-skill and high-wage jobs, economic opportunity, and the industries of the future. EDAs Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIE) awards grants through the Build to Scale (B2S) Program to foster technology-based ecosystems,1 to advance the growth of connected, innovation-centric economies that accelerate technology, and to enable commercialization to increase regional and global competitiveness.

Active 11.024 Economic Development Administration, Department of Commerce B - Project Grants Not applicable. Public Law 116th Congress-Pub. L 116-92, sec. 1742, 133 Stat. 1837
The statutory authority for the Build to Scale Program is Section 27 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980, as amended (most recently by the National Defense Authorization Act for 2020, Pub. L 116-92, sec. 1742, 133 Stat. 1837 (December 20, 2019)), 15 U.S.C. § 3722. The regulations governing the Build to Scale Program are located at subparts A and B of 13 C.F.R. part 312., Title 15 USC, Part Chapter 63, Section 27 Entities that are eligible for funding include: o a State; o an Indian tribe; o a city or other political subdivision of a State; o an entity whose application is supported by a State or a political subdivision of a state and that is-- o a nonprofit organization; o an institution of higher education; o a public-private partnership; o a science or research park; o a Federal laboratory; o a venture development organization; or o an economic development organization or similar entity that is focused primarily on improving science, technology, innovation, or entrepreneurship; or o a consortium of any of the aforementioned entities. EDA is not authorized to provide grants to individuals or other entity types that are not eligible under this NOFO, and such requests will not be considered for funding. If an organization is currently implementing an OIE award (i.e., under a prior-year Build to Scale or Regional Innovation Strategies program funding opportunity) and submitting an application to the same or successor challenge under this NOFO, EDA will not consider that application for award unless all activities under the existing award, including but not limited to final reporting requirements, are completed and submitted to EDA prior to October 1, 2023. Not applicable. Venture Challenge Build applicants o should pilot a solution to a demonstrated need or implement a proven solution to a demonstrated need in a new region or community; o must demonstrate a commitment and ability to achieve, measure, and share data that support agreed upon impacts; o may request up to $750,000 over the period of performance (expected to be approximately three years); and o must provide a 1:1 match. Venture Challenge Scale applicants o should scale an existing initiative that has demonstrated prior success based on empirical evidence; o must have a proven track record of successful deployment of programs; o must demonstrate a commitment and ability to achieve, measure, and share data that support agreed upon program effects to accelerate technology-based economic development strategies; o must request more than $750,000 and may request up to $2,000,000 over the period of performance (expected to be approximately three years); and o must provide a 1:1 match. Capital Challenge Form applicants o should identify, educate, and connect investors and other potential sources of equity-based capital (whether traditional, hybrid, or new structures) within a regional technology cluster; o should identify sources of potential investments (i.e., dealflow) and build capacity to conduct due diligence and close investment deals; o must demonstrate a commitment and ability to achieve, measure, and share data that support agreed upon effects; o may request up to $400,000 over the period of performance (expected to be approximately three years); and o must provide a 1:1 match. Capital Challenge Deploy applicants o should raise and deploy equity or equity-based capital, whether through traditional or hybrid models, within a regional technology cluster via a fund or other collaborative investment framework; o should deploy investment capital into technology startups based on an investment thesis that clearly supports and fosters the growth of a regional technology cluster and its entrepreneurship ecosystem; o must not use B2S funding or matching share as investment capital but instead to operate or support one or more investment vehicles; o should assess companies for high-growth potential as a central factor of their investment strategy; o must demonstrate a commitment and ability to achieve, measure, and share data that support agreed upon effects; o must request more than $400,000 and may request up to $750,000 over the period of performance (expected to be approximately three years); and o must provide a 1:1 match. Preapplication coordination is required. This program is eligible for coverage under 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, if the State has selected the program for review. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. https://www.eda.gov/funding/programs/build-to-scale EDA staff will conduct an eligibility and technical completeness review (the "Technical Review") of all applications received by the application deadline. Applications received from ineligible entities will not be considered for funding. Applications that do not contain all forms and required documentation listed in section of this NOFO may be deemed non-responsive and excluded from further consideration. EDA expects all applications to complete and include all required forms and documentation. However, EDA, in its sole discretion, may determine that an omission is curable and therefore may continue its consideration of the application despite the deficiency. Technical Review will be conducted separately for each application for each competition. Merit Reviewers will evaluate applications against the evaluation criteria. Each application will be reviewed by at least three Merit Reviewers. Merit Reviewers may include, but are not limited to, DOC and EDA personnel and other federal and non-federal subject matter experts. EDA, in its sole discretion, may use a statistical technique to normalize, aggregate, and group Merit Reviewers' quantitative evaluations (i.e., scores) and may consider qualitative Merit Reviewer evaluation information. For each competition, the most highly ranked applications will be recommended to the Grants Officer as the applications that merit consideration for EDA funding. The most highly ranked applications under this NOFO will be forwarded to the Grants Officer, which EDA anticipates will be the Director of OIE. Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines From 90 to 120 days. Not applicable. Not applicable. Throughout the review and selection process, EDA, at its sole discretion, may seek clarification, including but not limited to written clarifications and corrected or missing documents, from applicants whose applications are being reviewed and considered and require that applicants provide such clarifications or corrections to continue to be considered for an award under this NOFO. EDA will provide applicants a reasonable amount of time to provide any additional documentation. An applicant's failure to provide complete and accurate supporting documentation in a timely manner when requested by EDA may result in the removal of that application from consideration. Applications to all competitions under this NOFO will be reviewed against the following criteria. Merit Reviewers will respond to prompts for each criterion by indicating the extent to which they agree with the statement as it applies to an application, from "strongly disagree" (1 point) to "strongly agree" (5 points): Summary of Criteria Leveraging Ecosystem Resources and Assets - 15% Proposed Solution and Implementation - 30% Capacity and Feasibility - 15% Likelihood of Growing Innovation Economies - 20% Continued Effects - 5% Equity - 15% Venture Challenge Build applicants • should pilot a solution to a demonstrated need or implement a proven solution to a demonstrated need in a new region or community; • must demonstrate a commitment and ability to achieve, measure, and share data that support agreed upon impacts; • may request up to $750,000 over the period of performance (expected to be approximately three years); and • must provide a 1:1 match. Venture Challenge Scale applicants • should scale an existing initiative that has demonstrated prior success based on empirical evidence; • must have a proven track record of successful deployment of programs; • must demonstrate a commitment and ability to achieve, measure, and share data that support agreed upon program effects to accelerate technology-based economic development strategies; • must request more than $750,000 and may request up to $2,000,000 over the period of performance (expected to be approximately three years); and • must provide a 1:1 match. Venture Challenge Ignite applicants • may be establishing new partnerships across sectors, industries, and organizational types to build capacity; • may be conducting community needs audits and assessments to develop a comprehensive technology-based economic development strategy for the region; • may be establishing governance and other formal agreements and structures among partners and identifying regional TBED champions; • may be establishing a new or reimagined commercialization and technology transfer function; • may request up to $300,000 over the period of performance (expected to be approximately 18-24 months); and • must provide a 1:1 match. Capital Challenge Form applicants • should identify, educate, and connect investors and other potential sources of equity-based capital (whether traditional, hybrid, or new structures) within a regional technology cluster; • should identify sources of potential investments (i.e., dealflow) and build capacity to conduct due diligence and close investment deals; • must demonstrate a commitment and ability to achieve, measure, and share data that support agreed upon effects; • may request up to $400,000 over the period of performance (expected to be approximately three years); and • must provide a 1:1 match. Capital Challenge Deploy applicants • should raise and deploy equity or equity-based capital, whether through traditional or hybrid models, within a regional technology cluster via a fund or other collaborative investment framework; • should deploy investment capital into technology startups based on an investment thesis that clearly supports and fosters the growth of a regional technology cluster and its entrepreneurship ecosystem; • must not use B2S funding or matching share as investment capital but instead to operate or support one or more investment vehicles; • should assess companies for high-growth potential as a central factor of their investment strategy; • must demonstrate a commitment and ability to achieve, measure, and share data that support agreed-upon effects; • must request more than $400,000 and may request up to $750,000 over the period of performance (expected to be approximately three years); and • must provide a 1:1 match. Performance Reports: All recipients are required to submit progress reports and financial status reports generally no less than semi-annually, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the grant award. In addition, all recipients will be required to track and submit performance data on EDA-sponsored outputs and resulting outcomes, semi-annually and annually, respectively. All reports must be submitted in electronic format as specified in the terms of the award. As part of its administration of the Build to Scale program, EDA may conduct program evaluations. If so, EDA may share performance data with evaluators, and recipients of grants under this program may need to furnish additional data to evaluators, including but not limited to EDA staff and outside parties contracted by EDA. EDA may also, for research purposes linked to improving economic outcomes, choose to share data with other federal partners, including but not limited to statistical agencies. Recipients of an EDA award will be bound by the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance) as set forth in 2 C.F.R. part 200. All financial and programmatic records, supporting documents, statistical reports, and other records of recipients or sub-recipients are required to be maintained by the terms of the grant agreement. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching is mandatory. 50%. Applicants must provide matching share equal to at least 50 percent of the total project cost.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. EDA may award grants to eligible applicants to support project activities. Periods of performance are dependent on the type of project and the scope of work of the grant award. EDA anticipates awards will typically have an initial period of performance of approximately three (3) years, with Venture Challenge Ignite having an expected period of performance of 18-24 months; all competitions under this NOFO have an anticipated start date of November 1, 2023 (subject to change). Reimbursement https://www.eda.gov/funding/programs/build-to-scale Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
1401 Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20230 US
oie@eda.gov
Phone: 2024828001 https://www.eda.gov/funding/programs/build-to-scale 13-2050-0-1-452 (Project Grants (Cooperative Agreements)) FY 22$45,000,000.00; FY 23 est $50,000,000.00; FY 24 est $50,000,000.00; FY 21$38,000,000.00; FY 20$33,000,000.00; FY 19$23,500,000.00; - EDA has been appropriated $50 million for grants authorized by section 27 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980, pursuant to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. The funding periods and funding amounts referenced in this notice are subject to the availability of funds at the time of award as well as to DOC and EDA priorities at the time of award. DOC and EDA will not be held responsible for application preparation costs. Publication of this announcement does not obligate DOC or EDA to make any specific grant award or to obligate all or any part of available funds. Funding for the Venture Challenge is available at three levels: Build, Scale, and Ignite. Venture Challenge Build applicants may request up to $750,000 over the period of performance, and Venture Challenge Scale applicants must request more than $750,000 and may request up to $2,000,000 over the period of performance. EDA expects the period of performance for these two levels to be approximately three years. Venture Challenge Ignite applicants may request up to $300,000 over the period of performance, which EDA expects will be approximately 18 to 24 months. Funding for the Capital Challenge is available at two levels: Form and Deploy. Capital Challenge Form applicants may request up to $400,000, and Capital Challenge Deploy application must request more than $400,000 and may request up to $750,000 over the period of performance, which EDA expects will be approximately three years unless the applicant clearly justifies a shorter or longer period of performance and EDA accepts that justification. Although Capital Challenge applicants should operate investment vehicles that raise equity or equity-based capital and deploy that capital into scalable technology businesses, funding must primarily support operational and programmatic costs and may not be used as investment capital. EDA has been appropriated $50 million for grants authorized by section 27 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980, pursuant to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. The funding periods and funding amounts referenced in this notice are subject to the availability of funds at the time of award as well as to DOC and EDA priorities at the time of award. DOC and EDA will not be held responsible for application preparation costs. Publication of this announcement does not obligate DOC or EDA to make any specific grant award or to obligate all or any part of available funds. Funding for the Venture Challenge is available at three levels: Build, Scale, and Ignite. Venture Challenge Build applicants may request up to $750,000 over the period of performance, and Venture Challenge Scale applicants must request more than $750,000 and may request up to $2,000,000 over the period of performance. EDA expects the period of performance for these two levels to be approximately three years. Venture Challenge Ignite applicants may request up to $300,000 over the period of performance, which EDA expects will be approximately 18 to 24 months. Funding for the Capital Challenge is available at two levels: Form and Deploy. Capital Challenge Form applicants may request up to $400,000, and Capital Challenge Deploy application must request more than $400,000 and may request up to $750,000 over the period of performance, which EDA expects will be approximately three years. 13 CFR part 312 - Regional Innovation Program Fiscal Year 2020 https://www.eda.gov/oie/historical/