Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program

 

The Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program (Recompete Pilot Program) aims to alleviate persistent economic distress and support long-term, comprehensive economic development and job creation in places with a high prime-age (25 to 54 years) employment gap. In the execution of this goal, EDA will focus on creating and connecting people with good jobs.

Active 11.040 Economic Development Administration, Department of Commerce B - Project Grants Not applicable. Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980, Section 29, 15 U.S.C. § 3722b Eligible applicants under this NOFO include: (i) a unit of local government; (ii) the District of Columbia; (iii) a territory of the United States; (iv) a Tribal government; (v) political subdivisions of a State or other entity, including a special-purpose entity engaged in economic development activities; (vi) a public entity or nonprofit organization, acting in cooperation with the officials of a political subdivision of a State or other entity described in (v); (vii) an economic development district; and (viii) a coalition of any of the above entities that serve or are contained within an eligible geographic area. Not applicable. The following provides a complete list of documents required for a complete application for a Strategy Development Grant. (1) One Form SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance). (2) Letters of Support Letters evidencing the support of key partners in the execution of the Strategy Development Grant. If the applicant is a coalition, there should also be one letter from the coalition lead member that lays out that member's role. (3) One Project Narrative (not to exceed five 8.5x11-inch pages, with a minimum 12-point font and 1-inch margins) that discusses in detail all the requirements outlined in earlier sections of the NOFO, including addressing all the evaluation factors; identifies the relevant eligible geographic area through a report from the Mapping Tool (or by providing data showing eligibility if the geography is not reflected in the Mapping Tool) and the proposed service area; and the uses to which the applicant will put the funds if awarded. An optional service area list template is provided. If more than five pages of Project Narrative is submitted, only the first five pages will be reviewed. The Mapping Tool report and service area list template do not count toward the page limit. (4) One Form SF-424A (Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs). (5) One Strategy Development Budget Narrative that clearly identifies and justifies how funds in each line item of the budget (Form SF-424A) will be used to support the proposed project. The Budget Narrative should specifically address each budget line item, and the narrative total should match the total project costs listed in both the SF-424 question 18, line g, and SF-424A. An optional template budget narrative is provided. (6) One Form CD-511 (Certification Regarding Lobbying). (7) One Form SF-LLL (Disclosure of Lobbying Activities), if applicable. Form SF-LLL is only required if the applicant has reportable lobbying activities. (8) Indirect Cost Rate Documentation (If Applicable). (9) SPOC Documentation (if applicable). The following provides a complete list of documents required for consideration of a Recompete Plan for potential approval: (1) Letters of Support Letters evidencing the support each partner is committing to the Recompete effort. If the applicant is a coalition, there should also be one letter from the coalition lead member that lays out that member's role. (2) Recompete Plan (not to exceed 8 8.5x11-inch pages, with a minimum 12-point font and 1-inch margins) that identifies the relevant eligible area through a report from the Mapping Tool (or provides data showing eligibility if the geography is not reflected in the Mapping Tool) and the proposed service area, and addresses the six key Recompete Plan elements described in the NOFO. An optional service area list template is provided. If more than 8 pages of Project Narrative is submitted, only the first 8 pages will be reviewed. The Mapping Tool report and service area list template do not count toward the page limit. (3) One High-Level Recompete Plan Budget Narrative that clearly identifies its 3-8 proposed projects and high-level budget estimates for each project. An optional template budget narrative is provided. The Budget Narrative helps provide some of the information required in element #2 (strength of strategy and quality of investments) and does not count toward the 8-page limit for the Recompete Plan. (4) One Form CD-511 (Certification Regarding Lobbying). (5) One Form SF-LLL (Disclosure of Lobbying Activities), if applicable. Form SF-LLL is only required if the applicant has reportable lobbying activities. 2 CFR 200, Subpart E - Cost Principles applies to this program Preapplication coordination is not applicable. This program is excluded from coverage under 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. Strategy Development Grant applications recommended for funding and Recompete Plans recommended for approval that are also deemed fully compliant with applicable rules and regulations will be forwarded for final selection review and approval by the Grants Officer. The Grants Officer will select a portfolio of Strategy Development Grants to fund and Recompete Plans to approve based on the recommendations of the respective IRCs and the selection factors listed below. The final portfolio may differ from the recommendations of the respective IRCs to ensure the selection factors below are adequately met: i. The extent to which the application meets the overall objectives of section 29 of Stevenson-Wydler (15 U.S.C. ? 3722b); ii. The applicant's performance under previous Federal financial assistance awards, including whether the grantee submitted required performance reports and data; iii. The availability of program funding; iv. The extent to which the project is located in a geography that has experienced persistent economic distress; v. The extent to which the application includes a feasible plan that accounts for the specific needs of historically underserved areas and populations with a high likelihood that those populations will realize an equitable share of the project's benefits; and vi. To achieve balance in the portfolio geographically and across community types, underserved populations, industry focuses, and proposed interventions for areas experiencing different root causes to high unemployment and/or low labor force participation. The Grants Officer will prepare a final list of recommendations for funding and approved Recomplete Plans and document the rationale for his or her selections. Not applicable. From 90 to 120 days. Not applicable. Not applicable. a. Strategy Development Grant Review. All complete applications for Strategy Development Grants will undergo a two-step review. First, they will be reviewed by at least three individuals and scored against the below criteria. Fifteen points can be earned for each competitive factor listed below, with 60 points the maximum total that can be earned. (1) The extent to which the applicant demonstrates an understanding of the conditions that led to high prime-age employment gaps in the region and has a preliminary idea of the assets and potential interventions that could address the challenges (15 points); (2) The proposed activities' potential to prepare the region to identify and implement place-based interventions to increase prime-age employment opportunities, including among underserved workers (15 points); (3) The eligible entity's organizational and leadership capacity, including its capacity to engage necessary local partners inclusively and equitably and garner private-sector, public-sector, and philanthropic commitments (15 points); and (4) The extent to which the project budget is efficient and appropriate to the activities to be undertaken (15 points). EDA will sort the resultant scores into tiers of similarly scored applications, and top tiers will advance to a second level review by an investment review committee (IRC) of at least three reviewers who did not participate in the initial scoring. The IRC will review the awards collectively using the same criteria listed above as well as relevant selection criteria. Based on this group evaluation, the IRC will recommend to the Grants Officer which applications to fund and how to apply the selection factors. b. Recompete Plan Review. All Recompete Plans will undergo a two-step review. First, they will be evaluated by at least three reviewers and scored against the below criteria. Points can be earned for each competitive factor listed below, with 72 points the maximum total that can be earned: (1) Understanding of regional conditions and needs (15 points); (2) Strength of strategy and quality of potential investments (15 points); (3) Equity, inclusivity, accessibility, and diversity (15 points); (4) Regional assets (9 points); (5) Targeted geographic approach (9 points); and (6) Partnerships and potential commitments (9 points). EDA will sort the resultant scores into tiers of similarly scored applications, and top tiers will advance to a second level review by an IRC of at least three reviewers who did not participate in the initial scoring. The IRC will review the applications collectively using the same criteria listed above and relevant selection criteria. Based on this group evaluation, the IRC will recommend a list for the Grants Officer of recommended Recompete Plan approvals and how to apply the selection factors. Only applicants with approved Recompete Plans will be permitted to apply for Implementation funding under the forthcoming Recompete Pilot NOFO. “The Recompete Pilot Program will invest in distressed communities to create, and connect workers to, good jobs [2]in places that need them most. The program specifically targets distressed communities to spur a new chapter of opportunity in those areas. This includes, but is not limited to, areas where prominent industries have declined or disappeared, that were physically separated by highway construction, or that have endured decades of disinvestment. They may be urban, suburban, or rural, but they have low labor force participation rates that are holding back prosperity. EDA will run this competition in two phases through two separate Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs). In this Phase 1 NOFO, EDA will fund Strategy Development Grants and will approve Recompete Plans for certain regions. Applicants to this Phase 1 NOFO must choose whether they are pursuing a Strategy Development Grant, approval of a Recompete Plan, or both. Strategy Development Grants are funded. Recompete Plan approval, on the other hand, is unfunded, but is a prerequisite to applying to the Phase 2 NOFO. Under the Phase 2 NOFO EDA will award Implementation funding. Thus, if an applicant would like to compete for Implementation funding under the upcoming Phase 2 NOFO, it should at minimum apply for Recompete Plan approval under this Phase 1 NOFO (the applicant can also apply for a Strategy Development Grant if it so chooses). In a future Phase 2 NOFO, applicants with approved Recompete Plans will compete for funding for Implementation projects. EDA will provide technical assistance during the period between Phase 1 announcements and the Phase 2 application deadline to all applicants who receive Strategy Development Grants and/or whose Recompete Plans are approved. Building on the model developed in the Build Back Better Regional Challenge, as part of the two-phase competition, these applicants will have equal access to experts to improve the quality of their Phase 2 applications. EDA may reimburse pre-award project costs under this NOFO but only with advance approval by the Grants Officer. Under no circumstances will EDA or DOC be held responsible for application preparation expenditures, which are distinguished from pre-award project costs. It is DOC policy that funds may not be used to pay for management fees in excess of costs or profits, unless statutorily authorized. Additionally, the use of project funds to make equity or hybrid investments in businesses is not an allowable cost. Funds may not be used, directly or indirectly, as an offset for other funds, to support or oppose collective bargaining Performance Reports: All recipients are required to submit financial, performance, and impact reports in accordance with the terms and conditions of the grant award, generally no less than semi-annually. All project progress and financial reports must be submitted to the applicable EDA program officer in an electronic format to be determined at the time of award. Single or program-specific audits shall be performed in accordance with the requirements contained in the Uniform Guidance (see 2 C.F.R. part 200, Subpart F, "Audit Requirements"). The Uniform Guidance requires any non-Federal entity (i.e., non-profit organizations, including non-profit institutions of higher education and hospitals, States, local governments, and Indian Tribes) that expends Federal awards of $750,000 or more in the recipient's fiscal year to conduct a single or program-specific audit in accordance with the requirements set out in the OMB Uniform Guidance. Applicants are reminded that EDA or the DOC's Office of Inspector General also may conduct an audit of an award at any time. Not applicable. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching is . Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing. Matching requirements: Percent: Other. In general, Phase 1 Strategy Development grants will be awarded with a maximum 100% federal grant rate (i.e., no local match required). As there is no funding associated with Recompete Plan approval, there is no relevant federal grant rate or local matching requirement. Matching dollars are not required in Phase 1 or Phase 2. Matching dollars will be considered a competitive factor in Phase 2 but so will other complementary projects or initiatives that support the Recompete goals.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. Period of Performance: The period of performance for a given Phase 1 Strategy Development project may vary depending on the scope of work. EDA expects that most projects will range from 18 to 36 months. EDA expects that all projects will proceed efficiently and expeditiously. Reimbursement Applicants may contact EDA's regional offices - https://www.eda.gov/about/contact?q=/contact Recompete Program
U.S. Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Avenue, NW
Suite 71014
Washington, DC 20230 USA
Recompete@eda.gov
Phone: 2024825081 https://www.eda.gov/funding/programs/recompete-pilot-program 13-2050-1-1-452 (Cooperative Agreements (Discretionary Grants)) FY 22$0.00; FY 23 est $200,000,000.00; FY 24 est $200,000,000.00; - The 2024 President's Budget has requested $200 million in funding for the Recompete Pilot Program. Should funding be enacted to this effect, EDA will notify applicants through subsequent communication. Applicants to this Phase 1 NOFO must choose whether they are pursuing a Strategy Development Grant, approval of a Recompete Plan, or both. EDA anticipates approximately $6,000,000 to $12,000,000 in total being awarded in Phase 1 as Strategy Development Grants of between $250,000 and $500,000 each, and up to $750,000 only in rare circumstances. EDA expects to approve at least 20 Recompete Plans. Recompete Plan approval itself does not come with any funding although EDA may award a Strategy Development Grant to an applicant that also has its Recompete Plan approved. Recompete Plan approval also serves as a prerequisite to participating in Phase 2 of the competition and applying to the Phase 2 Implementation NOFO. Thus, if an applicant would like to apply for Implementation funding under the upcoming Phase 2 NOFO, it should apply for Recompete Plan approval under this Phase 1 NOFO. During Phase 2, EDA anticipates funding 4-8 Implementation Grants with grants to Local Labor Markets averaging approximately $50,000,000 and grants to Local Communities averaging approximately $20,000,000, though amounts for each awardee will depend on multiple factors, including depending on the type of intervention (e.g., in general, creating jobs is more costly than connecting people to existing jobs). NOFO Not applicable.