Administrative Agency:

Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA)

Program Goals:

To assist in the creation of public facilities needed to initiate and encourage the creation and retention of permanent jobs in the private sector in areas where economic growth is lagging behind the rest of the country and where there is significant economic distress.

Resource Provided:

Project investment grants.

Eligibility:

Applicants may be states, municipalities, Indian Reorganization Act or Traditional Village Councils, or non-profit organizations. Entities must be within a geographic area that has an approved Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).

Alaska Program Status:

There have been several major investments recently, including dock and harbor improvements in Bristol Bay, Dillingham, Gustavus, Haines, Homer, Hoonah, Nome, Petersburg, Seward, and Yakutat; Ketchikan shipyard shiplift; specialty fisheries processing facility in Valdez; and vocational training centers in Fairbanks, King Salmon (SAVEC), Sitka, Seward (AVTEC), and St. Mary's. A hydro project is being constructed in Atka in support of the fishing industry, and other recent electrical projects have taken place in Ketchikan and Petersburg. A recycling center in Palmer and publically-owned visitor industry investments, such as the Alaska Native Heritage Center and the Chilkat Indian Village Facility in Klukwan, are among EDA investments. These range from $200,000 to $5 million, though they are typically under $3 million.

Comments:

Project proposals are submitted to the Anchorage EDA office for review, then to the EDA Regional Office (combined Regions IX & X) for recommendation to Central Office for approval. There is a preference for high local match and low cost jobs. Alaska funding is usually in the range of $8 to $12 million annually. Grant requests should normally be no smaller than $500,000, should create or save at least one private sector job per $10,000 of federal grant, and should have as high a percentage of non-federal match as possible, often 50% or more. Major private sector partner investments that come as result of the EDA investment are a big plus.

Program Contact:  (Primary Contact listed first.)

Shirley Kelly
Economic Development Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
510 L Street, Suite 444
Anchorage, AK 99501
Phone: (907) 271-1439
Fax: (907) 271-2274
e-mail: skelly@eda.doc.gov

Berney Richert
Economic Development Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
510 L Street, Suite 444
Anchorage, AK 99501
Phone: (907) 271-2272
Fax: (907) 271-2273
e-mail: brichert@eda.doc.gov
Web site: http://www.eda.gov