This week our guest blog comes from our friends at Congresswoman DelBene’s office. They write:
Below are some resources that may be helpful for the businesses served by the GSBA. The constituent will ultimately be in a better position to determine what assistance programs (if any) are available for their situation, based on an understanding of the funding process and discussions with each program’s personnel.
Department of Agriculture (USDA)
The Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program “provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial, or business undertakings.
Funds can be used to purchase, construct, and / or improve essential community facilities, purchase equipment and pay related project expenses.
Examples of essential community facilities include:
- Health care facilities such as hospitals, medical clinics, dental clinics, nursing homes or assisted living facilities
- Public facilities such as town halls, courthouses, airport hangars or street improvements
- Community support services such as child care centers, community centers, fairgrounds or transitional housing
- Public safety services such as fire departments, police stations, prisons, police vehicles, fire trucks, public works vehicles or equipment
- Educational services such as museums, libraries or private schools
- Utility services such as telemedicine or distance learning equipment
- Local food systems such as community gardens, food pantries, community kitchens, food banks, food hubs or greenhouses “
Economic Development Administration (EDA)
The EDA provides a variety of funding avenues for communities seeking to expand local economic opportunities, which could include technical assistance and business development activities. EDA administers approximately ten core programs that fund a range of activities in both urban and rural areas—primarily through competitive processes that solicit community-directed proposals aligned with the agency’s investment priorities. The major EDA programs include: Build to Scale, Economic Adjustment Assistance, Local Technical Assistance, Planning, Public Works, Research and National Technical Assistance, Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Apprenticeships, Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms (TAAF), and University Centers. Detailed information about the agency’s programs is here and the current Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) are listed here.
- The Economic Adjustment Assistance program may be of particular interest since it is EDA’s most flexible program and offers a wide range of assistance.
- Your constituent can contact the state or regional EDA representative or the economic development district (EDD) to discuss the projects and the EDA program guidelines – see contact information below. Also, see EDA’s Economic Development Directory (EDD) for Washington State.
- Eligible applicants for most EDA programs include EDA-designated district organizations; Indian Tribes; states, counties, cities, or other political subdivisions of a state, including special purpose units of state or local government engaged in economic or infrastructure development activities; institutions of higher education; public or private non-profit organizations acting in cooperation with officials of a political subdivision of a state. The GSBA may wish to contact the EDA’s representative to discuss its eligibility for EDA programs, or to discuss a potential EDA project idea. Here is the contact information for the Economic Development Representatives for Washington State:
- Wesley Cochran
Economic Development Representative
Phone: (206) 561-6646
Email: jcochran@eda.gov
Small Business Administration (SBA)
Many SBA programs provide technical and credit assistance for small businesses—see programs listed in the section for businesses served by the GSBA (below). However, the following program may be of interest to the GSBA, and the businesses they serve:
- The SBA offers a Growth Accelerator Fund competition for the nation’s most innovative and promising small business accelerators and incubators. While nonprofits are not able to compete directly, they can be a consultant or subcontractor to a for-profit applicant. This is also referenced on the SBIR website. For more information, this CRS Report which discusses the SBA Growth Accelerator Fund.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)
Constituents may inquire about possible federal HUD CDBG funding, which can support a wide range of activities, including economic development assistance for businesses. CDBG funds are awarded to states, local governments, and insular areas. These grantees have some flexibility in administering CDBG funds. See contacts for Washington state here.
Department of Justice (DOJ)
Security cameras for private entities do not appear to be explicitly covered by the DOJ, and the grants cycle for the year is nearing its end for some of the programs we mention below. However, your constituent may wish to plan for next year and discuss their situation with Washington State Administering Agencies of the DOJ grants to inform those plans.
Community-based Approaches to Prevent and Address Hate Crime “supports comprehensive community-based approaches to addressing hate crimes that promote community awareness and preparedness, increase victim reporting, and improve responses to hate crimes. The program is also designed to develop community-informed models for preventing and responding to hate speech and incidents, as well as facilitating reconciliation and community healing.”
Community Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative Site-Based “seeks to prevent and reduce violent crime in communities by supporting comprehensive, evidence-based community-based violence intervention and prevention programs.”
“The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program is the leading source of federal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions. The JAG Program provides states, tribes, and local governments with critical funding necessary to support a range of program areas including law enforcement, prosecution, indigent defense, courts, crime prevention and education, corrections and community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, planning, evaluation, technology improvement, and crime victim and witness initiatives and mental health programs and related law enforcement and corrections programs, including behavioral programs and crisis intervention teams.”
Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
CRS In Focus: The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program
Select Federal Resources for the Businesses Served by the GSBA
The following resources may be of interest to the businesses served by the GSBA because they support credit assistance (loans) and/or technical assistance.
This CRS In Focus: Connecting Constituents with Federal Assistance for Businesses (IF12449) (available to the public here) includes a summary of selected federal resources available to businesses meeting the general eligibility requirements.
In addition to the programs included in this CRS In Focus, we also identified the following programs you may wish to explore:
- Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) partnerships and DHS contracting opportunities
- The SBA helps women entrepreneurs launch new businesses and compete in the marketplace through programs including counseling, federal contracts, access to credit and capital, and training. You may wish to contact the Office of Women’s Business Ownership (OWBO).
Here are a few general resources that are Washington state-specific.
- The local SBA district office (Seattle District).
- State agencies are often involved in administering grants and incentives for economic development programs and coordinating regional and state activities. The Washington State Department of Commerce is a state economic development organization that may be a resource for additional assistance, incentives, referrals, or loan options.
The Grants and Federal Assistance resource page on CRS.gov lists resources that may assist with grant work.
The following CRS Reports may also be of interest:
- Federal Resources for State and Local Economic Development, available to the public here.
- How to Develop and Write a Grant Proposal, available to the public here.
- Resources for Grantseekers, available to the public here.