White House Unveiled Winners of $1B Economic Development Challenge

September 2, 2022 by Dan McCue
White House Unveiled Winners of $1B Economic Development Challenge
The White House, July 9, 2021. (Photo by Dan McCue)

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday saluted the winners of the administration’s $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge, a contest intended to spur regional economic development while promoting job creation and the next generation of clean energy and biotechnology.

During remarks delivered in the South Court Auditorium of the Old Executive Office, Biden said the 21 awardees span 24 states and will receive between $25 million and $65 million to execute transformational projects and revitalize local industries. 

Projects include developing workforce training programs and connecting workers to jobs; providing support to family owned manufacturers to transition from traditional automotives to electric vehicles; establishing a digital finance sector to support small businesses in tribal communities; providing digital resources to small farms; and renovating and repurposing industrial buildings for new businesses.

Additionally, private sector companies and local organizations are investing an additional $300 million in these local projects.

“Since day one, President Biden has been laser-focused on ensuring that economic opportunity is delivered to all Americans, especially communities that have grappled with decades of disinvestment or suffered economic distress exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic,” said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo in a written statement. 

“As we invest and grow critical industries in the U.S., we want to create industry hubs in diverse communities across the country,” Raimondo continued. “These grants will provide critical and historic funding directly to community coalitions to invest in new infrastructure, research and development, and workforce development programs while creating good-paying jobs, supporting workers, and prioritizing equity.”

Equity was a key consideration for project finalists, with a focus on rural, tribal and coal communities, as well as communities facing high and persistent poverty, administration officials said. 

Funding awards include $87 million to two primarily tribal coalitions and, as part of EDA’s $300 million Coal Community Commitment, and over $150 million for projects serving energy communities impacted by the declining use of fossil fuels. 

These grants will support 236 rural counties, 136 persistent poverty counties, and 121 counties that include tribal areas.

In addition, over $270 million of the funding will be allocated to develop workforce training and development programs and place workers in jobs.

The Build Back Better Regional Challenge winners are:

The 21 BBBRC winners were chosen from 60 EDA-designated finalists that each received approximately $500,000 in funding and technical assistance to continue developing their cluster strategies. The funding for each coalition listed above is approximate, with the actual awards to be signed later in September. 

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and at https://twitter.com/DanMcCue.

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