Getting America Back to Work!

EDA Panelists:

 Alejandra Castillo, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development

 Dennis Alvord, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic 

Development, Chief Operating Officer

 Carolee Wenderoth, EDA Tribal Engagement Coordinator

 Riley O’Leary, Management and Program Analyst

 Eric Smith, Director, Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

 Susan Brehm, Regional Director, Chicago Regional Office

 Jeff Roberson, Chief Counsel 

Welcome to EDA’s Tribal Consultation

Helpful Hints

 EDA hopes to consult with Tribal Leaders or 

their direct proxies. Other Tribal 

organizations are welcome to view and 

listen to the presentations in a non- participatory role.

 If you would like to submit written questions 

or feedback for the panelists to address, 

please submit your question using the Q&A 

feature. You may submit anonymously if you 

so choose. 

 If you would like to verbally present your 

question or feedback please use the Raise 

Hand function and you will be prompted 

when it is your turn to present.

 This session will be recorded 

WWW.EDA.GOV • WWW.EDA.GOV/TRIBAL

EDA REGIONAL OFFICES : Atlanta • Austin • Chicago • Denver • Philadelphia • Seattle

EDA is seeking input regarding the design and implementation of two new programs authorized as part of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022: the Regional 

Technology and Innovation Hub Program (Tech Hubs) and the Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program (Recompete Pilot Program) as well as input on Disaster 

Supplemental Funding. EDA intends to release Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) for all three in the Spring of 2023. 

EDA also seeks specific consultation on an issue in the Recompete Pilot Program where the statutorily required dataset for Tribes does not exist and how to 

equitably account for Tribal populations in light of that constraint. 
Getting America Back to Work!

2023 Disaster Supplemental

Riley O’Leary

Management and Program Analyst, Office of Regional Affairs

WWW.EDA.GOV • WWW.EDA.GOV/TRIBAL

EDA REGIONAL OFFICES : Atlanta • Austin • Chicago • Denver • Philadelphia • Seattle
Getting America Back to Work!

2023 Disaster Supplemental

Coming Spring 2023

$500 Million

Infrastructure and longterm economic recovery 

projects

All FEMA-declared 

natural disasters in 

2021 & 2022

Details to come in NOFO

District Planning Orgs

Federally Recognized Tribes

State and local governments

Institutions of higher education

Public & Private non-profits

For-profit entities

Individuals

Funding Eligibility
Getting America Back to Work!

 Projects need to be in - or substantially benefit - a geography that was subject to 

a Presidentially-declared natural disaster that occurred in 2021 or 2022.

 A wide range of Economic Adjustment Assistance project types are eligible, 

including planning, workforce development, entrepreneurship, revolving loan 

funds, public works, and infrastructure projects.

 EDA encourages submissions based on long-term, regionally oriented, 

coordinated, and collaborative economic development or redevelopment 

strategies that foster economic growth and resilience.

 Any project that supports recovery from the declared natural disaster is eligible.

Eligible Projects
Getting America Back to Work!

 Planning for recovery and response to disasters: feasibility studies, 

disaster response strategies, design and engineering

 Restoring or enhancing economic infrastructure: broadband, energy, 

roads, water, and wastewater

 Support the creation of new businesses and jobs: incubators, industrial 

parks, technical assistance

 Facilitating access to private capital investments: revolving loan funds

Project Types
Getting America Back to Work!

 A connection to the disaster

 Derived from planning and coordination

 A detailed budget

 Defined project milestones, activities, and deliverables

 Support and input from relevant stakeholders

 Consistent information across application package

Submitting a strong application
Getting America Back to Work!

Please monitor EDA's website for more 

information regarding the FY 23 

Disaster Supplemental
Getting America Back to Work!

The Regional Technology & Innovation Hubs Program

Eric Smith

Director, Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

WWW.EDA.GOV • WWW.EDA.GOV/TRIBAL

EDA REGIONAL OFFICES : Atlanta • Austin • Chicago • Denver • Philadelphia • Seattle
What Is the Tech Hubs Program?

• The Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (“Tech 

Hubs”) Program is a new statutory authority that allows 

EDA to design and implement new programs:

PWEDA

42 U.S.C. § 3121 et 

seq.

Trade Adjustment 

Assistance

19 U.S.C. § 2341 et 

seq.

Regional 

Innovation Grants

15 U.S.C. § 3722

STEM 

Apprenticeships

15 U.S.C. § 3723
What Is the Tech Hubs Program?

• The Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (“Tech 

Hubs”) Program is a new statutory authority that allows 

EDA to design and implement new programs:

PWEDA

42 U.S.C. § 3121 et 

seq.

Trade Adjustment 

Assistance

19 U.S.C. § 2341 et 

seq.

Regional 

Innovation Grants

15 U.S.C. § 3722

STEM 

Apprenticeships

15 U.S.C. § 3723

Regional 

Technology & 

Innovation Hubs

15 U.S.C. § 3722a

Recompete Pilot

15 U.S.C. § 3722b
What Is the Tech Hubs Program?

• The new authority allows us to do three things:

Regional 

Technology & 

Innovation Hubs

15 U.S.C. § 3722a

designation

§ 28(d)

strategy 

development

§ 28(e)

strategy 

implementation

§ 28(f)
Consortia Structure

REQUIRED

institutes of higher ed

subnational / Tribal 

gov

econ dev orgs (sci, 

tech, inno, e’ship

focused)

industry or firms in rel. 

tech, inno, or mfg

sectors

labor or workforce 

training orgs

econ dev districts or ~

orgs ↑ underserved 

pops in sci, tech, inno, 

and e’ship

elem & 2ndary schools

national labs

venture dev orgs

employee ownership membership 

assocs; State / local employee 

ownerships and coop dev ctrs; fin 

insts and investment funds (incl. 

CDFIs, min dep insts); similar

mfg extension centers

federal labs

Mfg USA institutes

transpo planning orgs

cooperative extension 

services

orgs repping 

underserved 

communities in econ dev

institutions receiving 

NSF RIE awards

optional
$10 billion

Appropriation vs. Authorization

What we’ve been appropriated 

(i.e., the funding EDA can deploy 

for Tech Hubs as of now)

$500 

million

The program’s authorization level 

(i.e., the current maximum funding 

over the full life of the program)
RFI: We Want to Hear from You!

Open Now! What Input Are We Seeking?

EDA published the RFI on Feb. 

14. Responses to the Tech 

Hubs RFI are due by 5pm ET 

on Mar. 16.

All Program Aspects Including Design, Structure, and Evaluation

While the RFI poses specific questions, EDA welcomes all responses that 

stakeholders believe will support the development of a strong Tech Hubs program. 

Particular areas of interest include (but aren’t limited to) how EDA might—

structure a Tech Hubs 

program that will 

accelerate a region’s 

evolution into a global 

leader in an industry 

of the future that 

strengthens the region 

and U.S. economic 

and national security

select and define metrics 

for assessment of 

successful Tech Hubs

design a competitive, 

inclusive, and 

accessible selection 

process for Tech Hub 

designations that both 

support critical tech. 

and innovation sectors 

as well as geographic 

diversity

identify how federal 

designations and 

federal grants can be 

structured to maximize 

desired impacts of the 

Tech Hubs program
For all the details, see the statute at

15 U.S.C. § 3722a.

More information regarding the Tech 

Hubs RFI can be found on EDA’s website.
Getting America Back to Work!

The Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program

("Recompete Pilot Program")

Susan Brehm

Director, Chicago Regional Office

WWW.EDA.GOV • WWW.EDA.GOV/TRIBAL

EDA REGIONAL OFFICES : Atlanta • Austin • Chicago • Denver • Philadelphia • Seattle
What Is the Recompete Pilot Program?

• The Recompete Pilot Program is a new statutory authority

that allows EDA to design and implement a new program:

 Its purpose is to alleviate persistent economic 

distress and support long-term comprehensive economic 

development and job creation

PWEDA

42 U.S.C. § 3121 et 

seq.

Recompete Pilot

15 U.S.C. § 3722b
Tribes and Tribal Lands Are Eligible

 Tribal governments are specifically identified as eligible recipients

 Tribal lands are specifically called out as eligible geographic areas, 

including:

 Land located within the boundaries of an Indian reservation, pueblo, or 

rancheria; or

 Land not located within the above boundaries but for which title is held—

 In trust by the United States for the benefit of an Indian Tribe or an individual 

Indian;

 By an Indian Tribe or an individual Indian, subject to restriction against 

alienation under U.S. law; or

 By a dependent Indian community
$1 billion

Appropriation vs. Authorization

What we’ve been appropriated 

(i.e., the funding EDA can deploy 

for the Recompete Pilot Program 

as of now)

The program’s authorization level 

(i.e., the current maximum funding 

over the full life of the program)

$200 million
Calculating Maximum Grant Amounts

Difference, expressed as a percentage, 

between:

• National 5-year average prime-age 

employment rate AND

• 5-year average prime-age employment 

rate of the eligible area (i.e., Tribal 

lands)

Sum of:

• Total number of individuals ages 25-

54 living on Tribal land multiplied 

by 0.65; and

• Total number of individuals ages 25-

54 included on the membership roll of 

the Tribal government multiplied by 

0.35.

The Recompete statute states that grant amounts should be appropriate for the activities to be 

undertaken; it sets $20 million as a minimum over the full course of the program for implementation 

grants and establishes a formula for calculating maximum grant amounts (assuming program is fully 

funded, which it is not currently).

Prime-age employment gap x Tribal prime-age population x $70,585

Prime-Age Employment Gap Tribal Prime-Age Population
Open Question: How to Calculate Maximum Grant 

Amounts Without Access to the Underlying Data

• Number of Tribal members ages 25-54 living 

on Tribal land

• Number of Tribal members ages 25-54 on the 

membership roll

• Number of Tribal members ages 25-54 who are 

employed

*“data provided by the applicable Tribal government to the 

Department of the Treasury under the Coronavirus State 

and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund programs under title VI of 

the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 801 et seq.).”

What is the best approach to address 

this challenge (e.g., providing Tribes 

an opportunity to submit the missing 

data on a case-by-case basis to EDA, 

using another data source as a 

proxy)?

Maximum Grant = Prime-age employment gap x Tribal prime-age population x $70,585

Statute Requires Data That Do Not 

Exist* to Determine Maximum Grants Finding a Path Forward
RFI: We Want to Hear from You!

Open Now! What Input Are We Seeking?

EDA published the RFI on 

February 23. Responses are 

due by 5pm EST on March 27.

All Program Aspects Including Design, Structure, Evaluation, etc.

While the RFI poses specific questions, EDA welcomes all responses that 

stakeholders believe will support the development of a strong Recompete Pilot 

Program. Particular areas of interest include (but aren’t limited to) how EDA 

might—

• structure the program to ensure the impacts are shared broadly 

and equitably;

• determine the scale and types of economic development interventions that 

are most likely to advance the economy in an area with a high primeage employment gap;

• identify best practices for building local public capacity that would 

prepare local labor markets and communities for Recompete implementation 

and other future funding; and

• select and define metrics for assessment of successful 

Recompete communities.
For details, see the statute at

15 U.S.C. § 3722b.

More information regarding the 

Recompetes RFI can be found on EDA’s 

website.
Getting America Back to Work!

 What is the best approach to address this 

challenge?

• Should EDA provide Tribes an opportunity to submit the 

missing data on a case-by-base basis to EDA?

• Should EDA use another data source as a proxy? 

Discussion

• Please send written questions and comments via email to: EDAconsultations@eda.gov

• Please leave any phone voice messages at: 202-482-5479

• These platforms will be available until March 23, 2023.

• Details regarding the Tech Hubs and Recompetes RFIs can be 

found in the Dear Tribal Leader Letter, and on www.eda.gov

WWW.EDA.GOV • WWW.EDA.GOV/TRIBAL

EDA REGIONAL OFFICES : Atlanta • Austin • Chicago • Denver • Philadelphia • Seattle

Helpful Hints

 EDA hopes to consult with Tribal Leaders or 

their direct proxies. Other Tribal 

organizations are welcome to view and 

listen to the presentations in a non- participatory role.

 If you would like to submit written questions 

or feedback for the panelists to address, 

please submit your question using the Q&A 

feature. You may submit anonymously if you 

so choose. 

 If you would like to verbally present your 

question or feedback please use the Raise 

Hand function and you will be prompted 

when it is your turn to present.

 This session will be recorded