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Recompete Pilot Program

Supplemental Guide: Menu of Community Commitments

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVES

As part of Phase 2 of the Recompete Pilot Program, applicants will need to demonstrate that 

regional and community organizations are committed to providing the support necessary to 

ensure the program’s success. This document is meant to help applicants build successful 

“Community Commitments” throughout the competition to ensure that Recompete proposals are 

best positioned to create, and connect people to, quality jobs. 

“Community Commitments” are actions taken by individuals and organizations in the region 

to meaningfully improve the outcomes of the Recompete Plan in addition to the funding 

provided by the Department of Commerce’s (DOC) Economic Development Administration 

(EDA). Commitments can come in a variety of forms and should fit the needs and assets of a 

region. Strong commitments do not necessarily need to be financial commitments; they can 

include policy or programmatic actions and/or new, specific partnerships. 

As stated in the Phase 1 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), “Partnerships and potential 

commitments” will be assessed as a criterion for Recompete Plan approval and should be 

evidenced both through the application’s written Project Narrative and Letters of Support.

Specifically, Phase 1 applicants should indicate which local partners, if any, have committed or 

the applicant will ask to commit to supporting the Recompete effort. Note that a list of fully 

developed commitments is not expected in Phase 1 applications, and EDA anticipates that the 

quantity and quality of commitments will improve in Phase 2: 

“EDA anticipates all successful Phase 2 awardees will have credible, specific, and 

timely commitments to making such changes in their communities. While firm hiring 

commitments are critically important to reducing the Prime Age Employment Gap (PAEG) in 

a region, there are many other things firms, state and local governments, foundations, 

institutions of higher education, and others can do to improve local communities. Some of 

the most important ways a community can unlock economic opportunity is for the local 

public and private sector to operate differently and cooperatively. Phase 1 applicants 

should begin thinking about commitments, though fully developed and agreed upon 

commitments are not expected until Phase 2.” (NOFO page 15)

To support regions in securing commitments over the course of the competition, this document 

includes: 

1. Best practices in identifying and developing commitments across regional stakeholders; and

2. A sample list of potential commitments that applicants may consider requesting as they 

develop their approaches to closing the prime age employment gap.

Note that while the list presented below is meant to be a sample of potential commitments, it is 

in no way comprehensive, and applicants are encouraged to include the interventions that are 

most appropriate and applicable to their regional conditions and needs.
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1. BEST PRACTICES IN IDENTIFYING AND DEVELOPING COMMITMENTS

EDA encourages applicants to partner with the public, private, and philanthropic organizations in 

their regions that can best complement funded projects. When considering which organizations 

are best suited to support their proposals, applicants should consider the following elements 

that contribute to a good commitment:

a. New: A commitment should relate to activities that are new and would not have 

necessarily happened if not for the partnerships or initiatives established in the 

competition. Any organization willing to commit to supporting a project, policy change, or 

investment should articulate how its contribution differs from what would have happened 

under the status quo. 

b. Timely: Commitments should be time bound with a clear starting date and appropriate 

milestones. A strong commitment will have a well-defined and realistic timeframe for 

planned activities.

c. Targeted: Commitments should be specific and have clear, well-defined objectives. 

Ambiguous commitments lack accountability, and reasonable commitment details allow 

for greater believability.

d. Complementary: Commitments should complement the vision of the Recompete Plan 

and benefit the principles that underpin it, including equity. For example, commitments to 

hire should aim to expand the pool from which participants are hired, and where 

applicable support placement into good jobs in line with DOC’s Good Jobs Principles. 

e. Measurable: Commitments should have clear outcome metrics that can be measured 

with available information. Metrics of success should be collected early and on a regular 

basis to signal accountability. 

EDA will work with Phase 1 winners to support them in securing, honing, and improving their 

commitments to ensure maximum community impact. Again, in Phase 1 of the competition, 

applications should signal the organizations, if any, that are likely to be making commitments 

and the problems those commitments would aim to solve. 
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2. WAYS TO BEGIN THINKING ABOUT SAMPLE COMMITMENTS

When considering what types of commitments would be most impactful in a given region or 

community, applicants should consider the conditions behind their geographies’ PAEG. The 

sample starting points below are organized based on common challenges that regions may 

face. Commitments may come from a range of stakeholders, including but not limited to 

local government, philanthropies, major employers, workforce development providers, 

school systems, non-profits, labor unions, workforce development boards, and others. 

The commitments may be made by the applicant themselves and/or by partners through letters 

of support. Note that stakeholders do not have to be applicants or members of a coalition to be 

able to make meaningful commitments to a Recompete effort. 

As applicants begin to solicit commitments from community partners, they are encouraged to 

keep in mind the best practices in the section above. Note that the below are written as thought 

starters – EDA does not expect (or want) communities to directly replicate these examples, so 

these are purposefully written as programmatic and policy starting positions, not fully baked 

commitments aligned with the best practices above (new, timely, targeted, complementary, and 

measurable). 

Common Challenge #1: Prospective hires are seeking employment in the region but do 

not possess the skills employers require based on regional and industrial composition.

When thinking about commitments that could help with this challenge, consider which entities 

could:

• Provide input in the design of educational and workforce training programs and commit 

to hiring a set number of graduates within a defined timeframe.

• Work with other regional stakeholders (e.g., hospitals, universities, and local government 

entities) to identify areas of shared job demand, skills, and hiring pathways for those 

without a four-year degree. 

• Increase the use of skills-based competencies in the recruitment and hiring process to 

expand opportunities for traditionally underrepresented populations.

• Eliminate or reduce two- or four-year degree requirements for certain occupations.

• Host/co-invest in programs to reskill or upskill talent to meet current or projected regional 

skills needs, with a focus on distressed communities or underrepresented populations. 

• Increase opportunities for students and job seekers to receive career coaching and 

advising. 

• Partner with training providers, educational systems, unions, and other labor 

organizations to create accessible on and off ramps to training and employment. 

• Establish peer or career navigator models that prioritize no cost or low-cost access for 

participants.
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• Provide company personnel to serve as instructors and/or mentors for workforce training 

program participants, with an emphasis on historically excluded or underrepresented 

populations and/or geographies. 

• Repurpose underutilized infrastructure investments as experiential learning facilities to 

increase shared access to job-related equipment training programs, and/or provide 

equipment to training providers. 

• Partner with unions and other labor organizations to connect prospective talent with 

regional job training and support programs.

• Ease barriers to entry for certain types of jobs that are often held by self-employed 

people, such as simplifying occupational licensing requirements. 

• Improve training curricula by partnering with employers to align curriculum and KSAs 

(Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities) for career pathways within specific industries.

Common Challenge #2: Workers face personal, social, regulatory, or physical barriers to 

accessing or retaining employment.

When thinking about commitments that could help with this challenge, consider which entities 

could:

• Invest in regional wraparound and supportive services, networks, and providers through 

financial or in-kind investments, such as:

o Provide family-supportive services such as licensed child/long-term care and 

onsite health services.

o Offer flexible work schedules where appropriate for employees with caretaking 

responsibilities.

o Increase or improve access to public transportation through policies such as 

reduced or no-cost fares or expanded hours of operation.

o Increase affordable housing options through policies such as inclusive zoning, 

public housing, and subsidized rent.

o Partner with local and state benefits administrators to identify prospective training 

participants and their families that qualify for, but do not receive, benefits and 

increase participation (e.g., Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, 

Medicaid, Section 8 Housing Choice Program). 

o Provide counseling and/or other services for individuals with mental health or 

substance abuse issues.

• Increase job quality for entry level workers (e.g., via the DOC Job Quality Toolkit). 

• Increase outreach (and clearly articulate success) to traditionally underemployed 

populations, such as at-risk youth, formerly incarcerated people, and veterans. 
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• Create state or local incentives for employers to encourage more inclusive and equitable 

hiring.

• Commit to hiring individuals from a particular distressed neighborhood or geography into 

quality jobs.

• Host/co-invest in mentorship and networking programs that connect participants from 

distressed communities or targeted populations with business leaders and hiring 

opportunities, increasing participant professional networks, common skills, and 

advocates.

• Host/co-invest in paid earn-and-learn experiences, including Registered 

Apprenticeships, for individuals from a particular distressed neighborhood or geography

or provide financial support in other ways.

• Waive or supplement the cost of tuition, fees, training, and/or similar participant support 

services (e.g., software, textbooks, tools, or job-related equipment) to ensure participant 

success in classroom or on-the-job training.

Common Challenge #3: Local entrepreneurs and small businesses have difficulties in 

accessing capital, expanding their markets, finding inputs, or winning government 

contract bids.

When thinking about commitments that could help with this challenge, consider which entities 

could:

• Establish procurement policies to better support distressed communities and businesses 

owned by underrepresented populations.

• Host/co-invest in entrepreneurship skills training or resources to grow availability of 

talent from distressed communities. 

• Partner with financial institutions to assist with banking access for individuals in 

distressed communities.

• Partner with local business support centers (e.g., Minority Business Development 

Agency’s Business Centers) to provide outreach and technical assistance in new ways. 

• Provide no cost or low-cost legal assistance and technical assistance for individuals in 

distressed regions or communities. 

Common Challenge #4: There is a lack of local or regional capacity for economic 

development. 

When thinking about commitments that could help with this challenge, consider which entities 

could:

• Create and hire new leadership roles within public, private, and educational institutions 

focused on economic opportunity within distressed communities. 
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• Recognize or establish regional intermediaries, such as economic development districts, 

workforce development boards, chambers of commerce, or regional industry 

associations, that are accountable for strategic guidance and regional success.

• Encourage employer intermediaries (e.g., economic development districts, workforce 

development boards, unions, chambers of commerce) to facilitate the process of 

securing employer commitments to hire into quality jobs.