The Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration

(EDA) leads the Economic Recovery Support Function (ERSF) under the 

National Disaster Recovery Framework. The ERSF integrates Federal 

Government expertise and resources after large scale and catastrophic 

disasters. This assistance, provided to State, Local, Tribal and Territorial 

(SLTT) governments and the private sector, sustains and rebuilds 

businesses and employment, develops new economic opportunities, and 

achieves more economically sustainable and resilient communities. 

ERSF Interagency partnership Goals/Objectives

1. Showcase innovative economic recovery/resiliency funding, research, 

and practices - to enable cross-promotion of economic recovery 

assistance and to remove barriers that impede access to federal 

economic recovery resources

2. Promote successful collaborations– to scale up innovation and impact 

by helping to align and leverage federal resources 

3. Identify program/policy barriers and proposed solutions – to prevent 

duplication of benefits and coordination challenges 

4. Increase opportunities to advance equity in disaster activities.

ERSF Working Group Activities/Deliverables 

• Develop and deepen interagency relationships that help identify 

resources to assist heavily impacted industries and sectors

• Cross-promote federal assistance programs to stakeholders at the 

regional and national levels

• Develop and disseminate crosswalks to coordinate resources

• Identify and mitigate barriers to accessing resources

• Coordinate program or policy solutions

• Document successful federal interagency collaboration, including any 

resulting co-investment of multiple federal resources.

Recent Collaboration Successes

Hurricanes Laura and Delta (Southwest LA, Winter 2021). ERSF’s first 

fully virtual mission assignment brought timely support to a regional 

economy crippled by storm damage and compounded by the COVID-19 

pandemic. USDA served alongside EDA, under the ERSF banner, bringing 

deep information about on-the ground impacts to the agricultural industry. 

ERSF partners, SBA, NOAA, NTIA, ITA contributed expertise and 

assistance on small businesses, fisheries, tourism, broadband, and disaster 

resilience, helping the beleaguered counties build back better. A series of

ERSF-led workshops connected local organizations to federal program 

specialists, and guided communities to funding streams best suited to 

priority issues, preparing them to complete applications for recovery 

funding, including the federal American Rescue Plan Act funding, as it 

becomes available. 

Arts and Culture Industry Recovery (Northeast Region, COVID-19) – Given the severe impacts caused by the 

pandemic to the arts and culture industry, EDA invited the National Cultural Resources RSF to join the Economic 

Recovery Working Group, and quickly began working together on a jointly hosted, EDA-NEA Arts Industry Listening 

Session that brought 18 state arts agencies together with regional Economic Development Districts and the Heritage 

Emergency National Task Force, to share needs and to learn about arts-related funding. NEA continues to be a valued 

contributor to economic recovery solutions, presenting at regional Tribal Roundtables and sharing resources available to 

promote diversified, entrepreneurial local economies through cultural arts, tourism and creative placemaking.

ERSF Working Group Members

(Primary)

• Small Business Administration (SBA)

• US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

• Federal Emergency Management 

Administration (FEMA)

-Department of Homeland Security

-CISA

• Department of Labor (DOL)

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

• Treasury/Internal Revenue Service

(IRS)

• Health and Human Services (HHS)

-Health and Social Services (HSS)

Support Agencies

• Housing and Urban Development

(HUD)

• Department of the Interior (DOI) 

-Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)

• National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

• Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA)

• AmeriCorps

• Department of Transportation (DOT)

• Delta Regional Authority

• US Department of State

Other DOC Bureaus

▪ Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)

▪ Census (Census COVID Portal)

▪ International Trade Administration (ITA)

National Travel and Tourism Office

▪ Minority Business Development 

Administration (MBDA)

▪ National Institute of Standards and 

Technology (NIST)

▪ National Oceanic & Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA)

▪ National Telecommunications and 

Information Agency (NTIA)

EDA Economic Development Integration 

(EDI) Disaster Recovery/ERSF Contacts

▪ Naomi Friedman, National Coordinator, 

nfriedman@eda.gov; 202-510-4766

▪ Dwen Chester, Management & 

Program Analyst, dchester@eda.gov; 

202-579-3538

OVERVIEW: Interagency Economic Recovery Support Function Working Group