Opportunity Information: Apply for EDA HDQ ARPBBB 2021 2006976
The FY 2021 American Rescue Plan Act Build Back Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC) is a competitive funding opportunity run by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA), created to help U.S. regions recover from the economic harm caused by the coronavirus pandemic and to come out of that recovery stronger and more resilient. The program is aimed at places that experienced significant disruption and is built around the idea that long-term recovery is not just about replacing lost jobs, but about reshaping regional economies so they are more diversified, innovative, and better able to withstand future shocks. At its core, BBBRC is meant to support bold, coordinated regional strategies that can realistically transform an economy, rather than isolated, one-off projects.
The notice is structured as a two-phase competition, but the specific opportunity described here covers Phase 1 only, which focuses on concept proposals. In Phase 1, EDA plans to select roughly 50 to 60 regional coalitions, each organized under a lead institution, and provide them with technical assistance grants to refine their plans. These selected coalitions are treated as "finalists." The Phase 1 funding is meant to give regions the time, capacity, and expert support to turn a promising concept into a detailed, implementation-ready package. This includes shaping a cohesive economic development strategy, defining a targeted industry or set of related industries to scale, aligning partners, and developing a clear set of connected projects that together form a regional growth cluster.
If a coalition becomes a finalist and performs well in Phase 1, the intent is for that coalition to compete in Phase 2 for much larger implementation funding. In Phase 2, EDA anticipates funding about 20 to 30 of the finalist coalitions with awards typically ranging from $25 million to $75 million, with the possibility of awards up to $100 million in exceptional cases. Phase 2 funding is designed to pay for the collection of projects the coalition proposes, with grants going out to coalition members for those component projects. The emphasis is on a holistic package of investments that reinforce each other, such as workforce development aligned to employer needs, commercialization and entrepreneurship supports, infrastructure or facilities (including construction where appropriate), and other initiatives that help a strategic industry cluster expand and generate quality jobs.
For this Phase 1 opportunity, EDA expected to award up to $30 million total across all technical assistance grants, with individual Phase 1 awards capped at $500,000. The anticipated number of Phase 1 awards was about 55. While Phase 2 is not what applicants are applying for in this particular posting, the NOFO provides important context about scale and expectations: EDA envisioned individual component projects within a regional growth cluster often falling in the approximate range of $750,000 to $25 million, and noted that projects could be larger if warranted by the overall cluster strategy or the strength of the proposal. This framing signals that EDA wanted coalitions to think big and design packages that could move regional economic indicators, not just fund small pilot efforts.
Eligibility is broad and designed to support multi-organization regional partnerships. Eligible applicants include state and local governments (including counties and special districts), public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, federally recognized tribal governments, and nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions under that category). Because the program is coalition-based, the practical expectation is that regions assemble a group of partners that can collectively cover planning, training, industry engagement, project delivery, and long-term sustainability, even though a single lead institution submits the application and manages the award.
Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity from the Department of Commerce, and EDA indicated it could use grants and cooperative agreements as the funding instruments. The assistance is tied to CFDA number 11.307. The opportunity was created on July 22, 2021, and the original closing date for Phase 1 concept proposals was October 19, 2021. The award ceiling for this Phase 1 competition was $500,000 per award, reflecting the planning and technical assistance nature of the first phase rather than the larger buildout and implementation costs anticipated later.
Overall, the BBBRC Phase 1 concept proposal opportunity is best understood as an entry point into a larger, high-dollar regional transformation competition. Phase 1 is about proving that a region has a credible coalition, a compelling strategic industry focus, and a coherent, integrated plan that can be developed into a full-scale investment package. Regions that succeed in Phase 1 position themselves for Phase 2 funding that could underwrite major projects intended to accelerate cluster growth, expand opportunity for workers, and strengthen the economic resilience of the region for years beyond the immediate pandemic recovery period.Apply for EDA HDQ ARPBBB 2021 2006976
- The Department of Commerce in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2021 American Rescue Plan Act Build Back Better Regional Challenge" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.307.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jul 22, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 19, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 55 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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