Yesterday, the Obama administration made funding available for the Make it in America Challenge, announced by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA). The Make it in America Challenge aims to encourage foreign and domestic businesses to build and/or expand their operations in the United States.
The Make it in America Challenge will provide $40 million in competitive grant funding through the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) and National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP), and the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA). Below is more information about the Make It in America Challenge, including application and evaluation criteria, as well as additional resources.
Competitive applicants will propose projects that accelerate job creation by:
- Encouraging insourcing of productive activity by U.S. firms
- Fostering increased foreign direct investment
- Incentivizing U.S. companies to keep or expand their businesses—and jobs—here at home
- Training local workers to meet the needs of those businesses.
An informational webinar for the Make it in America Challenge is available for viewing at http://manufacturing.gov/make_it_in_america.html.
Winning applicants will be selected by an interagency panel, which will evaluate applications based on the proposed project’s ability to satisfy the following six criteria:
1. The project’s ability to promote at least one of the following, including:
a. Insourcing of productive activity by U.S. firms;
b. Increased foreign direct investment;
c. Retention and growth of U.S. businesses and jobs;
2. Development of a highly skilled and diverse American workforce that moves new and current workers up and along career pathways with measurable outcomes, especially skills training completed and entered employment
3. The project’s sustainability/durability
4. Soundness of approach and applicant’s organizational capacity in terms of building regional public-private partnerships and attracting necessary resources
5. The project’s alignment with a relevant strategic economic or business growth plan
6. The project’s anticipated economic and workforce development impacts, with measurable outcomes; especially jobs created/retained and private-sector investment leveraged
The deadline to submit an application is May 31, 2013. For more information about applying, visit the additional resources below. Or contact makeitinamerica@eda.gov for general questions.
Additional Make it in America Challenge Resources
Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO)
Applicant Guide/Document Checklist
