Economic Development Districts – Community of Practice
In October 2022 with the support of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), the NADO Research Foundation (NADO RF) embarked on a five-year effort to build and nurture the Economic Development District Community of Practice (EDD CoP). Through the EDD CoP, NADO RF and its partners will provide tools, resources, and networking opportunities for EDD staff to strengthen organizational capacity and better guide regions towards becoming more competitive, resilient, and equitable.
Economic Development Districts (EDDs) are multi-jurisdictional planning and economic development agencies federally designated by EDA. There are nearly 400 EDDs across the country that encourage economic development planning and project implementation in distressed urban, suburban, and rural regions. EDDs open the door for local communities to grant and loan funding opportunities, administrative and technical assistance, and access to data and technology resources.
NARC EDD CoP Resources
Coordinating Workforce Efforts with Economic Development: Background and Tips for Economic Development Districts: Economic development and workforce development programs, supported by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) and the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (DOL-ETA) respectively, can offer important services to businesses and industry. These programs, wehn designed in collaboration with one another, provide potential businesses with increased incentives to locate within an area served by an Economic Development District (EDD). This resource provides a background for EDD staff about the workforce development ecosystem and how EDDs can better coordinate workforce and economic development programs that can lead to greater regional prosperity and resilience.
Justice40 Initiative: Enivronmental Justice for the Nation’s Most Disadvantaged Communities: In support of the EDD CoP, the National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) hosted this webinar that featured federal officials and EDD staff who provided background information about Justice40’s goal for 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments to flow to disadvantaged communities and what this effort means for EDDs and other regional organizations.
Regional and State Coordination for Initial BEAD Allocation Proposals: In support of the EDD CoP, the National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) hosted a webinar featuring perspectives from EDDs and regional organizations on how they are coordinating with their state broadband offices as they develop initial proposals and future required plans for the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. The webinar also included broadband advice, resources, and programmatic opportunities from U.S. EDA.
CISA Resources for Economic Development Districts: In support of the EDD CoP, the National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) hosted a webinar with Trent Frazier, Deputy Assistant Director of the Stakeholder Engagement Division of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). In the webinar, Frazier discussed what CISA resources and materials are available to EDDs.