OpportunityTitle: FY 2021 American Rescue Plan Act Indigenous Communities Notice of Funding Opportunity
CategoryExplanation: Economic Development
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: Under this Indigenous Communities NOFO, eligible applicants include: (i) An Indian Tribe or a consortium of Indian Tribes, as defined in section 3(4) of PWEDA (42 U.S.C. &#167; 3122(4)(A)) and 13 C.F.R. &#167; 300.3. The regulation at 13 C.F.R. &#167; 300.3 defines &#8220;Indian Tribe&#8221; as:[A]n entity on the list of recognized tribes published pursuant to the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994, as amended (Pub. L. 103-454) (25 U.S.C. 479a et seq.), and any Alaska Native Village or Regional Corporation (as defined in or established under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.).  This term includes the governing body of an Indian Tribe,  Indian corporation (restricted to Indians), Indian authority, or other non-profit Indian tribal organization or entity; provided that the Indian tribal organization, corporation, or entity is wholly owned by, and established for the benefit of, the Indian Tribe or Alaska Native Village.&#8221; (ii) A public or private non-profit organization or association serving Native Hawaiians. (iii) A public or private non-profit organization or association serving Native Pacific Islanders of Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau.
Description: Through this Indigenous Communities NOFO, EDA aims to assist indigenous communities to recover economically from the coronavirus pandemic. Even before the pandemic, indigenous communities faced high levels of economic distress and unique economic development challenges, resulting in severe inequalities in opportunity for members of these communities. The pandemic greatly exacerbated those challenges and inequities and will continue to cause deep economic injury to indigenous communities in unprecedented ways.EDA&#8217;s American Rescue Plan Indigenous Communities NOFO is designed to support indigenous communities as they respond to, and recover from, the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, including long-term recovery and resilience to future economic disasters. Under this announcement, EDA solicits applications under the authority of its Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) program, which is intended to be flexible and responsive to the economic development needs and priorities of indigenous communities. Competitive applications for funding under this NOFO will propose projects designed to create the conditions for economic growth in indigenous communities and to accelerate economic recovery from the pandemic. These projects can include foundational economic infrastructure projects, such as such as broadband, energy, road, water, and wastewater infrastructure (including community water facilities); vocational and higher education facilities; and community health facilities that are necessary for future job creation. Projects can also include non-construction projects to provide technical assistance to support business development, entrepreneurship assistance, economic development planning, rural prosperity, and workforce training in indigenous communities. Further, EDA seeks to fund projects representing diverse geographies, from rural and urban settings to projects on or near tribal lands.EDA plans on funding construction and non-construction projects that cost between approximately $500,000 and $5,000,000 under this NOFO.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: indigenous@eda.gov
GrantorContactText: indigenous@eda.gov
CloseDateExplanation: While there are no application submission deadlines under this NOFO, EDA strongly advises eligible applicants to submit complete applications as soon as possible so that EDA can review and process the application in time to get a potential award in place prior to deadlines imposed by Congress. Any award is subject to the availability of funds. EDA strongly encourages all applicants to start early and contact their EDA representative for assistance. See section E of this Indigenous Communities NOFO regarding EDA&#8217;s review process and section G of the NOFO for EDA Regional Office Point of Contact (POC) information.