The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded a $1 million grant to the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC) to develop and support best practices in economic development integration and alignment. The project has deliverables under three task areas all designed to improve alignment between states and EDDs:

The National Association of Development Organizations Research Foundation, the State International Development Organizations (SIDO) and the American Manufacturing Communities Collaborative (AMCC) have joined CREC to help states and EDDs integrate each other’s efforts in their strategies, planning and investments.

Following the initial project success, EDA awarded an additional $575,000 to CREC to analyze the activities and impacts of the Statewide Planning Grant initiative. This amendment further leverages the work of the State Economic Development Executives (SEDE) Network in engaging state economic development officials to enhance the planning and implementation activities envisioned through the Statewide Grants. Furthermore, CREC’s efforts will help EDA ensure that the investments generate a more meaningful impact on state strategies, including improving the alignment between state and regional economic plans.

The nation faces complex economic challenges and collaboration between state and economic development districts (EDDs) is critical for economic recovery and growth. Creating better alignment between states and EDDs will result in better short- and long-term regional, state and national economic outcomes.

 

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The materials included on these State-Local Alignment webpages were prepared by the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness using Federal funds under award ED21HDQ3070060 from the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Economic Development Administration or the U.S. Department of Commerce.