FY 2021 American Rescue Plan Act Indigenous Communities Notice of Funding Opportunity

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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’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.

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