Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program (Recompete Pilot Program)

  • UPDATE (10/18): EDA received 565 applications for Phase 1 of the Recompete Pilot Program, marking the largest number of applications of any national EDA competition to date. Click here for more information on the applications received, and click here (PDF) for a full list of organizations that applied.
  • EDA released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) (PDF) on June 29, 2023, for the Recompete Pilot Program. Applications are now closed. EDA expects to announce Phase 1 winners and release the Phase 2 NOFO this winter.
  • Questions about the Recompete Pilot Program? Visit our Frequently Asked Questions or email us at Recompete@EDA.gov.
  • Click here to view program resources.

The Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program (Recompete Pilot Program) will invest $200 million in persistently distressed communities to create and connect people to good jobs. This program will create renewed economic opportunity in communities that have for too long been forgotten. To do so, the program targets areas where prime-age (25-54 years) employment significantly trails the national average, with the goal to close this gap through large, flexible investments. As part of EDA’s place-based economic development approach, the Recompete Pilot Program aims to meet communities where they are by offering grant opportunities that ensure sustainable and equitable economic growth across the United States.

EDA will deploy funding through a two-phase competition.

On June 29, 2023, EDA published the Phase 1 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). This Phase 1 NOFO invites applicants to apply for:

  1. Strategy Development Grants
  2. Approval of a Recompete Plan
  3. Both

Applicants who receive approval of a Recompete Plan in Phase 1 will be invited to apply to Phase 2. In the Phase 2 NOFO, investments can support a wide range of implementation activities across workforce development, business and entrepreneur development, infrastructure, and additional planning, predevelopment, or technical assistance.

To support applicants in determining geographic eligibility, EDA – in partnership with Argonne National Laboratory – has released the Recompete Eligibility Mapping Tool. Please click here access the tool, which includes a user-friendly map and instructional materials.

EDA anticipates awarding approximately $6 million to $12 million in total for Strategy Development Grants and approving at least 20 Recompete Plans at the conclusion of Phase 1. Applicants with approved Recompete Plans will be invited to submit a Phase 2 application. EDA expects to announce Phase 1 winners and release the Phase 2 NOFO in winter 2023.

In Phase 2, applicants can apply for larger awards for implementation. EDA expects to make approximately 4-8 implementation investments, with awarded regions receiving between $20 million and $50 million on average.

The Recompete Pilot Program was enacted as part of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 (as the Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program). Congress appropriated EDA $200 million – of the $1 billion authorized for the program – as part of the FY 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill.

Recompete Pilot Program Phase 1 NOFO Launch Message Thumbnail

 

Resources