Success Stories

The seafood industry is often described as the lifeblood of Maine, providing food to customers the world over. Generations of fishermen have sailed its waters in search of lobsters, crabs, scallops, and a variety of other fish. In recent years, the cultivation of oysters, mussels, seaweed, and other species has added to their hauls. Seafood, along with forestry, agriculture, and outdoor recreation, is one of the iconic natural resource-based industries that dominate the economy in the Pine Tree State.

The place-based investment is core to EDA’s mission, with our team working closely with local community leaders to ensure EDA’s grants support targeted economic development based on each community’s unique needs. It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach, which allows EDA’s grants to be flexible, dynamic, and meet the moment that’s called for in each community. In Lubbock, Texas, that has translated into multiple EDA investments, as leaders turn a painful Air Force Base closure into economic opportunity for the region.

Reidsville is a small North Carolina community about twenty miles from Greensboro. Known as “Lucky City,” the residents have a simple motto: ‘live simply, think big.’

The dramatic landscapes of Inyo County, California make it a popular filming location, with more than 400 movies and countless television ads shot in the surrounding area. It is also a destination for outdoor enthusiasts who are drawn to its iconic locales, such as Death Valley and Mount Whitney. All of these visitors require fuel, food, and other supplies, a need upon which the Bishop Paiute Tribe are moving to capitalize.

“To grow is to prosper.” For the residents of Floyd County, Virginia, it’s more than just a motto emblazoned on the county seal. It’s a way of life, embedded in both the history and the culture of this rural community nestled among the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains.

Nancy Martinez, owner of Nide Jardin in Aurora, Illinois, opened her 2,400-square-foot plant and home decor store in August 2023 with assistance from a flexible loan from a Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) supported by a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA).

In September 2022, President Joe Biden announced the 21 winners of the Build Back Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC), a key component of his American Rescue Plan. The competition was designed to boost economic recovery from the pandemic and rebuild American communities, including those grappling with decades of disinvestment.

For more than thirty years, True Access Capital (TAC) has been empowering small business owners and entrepreneurs in Delaware and Pennsylvania, providing them with startup capital. Since opening its doors in 1991, TAC has provided nearly $50 million in funding to more than 1,400 organizations, allowing them to, in turn, open for business as well.

In 2018, Brookings reported: “A central development problem is that high-quality, timely, accessible data are absent in most poor countries, where development needs are greatest. In a world of unequal distributions of income and wealth across space, age and class, gender and ethnic pay gaps, and environmental risks, data that provide only national averages conceal more than they reveal.”

In 2007, Lowcountry Local First (LLF) opened its doors in Charleston, South Carolina. The founders of this non-profit organization wanted to advance economic prosperity and local ownership through innovative and inclusive initiatives—exactly the kind of initiative that would benefit from EDA’s investment.