The Recompete Pilot Program is a new economic development initiative aimed at providing grant funding to distressed communities in the United States. The program’s primary objective is to create good jobs and connect workers to them while supporting long-term comprehensive economic development efforts to reduce the high, prime-age (25 to 54 years of age) employment gap.
The program follows the Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) place-based approach to economic development, which focuses on addressing the unique challenges faced by individual communities or regions.
Enacted as part of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, the Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program received $200 million in funding from the FY 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, out of the authorized $1 billion.
EDA is seeking public input through a Request for Information (RFI) published in the Federal Register on February 23, 2023. The RFI aims to gather feedback on various aspects of the program’s planning and design, including effective capacity-building strategies, metrics to assess success, competitive grant funding selection processes, and best practices for supporting persistently economically distressed areas.
Stakeholders can submit their responses to the RFI via email to Recompete@eda.gov by 5 p.m. Eastern Time on March 27, 2023. EDA welcomes all responses that can support the development of the Recompete Pilot Program.