U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $512,000 in American Rescue Plan Funds to Support Pandemic Response and Economic Resiliency in Cookeville, Tennessee

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $512,000 grant to the Upper Cumberland Development District, Cookeville, Tennessee, to fund two regional recovery coordinator positions. This grant is funded by the American Rescue Plan and EDA’s $300 million Coal Communities Commitment.

The economic recovery coordinators will manage COVID-19 economic recovery and resiliency efforts for the 14 counties within the Upper Cumberland Region to support future commercial and industrial growth. This EDA investment will be matched with $128,000 in local investment.

“The Economic Development Administration plays an important role in helping communities implement coronavirus recovery efforts and to build back better,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. “The positions funded through this EDA grant will provide economic planning and support to communities that have been effected by both the coronavirus pandemic and the downturn in the coal industry by offering critical training to local businesses and other stakeholders.”

This project is funded under EDA’s American Rescue Plan Economic Adjustment Assistance program, which makes $500 million in Economic Adjustment Assistance grants available to American communities. The Economic Adjustment Assistance program is EDA’s most flexible program, and grants made under this program will help hundreds of communities across the nation plan, build, innovate, and put people back to work through construction or non-construction projects designed to meet local needs.

EDA’s Coal Communities Commitment allocates $300 million of EDA’s $3 billion American Rescue Plan appropriation to support coal communities as they recover from the pandemic and to help them create new jobs and opportunities, including through the creation or expansion of a new industry sector. Specifically, EDA has dedicated $100 million of its Build Back Better Regional Challenge funds and $200 million of its Economic Adjustment Assistance funds to directly support coal communities.

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation’s regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA invests in communities and supports regional collaboration in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.