Applications for Biden-Harris Administration’s Recompete Pilot Program Highlight Opportunities to Boost American Communities

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), announced it has received 565 applications for Phase 1 of the Recompete Pilot Program, marking the largest number of applications of any national EDA competition to date. The Recompete Program is a key piece of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda and reflects the Administration's commitment to creating economic opportunity in communities that have for too long been forgotten. EDA received applications from all parts of the country, representing 49 states and 4 territories.

In Phase 1 of the competition, EDA will approve Recompete Plans that highlight community-driven strategies to generate workforce opportunities. These strategies will propel long-term solutions to create sustainable and equitable economic growth to help close the prime-age (25-54 years) employment gap. Also in Phase 1, EDA will separately award Strategy Development Grants to facilitate a region’s coordination and planning to become more competitive for future approval of a Recompete Plan. Later this year, the Department of Commerce will launch Phase 2 of the competition for applicants with approved Recompete Plans to apply for implementation grants.

Of the 565 applications from 392 unique lead applicants:

• 53 (14%) submitted only applications for Recompete Plan approval;
• 171 (44%) submitted applications for both Recompete Plan approval and Strategy Development Grants; and
• 168 (43%) submitted only applications for Strategy Development Grants.

(View the list of Phase 1 Applicant Organizations - PDF)

Lead applicants represented a wide variety of institutions, including: Non-Profits (39%), Local Government (24%), Economic Development Organizations (13%), Educational Institutions (12%), Tribal Government or Organizations (6%), and Others (6%).

In their Phase 1 Recompete Plans, applicants identified more than $6.6 billion in investment needs to tackle persistent distress in communities across the country. In 2024, the $200 million Recompete Pilot Program will ultimately invest $20-$50 million in four to eight of these communities as a downpayment by the Biden-Harris Administration to create lasting economic opportunity and resiliency.

“The Biden-Harris Administration’s Recompete Pilot Program will create sustained economic growth in regions across our country through community-focused strategies to connect American workers to good jobs,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. “The tremendous and diverse interest in the Recompete Pilot Program shows the desire of communities across America to create jobs and develop long-term economic growth, and we look forward to announcing approved Recompete Plans later this year.”

EDA expects to approve at least 20 Recompete Plans across the country and make approximately 30 Strategy Development Grants.

Authorized for $1 billion by the CHIPS and Science Act, the Recompete Pilot Program competition is a key part of President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda of stimulating private sector investment, creating good-paying jobs, revitalizing American manufacturing, and ensuring no community is left behind by America’s economic progress.

Additional information on the Recompete Pilot Program can be found at eda.gov/Recompete.

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.