EDA Communities of Practice
EDA’s Communities of Practice strengthen America’s economic development infrastructure by capturing, organizing, and scaling practices at a national level.
Each Community of Practice consists of a cohort of EDA grantees that share a similar programmatic, functional, and/or organizational focus. Community of Practice cohorts benefit from a mix of peer-to-peer learning, issue-specific trainings and targeted coaching. Cohort members shape promising practices across the industry, increase their connectedness with peer regions and organizations, and bolster their skills and capacity to advance effective economic development strategies. This approach accelerates regional economic recovery in a more equitable and resilient manner, reaching communities that need it the most.
Economic development strategies are constantly being tested in communities nationwide, but our communities need not work alone. Just like local and regional connectivity drives economic development, national connectivity across communities can help accelerate the sharing of promising practices, and improve targeted technical assistance (TA) to implement more transformational projects. Through the Communities of Practice (CoP) Program, EDA draws out deeper impacts from its grantmaking and improves the effectiveness of grantees today and into the future.
Meet Our Communities of Practice
Through strategic cooperative agreements, EDA works hand in hand with experienced entities to build and grow tools and insights for Community of Practice participants. Check out the current Communities of Practice below and find ways to learn, contribute, and stay in the know.
-
Build Back Better Regional Challenge Coalitions: Building Better Regions Community of Practice
-
Coal Communities: Building Resilient Economies in Coal Communities Community of Practice
-
Economic Development Districts: Economic Development District Community of Practice
-
Good Jobs Challenge Grantees: Good Jobs Challenge Community of Practice
-
Indigenous Communities: Indigenous Economic Development Community of Practice
-
Manufacturing Communities: Manufacturing Community of Practice
-
Revolving Loan Fund Operators: Revolving Loan Fund Community of Practice
-
Technology-Based Economic Development Practitioners: Technology-Based Economic Development Community of Practice
Contact Us
If you have any questions about EDA’s Communities of Practice or want to be involved, please contact networks@eda.gov.
Background
EDA defines a Community of Practice as the intentional joining of a group of people (participants) with shared work interest, the desire to learn more deeply from peers, and the willingness to exchange ideas to improve and expand impacts. All Communities of Practices were created through a $28 million investment from the FY 2021 ARPA Research and Networks Notice of Funding Opportunity, aside from the Nuclear Communities initiative which is powered by EDA’s Research and National Technical Assistance Program (RNTA).