$15 Million Funding Opportunity

[NaepcA1]

Obama Administration Announces $15 Million Multi-Agency Challenge To Foster Job Creation and Business Innovation
in Rural America
March 14, 2012
The Tribal Energy Program is pleased to forward the following announcement on behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development program.
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On March 8 the Obama Administration announced a $15 million multi-agency Rural Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge to spur job creation and economic growth in distressed rural communities. This competition, which is being funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Delta Regional Authority, and the Appalachian Regional Commission, was designed by the Taskforce for the Advancement of Regional Innovation Clusters and the White House Rural Council.
The Rural Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge is expected to give out approximately 20 awards, depending on the number of eligible applications. To be eligible for an award, projects must benefit rural communities, but the applicant is not required to be located in a rural area. Nonprofits, higher education institutions, tribes, and state and local governments can collaborate to apply for funding. Although businesses are not eligible to apply directly, applicants can also partner with the private sector on implementation.

In addition to the four funding partners, the initiative is supported by nine other federal agencies: Commerce's U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership; Denali Commission; U.S. Department of Education; U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration; U.S. Department of Energy; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; and the Small Business Administration.

The deadline for applications is May 9, 2012, and guidelines for submissions are accessible here.

Click here to read press release. Click here to access the federal funding opportunity announcement on grants.gov.

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Regards,

DOE Tribal Energy Program
1617 Cole Blvd.
Golden, CO 80401
tribal@go.doe.gov