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 Gov. Doug Burgum along with Commerce Workforce Director Katie Ralston Howe and Job Service North Dakota Executive Director Pat Bertagnolli today announced that $15 million is available to address the state’s workforce needs through the newly created North Dakota Regional Workforce Impact Program (RWIP).
The grant program was part of Burgum’s Accelerate ND plan, which contained his executive recommendations to the state Legislature for strategically investing federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). During a special session in November, the 67th Legislative Assembly appropriated $15 million for regional workforce grants.
The North Dakota Department of Commerce, which is administering the program, is now accepting applications for RWIP grants at ndgov.link/RWIP.
“Workforce remains our No. 1 barrier to economic growth in North Dakota. Strengthening our workforce through innovative, locally driven solutions supported by programs like RWIP will create a pathway to a stronger economy,” Burgum said. “By addressing our workforce challenges, we can meet the needs of our residents, businesses and communities and build a foundation for a thriving economy filled with opportunities for current and future generations.”
Aimed to offset the cost of local solutions with a regional impact, the RWIP will provide grants to regional economic and workforce development entities in North Dakota to design and implement innovative plans that address the most demanding workforce challenges for North Dakota businesses and entities large and small.
Eligible applicants include the following:
- Economic development organizations
- Incorporated Cities
- Chambers of Commerce
- Job development authorities
- Regional councils
- Other organizations addressing local or regional economic development needs
“The North Dakota Regional Workforce Impact Program will empower locally led solutions to one of the state’s greatest challenges,” Commerce Workforce Director Katie Ralston Howe said. “Workforce needs vary by region, so a one-size-fits-all approach is unrealistic and would not adequately address challenges in all areas of the state. By creating a regional funding mechanism to support workforce initiatives, local and regional partners will have the ability to access funding tailored to their regional needs.”
Commerce will host an informative virtual meeting about the RWIP at 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 29. Officials will be available to answer questions regarding the program. Questions can be submitted prior to the meeting at commerce@nd.gov. The meeting link can be accessed at https://ndgov.link/RWIP, along with additional information and access to the application.
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Engaging Impacts
 Commissioner James Leiman co-hosts on What's on Your Mind radio show
Commissioner Leiman joined leaders from the university, private sector, and several industries to discuss how we are moving our communities forward to attract/retain talent while also energizing and feeding the world! Listen here
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Early bird registration for the Travel Industry Conference ends April 1, 2022! The conference takes place April 25-27. Key speakers include Lieutenant Governor Brent Sanford, CEO of U.S. Travel Association Roger Dow, Olympic Gold Medalists Monique and Jocelyne Lamoureux, Tourism & Marketing Division Director Sara Otte Coleman and more!
Nominate a deserving tourism person, organization or community today for a prestigious 2022 Governor's Award for Travel and Tourism. The deadline to submit nominations is April 5! Awards will be presented during the Governor's Awards Luncheon on April 27.
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Recreation Trails Program Grant Cycle Opens April 1
The North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department is opening the Recreation Trails Program (RTP) grant cycle from April 1 – April 29, 2022. The RTP is an 80/20 matching grant program that provides funding for motorized and non-motorized recreational trail projects. Applicants may request grant amounts ranging from a minimum of $10,000 up to a maximum of $250,000, and project sponsors must have at least 20% match available at the time of the application. Eligible projects consist of constructing new recreation trails; restoration of existing trails; development and rehabilitation of trailside and trailhead facilities and trail linkages; purchase and lease of recreational trail construction and maintenance equipment; land acquisition/easements; and trail accessibility assessment. Application submissions must be submitted online at https://grants.nd.gov/index.do.
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As of April 1, Canada drops testing requirements for travelers crossing the border
Currently, travelers entering Canada at land border crossings must show proof of a negative antigen or molecular test prior to their arrival at the border, that testing requirement will be dropped as of April 1 for fully vaccinated travelers. This will make travel to North Dakota easier for Canadians and help to accelerate and stimulate the recovery of North Dakota's travel and tourism industry.
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U.S. Travel advocacy efforts pay off
On March 11 President Biden signed the $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill, approved by congress which will support workforce and travel related provisions and the Restoring Brand USA Act, providing $250 million in relief funding to the nation’s destination marketing organization. Passing of this bill was a priority of U.S. Travel and their members. The other key travel-related provisions include an exemption for returning H-2B workers from the statuary cap on H-2B visas; address visa application wait times; and restoring consular services and more.
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 Call for digital travel/visitor guides
North Dakota Tourism is requesting copies of digital travel guides from local CVBs and Visitor Centers. You can email a pdf file or a direct link to your digital guide to amrschmidt@nd.gov. Once we receive the guides they will be added to the Asset Bank and included on NDtourism.com, offering another valuable resource for you to promote your destinations to visitors.
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 Podcasts on travel and accessibility
Explorable is a podcast about travel, disability and inclusion. Their podcasts include interviews with experts, advocates and allies of tourism, destinations and disability to learn about how they’re traveling the world, the obstacles they face, and how we can change it for the better to make each journey more explorable and accessible for travelers.
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LIFT Committee awards $1.5M to two companies in March
Commerce announced today that the Innovation Technology Loan Fund (LIFT) Committee awarded a total of $1.5 million to two companies for the month of March.
“The LIFT Committee continues to meet monthly to review applications and award funding,” Commerce Head of Investments and Innovation Shayden Akason said. “The innovation loan fund currently has over $6.5 million remaining to be awarded this biennium. Eligible companies may apply at business.nd.gov/lift/.”
March LIFT recipients include:
Be More Colorful, a virtual reality content management agency located in Faro was awarded $500,000 to increase their content library. The agency offers a workforce development virtual reality solution that engages with multiple North Dakota K-12 school districts and career and technical education audiences.
TheraTec a medical software company that specializes in musculoskeletal rehabilitation was awarded $1 million to setup a North Dakota office and hire locally.
Commerce works with the Bank of North Dakota to manage and administer the loan fund.
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Commerce to recruit companies at Bitcoin 2022
Representatives from Commerce's Economic Development and Finance Division will be traveling to Miami to attend Bitcoin 2022.
At the event, Commerce will be pitching the "Cleanest Crypto on Earth" concept that highlights North Dakota's unique carbon capture capabilities in the state.
More updates and photos to follow!
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