Today, the Biden-Harris administration announced the 22 Finalists of the Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program (Recompete). This is the first phase of the Recompete program, which targets areas where prime-age (25-54) employment significantly trails the national average, with the goal of closing this gap through community-driven strategies and long-term solutions to create sustainable and equitable economic growth.

[Read the Press Release]

The Recompete program saw an unprecedented 565 applications, requesting more than $6 billion in funding. This is the latest in a series of transformational programs announced in President Biden’s “Investing in America” agenda as part of the CHIPS and Science Act.

The Finalists are located across 20 states and territories and represent a cross-section of urban and rural regions. [View Phase 1 Fact Sheet] In this two-phase competition, Phase 1 Finalists will now be invited to apply for implementation grants averaging $20 to $50 million through the Phase 2 Notice of Funding Opportunity.

Today, EDA also awarded 24 Strategy Development Grants (SDG) to help communities significantly increase local coordination and planning activities. This funding represents an investment in readiness and local capacity-building.

(*Signifies applicant is both a Recompete Finalist and Strategy Development Grantee)