For the past few years, EntreWorks Consulting has been involved in supporting coal-impacted regions seeking to diversify their local economies.  Most of this work has been in collaboration with the National Association of Counties, which has been leading an important community of practice:  the Building Resilient Economies in Coal Communities (BRECC) Initiative, which kicked off in November 2022. 

BRECC is something of a one-stop shop for learning about the energy transition, and how regions can diversify and strengthen their economic foundations.  Anyone can participate in BRECC’s learning networks, which include regular webinars and other events.  Coal-impacted regions can also participate in the BRECC Action Challenge, a knowledge sharing network where a small number of communities come together to collaborate, learn from each other, and tap into a deep network of experts on various aspects of community economic and workforce development.   During Year One of BRECC, eight communities from around the US have participated in the Action Challenge cohort.Our BRECC team is now seeking applications for the second Action Challenge cohort. If your region is affected by downturns or the closing of coal mines or power plants, please consider applying.  You can learn about the BRECC Action Challenge here.  We’re also hosting an information webinar on October 4th from 3-4 PM Eastern time.  You can sign up and learn more here.

Since the COVID 19 pandemic, various Federal agencies have unveiled a host of new programs to support pandemic recovery and community development more generally.  Funding levels for economic development programs are near their highest levels in recent history.  While this is good news, recent experience also suggests that many communities lack the capacity to effectively compete for funds.  Often this is due to limited staff capacity or other constraints, but it’s also due to the unnecessary complexity involved in competing for and winning federal grants.

A new study from US Digital Response, a non-profit focused on improving government use of technology breaks down the problem and offers some solutions.  No Front Door:  Barriers to Access for Small Communities Seeking Federal Grants provides a snapshot of the grant application process, and it’s not a pretty picture.  Many pain points emerge.  Government websites, such as grants.gov and SAM.gov, are wonky and difficult to use.  Finding appropriate grant opportunities is challenging, and each agency requires different metrics and application processes.  These factors, and many other obstacles, lead many smaller communities to give up on potential funding opportunities. While the report does not offer tailored recommendations for specific agencies or communities, it does offer lots of useful ideas for making the current process less painful. These include ideas such as common application forms, centralization of grants reporting, and development of specialized processes for smaller communities.   These are all useful ideas that can help strapped communities access grant funds that they need and deserve.