Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $350,000 grant to Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, to support the establishment of a workforce development program focused on the forest products industry. This EDA grant will be matched with $87,588 in local investment.
“Helping our communities implement workforce development programs to support business needs and stimulate job growth is a top priority for President Trump,” said Dana Gartzke, Performing the Delegated Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “This EDA investment will allow Northern Arizona University to establish a program to create more employment opportunities in a sustainable industry and diversify the region’s economy.”
Northern Arizona University is an EDA University Center grantee. EDA’s University Center Economic Development Program makes the resources of universities available to the economic development community.
The funding announced today will catalyze private investment in a nearby Opportunity Zone. Created by President Donald J. Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, Opportunity Zones are spurring economic development in economically-distressed communities nationwide. In June 2019, EDA added Opportunity Zones as an Investment Priority, which increases the number of catalytic Opportunity Zone-related projects that EDA can fund to fuel greater public investment in these areas. To learn more about the Commerce Department’s work in Opportunity Zones, please visit EDA’s Opportunity Zones webpage. To learn more about the Opportunity Zone program, see the Opportunity Now resources webpage. To learn more about Opportunity Zone best practices, see the recently released White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council Report (PDF) to President Trump.
About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation’s regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.