EDA Application Process

• Contact SEDC Staff:  The prospective partner contacts SEDC's staff and briefly outlines the scope and goals of the proposed economic development project.  Applicants should be prepared to provide additional information about the project including, but not limited, to:  number of jobs to be retained or created by the project, total estimated project cost, estimated private investment, location (site) of the project, the name of the industry(ies) creating or sustaining employment, and if the prospective industry is an existing plant undergoing an expansion or reorganization, or a newly locating facility.

• Regional Consultation:  Upon request by SEDC staff, an Economic Development Representative (EDR) from the Regional Office will meet with the prospective partner to confirm the eligibility of a proposed project for EDA assistance, provide technical assistance with scoping the EDA project if required, and/or provide information on the application process and forms.  Many clients find this beneficial.
  
  

• Next, the official project proposal is submitted to the EDR.  The EDR carefully reviews the proposal for accuracy, clarity, and completeness.  If there are any needed changes, the EDR promptly notifies the staff, which in turn, informs the applicant.  Once the corrections, if any, are made, the EDR forwards the proposal to EDA's Regional Office in Atlanta, Georgia.

• EDA-Atlanta convenes an Investment Review Committee (IRC) meeting. During this special meeting, the IRC decides whether to recommend the project to Regional Director (RA) based on its competitiveness vis-`a-vis other proposed projects; RD decides whether to recommend the project for futher consideration.

• After the application conference, the necessary forms are completed by the applicant, and promptly submitted to the staff.  The staff then assembles the final application, and promptly submits the original and two copies to the EDS.
  
  

• The EDS reviews the application for accuracy and completeness.  In Atlanta, the application is separated among the following divisions:  Planning, Public Works, Engineering, Legal, Civil Rights, and Environmental.  Each division reviews the portion of the application which corresponds to its function in the approval process.

• If the project satisfactory meets all guidelines and requirements of each division, then a summary of the project is sent to EDA-Washington, DC.  Once the summary is received, EDA-Washington allocates the appropriated funds for the project in its treasury.  EDA-Atlanta then approves the project, and makes a formal grant offer to the applicant.

In order to complete the process in a timely fashion, it is emphasized that project applicants thoroughly outline the scope of the project, and complete and return all forms promptly and accurately.  This approach will better insure the likelihood of a project receiving grant funding.