A $5.4 million grant was awarded to the National Association of Development Organizations Research Foundation by the U.S. Economic Development Administration's Networks program to launch and run an Economic Development District Community of Practice.
The new EDD Community of Practice will support peer-to-peer learning, training and information exchange among the country's EDDs, according to an Oct. 12 Department of Commerce news release.
“Economic Development Districts are vital partners in EDA’s efforts to build durable regional economies throughout the United States,” Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Castillo said, according to the release. “The new EDD Community of Practice represents a unique initiative to develop a more unified vision of regional development built around a formal network of shared learning and growth.”
The network of EDDs has increased to more than 390 since the designation of the first EDD in 1969, the release reported. These locally run, multi-jurisdictional organizations play a key role in regional planning initiatives and serve as crucial conduits between the federal government and local communities.
Establishing the EDD Community of Practice creates the infrastructure required to strengthen the EDD leaders, staff and board members knowledge base, Joe McKinney, executive director of the National Association of Development Organizations, said, according to the release. It will help EDD leaders, who manage the programs designed to stimulate the economies of distressed areas, build their economic development skills.
