Resource Roundup: There’s $3B in federal grants for regional economic recovery up for grabs

This is Resource Roundup, a look at open applications for business and career-building programs, funding and other opportunities around the region. Want to share a new resource for entrepreneurs and technologists? Email us at philly@technical.ly.

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Here’s a big one for the economic development folks in the Greater Philadelphia region.

Last week, the federal Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration announced $3 billion in grants as part of President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan for programs focusing on economic recovery. The funding targets industries and communities that were especially hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Of the $3 billion, $1 billion is committed to the Build Back Better Regional Challenge which will provide investment in up to 30 regions across the U.S. It’s for partnerships aiming to revitalize their economies via workforce development, access to capital, infrastructure and the like. Phase one, with a deadline of Oct. 19, will see up to 60 regional coalitions awarded about $500,000 in technical assistance funds to develop projects to “grow a regional growth cluster,” per the EDA. And a phase two, with a deadline of March 15, 2022, will see the EDA awarding up to 30 regional coalitions up to $100 million to implement those projects.

Another $500 million follows a trend of new workforce development efforts that we’ve noted in Philly over the past year: The Good Jobs Challenge will work with “collaborative skills training systems and programs” that connect employers with hiring needs with other entities to train potential workers with in-demand skills. Apps are due by Jan. 26, 2022.

The other programs designate:

• $500 million in Economic Adjustment Assistance grants will seek to “put people back to work through construction or non-construction projects designed to meet local needs”
• $100 million in Indigenous Communities grants to help these groups “develop and execute economic development projects that they need to recover from the pandemic and build economies for the future”
• $750 million for the Travel, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation program to “promote safe leisure, business and international travel”
• $90 million for Statewide Planning, Research & Networks grants to “develop local economies that will be resilient to future economic shocks and climate change”

Learn more about the EDA funding

Navigate the Child Tax Credit

The first installments of the new 2021 Child Tax Credit began hitting bank accounts this month, and the City of Philadelphia is hosting a training this week to help residents access the program.

Designated via the American Rescue Plan, families can get up to $300 per month per child through the rest of the year. The automatically issued payments from the federal government will go to families with children 17 and under, for joint filers earning up to $150,000 (and different amounts for other situations). For each child 6 and under, qualifying families will receive $300 a month up to $3,600; for each child aged 7 to 17, they will receive $250 a month up to $3,000. A one-time $500 tax credit will be issued in 2022 for dependent children aged 18 and full-time college students aged 19 to 24.

While most eligible families will automatically receive the monthly advanced payments, some will need to sign up. The City’s Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity, Community Legal Services and the Campaign for Working Families is offering a digital session to navigating the program this Wednesday, July 28, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

The training, according to the orgs, will:

• Show you how to determine if someone should use the non-filer form
• Show you how to complete the non-filer form
• Share resources for more complex situations

Register for the Zoom training

Get $3k for designing a shirt for the 8K

Calling local artists and graphic designers: The City’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy is looking for shirt designs for three races taking place during Philadelphia Marathon Weekend in November.

Philly-based artists can submit one front-of-shirt design to be considered for each race: the AACR Philadelphia Marathon, the Dietz & Watson Philadelphia Half Marathon and the Rothman Orthopaedics 8K. Designs should be unique to each of the three races, but artists are not required to submit a design for all three races. One design will be chosen for each race, and the winners will receive a $3,000 prize.

“The City is excited to connect Philadelphia’s arts community to the Philadelphia Marathon Weekend through this shirt design opportunity,” Deputy Managing Director for General Services, Arts and Events David Wilson said in a statement. “We estimate that more than 20,000 shirts showcasing the designs of our local artists will be distributed during the Philadelphia Marathon Weekend.”

The deadline to submit design proposals is Friday, Aug. 6 before 5 p.m. Artists can find more design specifications and submit their design below. Winners will be announced on Monday, Aug. 16.

Learn more and apply

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And check out these programs from previous Resource Roundups that are still open:

• Citizen Diplomat Academy is looking for young STEM innovators by July 30.
• Philly Startups Leaders launched its networking platform PSL Connect.
• Philadelphia Office of Business Services’ Zoom With Us hosts virtual office hours the second and fourth Monday of each month.
• PHL Career Portal is a free, virtual training and resource hub for folks who are job hunting.
• PropelPHL, which aims to convene the entire Greater Philadelphia region’s workforce ecosystem, launched last week.