Department of Commerce · United States

FY 2021 - 2023 Economic Development RNTA

Open

Department of Commerce expects to make 15 awards of $1 – $1.5 million each. Eligible applicant types include others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification).

Deadline: Not published yet — check the official call
Grant amount: $1 – $1.5 million per project
Funding rate: No mandatory cost sharing stated; funding percentage not stated
Expected awards: 15
Cost sharing: Not required
Funder: Department of Commerce
Reference: EDA-HDQ-RNTA-2021
Assistance listing: 11.303 Economic Development Technical Assistance; 11.312 Research and Evaluation Program
Last checked: 13 Nov 2026

Open the official call ↗

About this call

NOTICE: PLEASE READ - April 6, 2023

EDA is excited to announce the launch of its new grants management platform: the Economic Development Grants Experience (EDGE). EDGE was developed to streamline the application and grants management process by implementing a single platform with increased transparency, improved user experience, higher data quality, and more efficiency throughout the entire grant lifecycle.

As of April 6th , 2023, applications can no longer be submitted on Grants.gov, and will ONLY be accepted through EDGE. Once your concept proposal has been reviewed, you will receive an invitation to apply in EDGE. More information on how to apply is provided in the full NOFO. You must submit concept proposals to rnta@eda.gov.

Program Description

EDA provides strategic investments on a competitive merit basis to support economic development, foster job creation, and attract private investment in economically distressed areas of the United States. Under this NOFO, EDA solicits applications from applicants in order to provide investments that support research and technical assistance projects under EDA’s R&E and NTA programs. Grants and cooperative agreements made under these programs are designed to leverage existing regional assets and support the implementation of economic development strategies that advance new ideas and creative approaches to advance economic prosperity in distressed communities.

Read the full text

This NOFO employs a two-step application process: (1) the Concept Proposal and (2) the Full Application. EDA will only review Full Applications submitted by applicants who first submitted a Concept Proposal. Any Full Application received from an applicant that did not submit a Concept Proposal will be deemed ineligible and not considered for funding. For the Concept Proposal, applicants may use the optional template available at https://eda.gov/programs/rnta/resources/. Full Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov using the link that EDA will provide with its response to the Concept Proposal.

*Please note: While the published Notice of Funding Opportunity (available under "Related Documents") states that the ED900A form and the SF424B form are both required for a complete application, these forms are no longer required and have therefore been removed from the package template.

Who can apply

Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

Additional Information on Eligibility: Pursuant to Section 3(4) of PWEDA (42 U.S.C. § 3122(4)) and 13 C.F.R. § 300.3 (Eligible Recipient), eligible applicants for and recipients of EDA RNTA investment assistance include: a District Organization; an Indian Tribe or a consortium of Indian Tribes; a State; a city or other political subdivision of a State, including a special purpose unit of a State or local government engaged in economic or infrastructure development activities, or a consortium of political subdivisions; an institution of higher education or a consortium of institutions of higher education; a public or private non-profit organization or association acting in cooperation with officials of a political subdivision of a State; private individual; or a for-profit organization.Additional Information:

Applicant categories are a starting point. The official call decides eligibility.

Topics

Other (see text field entitled "Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity" for clarification)

Timing

Please read the NOTICE in the updated “Description” section of this NOFO posting regarding an upcoming change to the grant application process using EDA’s new grants management platform.

How to apply

Read the full notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) linked from the official page: eligibility, cost sharing and evaluation criteria.
Make sure your organisation has an active SAM.gov registration and Unique Entity ID (UEI); registration can take several weeks.
Register with Grants.gov and set up a Workspace for this opportunity, with the right roles for your organisation.
Prepare the required forms, narrative, budget and attachments exactly as the NOFO specifies.
Submit before the deadline and keep the tracking number. Check for amendments before you submit.

From the call text

Who can apply: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Company stage: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Single applicant or consortium: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Where applicants must be based: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Where to apply: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page

Contact

Bernadette Grafton · rnta@eda.gov · 202-482-2917

Where these facts come from

Fact	Value	How we know	Taken from the source
Deadline	Unknown — not stated in the source we hold	unknown	—
Amount per applicant	$1 – $1.5 million	official data field	15 Nov 2026
Total budget	Unknown — not stated in the source we hold	unknown	—
Funding rate	No mandatory cost sharing stated; funding percentage not stated	read from the official text	15 Nov 2026
Who can apply	Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)	official data field	15 Nov 2026
Where to apply	Unknown — not stated in the source we hold	unknown	—

Official sources

Official call page

Facts on this page come from the funder’s official data, taken on 13 Nov 2026. The funder's own documents, including later amendments, always take precedence.