CED DCL-2024-01 October is CED Month

Publication Date: October 9, 2023
Current as of:

Community Economic Development

Dear Colleague Letter

DCL#:                              CED-DCL-2024-01

DATE:                              October 10, 2023

TO:                                   DCDDP Grant Recipients

SUBJECT:                       October is Community Economic Development Month

ATTACHMENT(S):           N/A

Dear Colleague,

The Office of Community Services (OCS) is pleased to celebrate Community Economic Development Month with the announcement of new Community Economic Development (CED) grants and new stories about how CED is revitalizing communities.

Community Economic Development Month highlights how communities come together to drive local economic development. Community-driven economic development supports entrepreneurs, expands businesses, creates jobs, and provides needed products and services. The Community Economic Development (CED) program supports these efforts by providing funds for business development and the creation of new, high-quality jobs with wraparound services for individuals with low incomes.

Announcing FY23 CED Awards

This month, OCS awarded $16.7 million in CED program funds to 39 new grants to implement projects across the country.

  • Eighteen grants are traditional CED job creation projects that will create or expand 47 businesses resulting in the creation of 578 new jobs.
  • Twenty-one grants are CED planning grants that provide recipients with funds to develop a comprehensive and viable plan to spur economic development, with the aim of allowing recipients adequate time and resources to apply for a traditional CED award.

A large share of the FY23 CED awards will support disadvantaged communities as designated by the Justice40 Initiative. For CED project grants, 10 of the 18 grant recipients propose business locations for job creation projects in disadvantaged communities. For CED planning grants, 19 of the 21 grant recipients may develop new CED projects located in disadvantaged communities.

CED Success Stories

During Community Economic Development Month, OCS will share new CED success stories. Check the Community Economic Development Month webpage and your email to read new success stories throughout the month.

In the first story, Creating Childcare that Meets Community Needs, you’ll read about two first-time entrepreneurs, Jackie Lobdell and Thania Hernandez, who used their passion for helping children to start their own childcare businesses in rural Maine. With the support of a CED grant, these new businesses helped address the high demand for childcare slots, created new jobs, and allowed more parents to work, which all led to their communities’ economic growth.

We hope you will join us in celebrating Community Economic Development Month and the incredible work CED grant recipients are doing to strengthen their local economies and communities.

Thank you for your attention to these matters. OCS looks forward to continuing to provide high-quality services to OCS partners.

/s/
Lynda E. Perez
Director, Division of Community Discretionary and Demonstration Programs
Office of Community Services