Federal Announcements

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the expansion of SBA’s Regional Innovation Cluster network with 14 new awards. These awards aim to enhance the reach and impact of the SBA’s support for innovative small businesses and entrepreneurial support organizations across the country. Awardees will serve as hubs for local economies in biotech, cybersecurity, smart manufacturing, and agriculture.

The Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration is investing $9 million in the state of Kentucky to boost the automotive manufacturing sector and promote small business development in the region.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration is awarding a $2 million grant to the city of West Lafayette, Indiana, for wastewater treatment infrastructure improvements to support semiconductor manufacturing in the region.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $3.6 million grant to the city of Harbor Beach, Michigan, for water infrastructure improvements to boost manufacturing growth in the region. This grant will construct a higher capacity watermain to serve the regional water system and large industrial users in a region affected by the declining use of coal.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration is awarding a $2.6 million grant to New Garden Park Inc., in Worcester, Massachusetts, for roadway and utility infrastructure improvements to support the manufacturing sector in the region.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding an $800,000 grant to The Industrial Commons in Morganton, North Carolina, to support textile manufacturing in the region. This grant will provide for personnel and equipment in support of expanding the local textile production industry.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has made a cooperative agreement award to operate a Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Center in Florida. The MEP Center will be operated by the awardee, FloridaMakes, Inc. The total anticipated funding over five years is $5,319,200.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the 2024 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC) Stage Two winners. Forty-four accelerator partnerships received between $50,000 and $150,000 each to advance their work supporting small businesses and startups in STEM and research and development across priority areas like national and economic security, domestic manufacturing and production, and sustainability and biotechnology.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration is awarding a $1 million grant to the village of Sauget, Illinois, for wastewater infrastructure improvements to strengthen the manufacturing industry and promote disaster resiliency in the region.

The Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration is awarding a $2.5 million grant to the city of Barnsdall in Oklahoma, for infrastructure improvements to support business development in the region.