Award for Excellence in Economic Development

Economic Development Administration

Excellence in Economic Development Awards 200x

Nomination Brochure

Overview

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) Excellence in Economic Development Awards 200X (Awards) recognize innovative economic development projects or strategies of national significance. The Awards are designed to showcase best practices and highlight outstanding results.

A selection panel, appointed by the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, will evaluate the nominations. The Awards are commemorative and will be presented in award ceremonies in the winners’ respective communities following EDA’s announcement of the seven winning nominations. Members of the winners’ respective congressional delegations will be invited to present each Award with U.S. Department of Commerce senior officials. EDA will contact finalists and winners by phone and will post their names on EDA’s web site at www.eda.gov.

This nomination brochure is available only on www.eda.gov. The rules and procedures governing the competition for the Awards, including eligibility, nomination categories, selection criteria, nomination and selection procedures, membership criteria for the selection panel members, and other information needed to submit a nomination, are provided in this brochure. Nominations must be submitted in accordance with instructions provided on page x. The nominee information requested on page x must be completed and included in your nomination package. If you have any questions regarding the Awards, please contact xxxx xxxx at the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration, Division of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, 1401 Constitution Avenue, Room xxxx, Northwest, Washington, D.C. 20230, or at (202) 482-xxxx.

Key Dates

EDA Excellence in Economic Development Awards 200X

April xx, 200x Nomination Deadline

May xx, 200x Finalists Announced

May xx, 200x Winners Announced

Nomination Procedure

Nominations may be submitted by any eligible organization or individual, excluding selection panel members. A bona fide representative of the nominated organization must endorse the nomination. This individual will serve as the official representative of the organization for such purposes as providing any additional information requested, unless EDA is advised otherwise.

Nominee Eligibility

Eligible nominees include:

• Nonprofit organizations;

• Local, state and regional governments; and,

• Universities and colleges.

Nominated investments may include:

• Specific projects of national importance; or,

• Cumulative activities of the nominee.

For-profit firms and institutions are not eligible for nomination.

Seven Award Categories

Nnominations may be submitted in only one of the following seven categories.

1. Excellence in Urban or Suburban Economic Development

• The nomination utilizes innovative, market-based strategies to improve urban or suburban economic development results.

2. Excellence in Rural Economic Development

• The nomination utilizes innovative, market-based strategies to improve rural economic development results.

3. Excellence in Environmental or Energy Economic Development

• The nomination promotes innovative strategies in the development of environmental-led or energy-led projects that attract substantial private capital investment and create higher-skill, higher-wage jobs.

4. Excellence in University-led Strategies to Enhance Economic Development

• The nomination successfully links universities, industry and technology transfer to promote an innovative business environment, leveraging substantial private capital investment and creating higher-skill, higher-wage jobs.

5. Excellence in Economic Diversification Strategies responding to economic dislocations, including economic dislocations caused by natural disasters and military base realignment and closure actions to Enhance Economic Development

• The nomination advances economic adjustment strategies in response to economic dislocations such as natural disasters, the closure of a plant or military base to promote economic diversification, leveraging substantial private capital investment and creating higher-skill, higher-wage jobs.

6. Excellence in Community and Faith-Based Social Entrepreneurship

• The nomination advances community and faith-based social entrepreneurship in redevelopment strategies for areas of chronic economic distress.

7. Excellence in Historic Preservation-led Strategies to Enhance Economic Development

• The nomination makes significant use of regional historic assets (including heritage tourism) to advance innovative economic development strategies resulting in higher-skill, higher-wage jobs and substantial private capital investment.

Five Selection Criteria

Nominations will be competitively evaluated on their ability to meet or exceed the following selection criteria:

1. The nomination is market-based and results driven.

• The nomination capitalizes on a region’s competitive strengths and positively moves a regional economic indicator, such as an increased number of higher-skill, higher-wage jobs, increased tax revenue, or increased private sector investment.

2. The nomination has strong organizational leadership.

• The nomination has strong leadership, excellent project management, and includes a significant commitment of human resources talent to ensure the project’s successful execution.

3. The nomination advances productivity, innovation and entrepreneurship.

• The nomination embraces the principles of entrepreneurship, enhances regional clusters, and leverages and links technology innovators and local universities to the private sector to create the conditions for greater productivity, innovation, and job creation.

4. The nomination looks beyond the immediate economic horizon, anticipates economic changes, and diversifies the local and regional economy.

• The nomination is part of an overarching, long-term, comprehensive economic development strategy that enhances a region’s success in achieving a rising standard of living by supporting existing industry clusters, developing emerging clusters, or attracting new regional economic drivers.

5. The nomination demonstrates a high degree of commitment by exhibiting the following:

• High level of local government or nonprofit matching funds and private sector leverage;

• Clear and unified leadership and support by local elected officials; and,

• Strong cooperation between the business sector, relevant regional partners, and local, state and federal government.

Selection Process

EDA employees will review each nomination received for completeness and adherence to competition rules. Each complete and eligible nomination is forwarded to the selection panel to be competitively evaluated by at least three panelists according to the selection criteria provided on page x. The top three nominations in each of the seven award categories advance as finalists. Using the announced criteria, the selection panel ranks the finalists for consideration by the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. The Assistant Secretary then selects the winners. If no finalist in an award category achieves the level of excellence contemplated in this award, the Assistant Secretary may decide not to make an award in that category. EDA may amend the selection process from one year to the next, but shall not alter the rules for a given year once the initial announcement is made. EDA staff and selection panel members reserve the right to contact nominees in order to verify information submitted or to obtain additional information necessary to evaluate the nomination. Nominees are under no obligation to provide this information, but should recognize that failure to provide the information may lower their chances of being selected as a winner.

Selection Panel

In any given year, the selection panel is composed of as many as seven individuals selected by the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development in the following categories:

• one representative of the non-federal economic development practitioner community;

• one member from academe;

• two representatives of EDA; and,

• three at-large members.

Selection panel members may not be employees, officers, consultants, or contractors of any nominated organization. In the event such a conflict of interest is discovered, either the selection panel member shall be removed from the selection process or the nominated organization shall withdraw its entry. The Assistant Secretary may replace any selection panel member who resigns. The term of a selection panel member shall be one year.

Instructions for Preparing and Submitting Nominations

• A nomination may be submitted in only one of the seven categories.

• A nomination should address each of the five selection criteria provided on page x. You may include a statement totaling no more than five pages to discuss the nominee’s achievements in the five selection criteria.

• Please do not include any additional materials, such as promotional materials, annual reports, etc. Such items will not be considered by the selection panel.

• A nomination may include as many as three letters of support. Each support letter must be attached to the nomination. Support letters that arrive after the submission deadline or separately from a nomination will not be considered by the selection panel.

• A nomination may include as many as three print or electronic photographs. All photographs must be attached to or embedded in a nomination. Photographs, in any format, that arrive after the submission deadline or separately from a nomination will not be considered by the selection panel. EDA is unable to return submitted photographs.

• For nominations mailed or sent by a courier service, please provide an original complete nomination plus four copies of a complete nomination package. For nomination packages sent electronically, please attach all documents to only one email. Please do not send a nomination in multiple emails.

• A nomination may be sent by US mail, by a courier service or electronically. U.S. Department of Commerce mail security measures may delay receipt of U.S. Postal Service mail. However, a complete nomination must be sent by only one of these methods. U.S. Department of Commerce mail security measures may delay receipt of U.S. Postal Service mail. Therefore, delivery by a courier service such as FedEx, UPS, etc., is recommended.

• Courier or mail one original and fouir copies of a complete nomination to: Attention: EDA Excellence Awards 200x, Economic Development Administration, Department of Commerce, Room 7816, 1401 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20230.

Email one complete nomination package to: awards@eda.doc.gov

Please consolidate a nomination package into one email. Please do not send multiple emails.

• Nominations must be received by close of business on xxxx xx, 200x.

• A letter acknowledging receipt of your nomination will be mailed to you.

• If you have any questions, please contact xxxx xxxx in EDA’s Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs Division at (202) 482-4521.

Nominee Information Page

Please complete this entire information page. You may complete the information page online using Microsoft Word, providing it electronically or in hardcopy as the first page of a nomination package. Please be certain to provide this completed information page as the first page of your nomination package.

Nominee name: _____________________________________________________________

Street address: ______________________________________________________________

City, State and ZIP Code: ____________________________________Congressional District(s) _________

*Preferred contact person and telephone number: _________________________________________________

Email address: _________________________________________________________________

Web address: ____________________________________________________________________

*EDA will contact this person at this number to announce finalists and winners.

Check only one of the following to indicate the nomination category:

• Excellence in Urban or Suburban Economic Development

• Excellence in Rural Economic Development

• Excellence in Environmental and Energy Economic Development

• Excellence in University-led Strategies to Enhance Economic Development

• Excellence in Economic Diversification Strategies responding to Economic Dislocation or Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) to Enhance Economic Development

• Excellence in Community and Faith-Based Social Entrepreneurship

• Excellence in Historic Preservation-led Strategies to Enhance Economic Development

Check only one of the following to indicate the nomination type:

• Organization’s overall efforts, or

• Specific program or project of the organization.

Provide name of specific program or project: _____________________________________________

Yes No EDA is hereby authorized to publish a summary of this nomination if it qualifies as a finalist.

Yes No EDA is hereby authorized to publish contact information, including address, phone, fax, e-mail and website, as provided in this nomination.

[Graphic Contractor will prepare following Text Box]

For Agency Use Only

Logged by: _______

Date received: _____

Timely receipt of application ___ Yes ___ No

Statement(s) included ____ Yes ____ No _____

Number of support letters included: ________

Nominee Certification

Signature of Nominee Representative: ______________________________________________________

I certify that I have the authority to represent the nominee organization in public matters. I also certify that, to the best of my knowledge, the substantive statements in this application are true. I understand that if this application is found to contain substantive and willful misrepresentations, the nominee will be disqualified from the award competition. [Your signature above will be accepted on electronic submissions.]

Please provide the following contact information for the Nominee Representative:

Print name of Nominee Representative: ___________________________________________________

Print title of Nominee Representative: __________________________________________________________

Representative’s preferred telephone contact number: _______________________________________________

Email address: ______________________________________________

Fax number: ____________________

Confidentiality

The selection scores and content deliberations used to select finalists and winners will not be disclosed except to the extent provided by law.

Endorsements

The Award for Excellence in Economic Development is honorary only and does not constitute an endorsement of any revenue-producing goods, publications, or services the winner may offer.

Nomination Form OMB Control No. 0610-0101 Expires 06/30/20xx

Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. The OMB Approved Number for this Collection is 0610-0101and expires 06/30/20xx.

The information is used by EDA to recognize outstanding economic development activities of national importance and to determine which applicants that meet the preannounced criteria. No confidentiality for the information submitted is promised or provided except that which is exempt under 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4) as confidential business information.

The public reporting burden for this collection is estimated to average 3 hours per response including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to: Economic Development Administration, Herbert C. Hoover Building, Washington, D.C. 20230, and to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of the Office of Management and Budget, Washington, D.C. 20503.

EDA’s Mission

To lead the federal economic development agenda

by promoting innovation and competitiveness,

preparing American regions for growth and success

in the worldwide economy.

“The role of government is to create conditions in which jobs

are created in which people can find work.”

President George W. Bush

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