On behalf of the Central Washington Economic Development District (CWEDD), Yakima County Development Association and Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce are assisting with a project update for the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for Yakima County and Kittitas Counties. The Federal Economic Development Administration (EDA) developed the CEDS planning process so that regions could articulate their economic development priorities and projects. The Economic Development Administration also requires that the CEDS be updated before their agency will fund projects in a particular region.
To move the CEDS project updating process forward, we need your help. Below is a link to an application (and important instructions) that cities, nonprofit organizations, and other entities can fill out to identify economic development projects or initiatives. We invite you or your community partners to complete this application if you need technical assistance or funding to start, continue, or finish an economic development venture within your jurisdiction.
Project applications must be submitted by 5:00 pm Friday July 22, 2022. These two-page project applications do not take a lot of time to complete, so hopefully this deadline gives you plenty of time to develop and submit projects. Once these projects are received, the CWEDD board of directors will evaluate projects alongside projects already in the CEDS plan. Inclusion in the CEDS is based on several criteria that is outlined below. If you have questions or need any help to develop a project or complete the included application, please contact our offices.
DOWNLOAD THE “PROJECT PROPOSAL APPLICATION” Save the file to your desktop to edit and save changes
DOWNLOAD THE CALL FOR PROJECTS INSTRUCTIONS
| Qualifications for project listing in the CEDS |
| Job Creation & Business Development |
| · Is the project consistent with or responsive to local or regional economic needs or opportunities? · How many businesses will benefit from this project? · How many jobs will result from this project? · What are the wages/salaries and benefits of the jobs? · What is the likelihood the business and job benefits will occur? |
| Readiness to Proceed & Likelihood of Success |
| · How soon will permits, financing, and other key steps be completed? · Is the projects timeline realistic and likely to be accomplished? · What is the track record of the applicant in accomplishing similar projects? · How many dollars have been committed locally? · Does the project align with other state/federal/foundation funding programs or priorities? |
Following the evaluation of applications, a comprehensive list of all projects that address the criteria outlined above will be included in the CEDS.
Clarification About This Process: Submitting a “Project Proposal Application” application does not ensure an applicant will get funding for their project. Being included in the CEDS project list does, however, increase your chances of getting funds or technical assistance.
Please limit project applications to two pages. Use only the space provided on the application to describe your project. The CEDS steering committee will not consider information or attachments submitted that push applications beyond this two-page requirement. Submit “Project Proposal Applications” via email to jon@ycda.com. Applications must be signed physically or digitally by an authorized representative from the organization making the application.