Brittany Sickler, Networks Program Manager, US Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, Washington, DC

1. EDA's Networks Division
driving connectedness
Brittany Sickler
Networks Program Manager
bsickler@eda.gov

2. At your table, share one
thing you’re navigating in
your work that it’d be helpful
to talk to about and problem
solve with peers in your field.
Warm up
What interesting things are
taking place – that you’d like
to potentially replicate, or
stay away from?

3. Networks Division Overview
EDA’s growing Communities of Practice (CoPs), Economic Recovery Corps, and Equity Impact
Investments initiatives bolster the capacity of economic development organizations from all angles.
peer-to-peer learning
Our Communities of Practice
partners facilitate peer
learning and connections
among economic developers
confronting similar challenges
across different places. Each
community captures,
organizes, and
scales promising practices at
a national level.
knowledge & insights
All EDA Networks programs
and efforts will capture
information and data real-time
at a local level to scale future-
focused and equitable
economic development
practices across the industry,
while contributing to the
growth of EDA’s knowledge
management infrastructure.
on the ground support
The Economic Recovery Corps
will promote national
connectivity by placing over 60
Fellows within local economic
development organizations.
The Equity Impact Investments
program will build capacity in
over 120 community and
economic development
organizations supporting
underserved populations.

4. Promising economic
development strategies
are constantly being
tested across regions
and organizations
But practitioners often
struggle to connect with
peers and learn from
existing promising
practices
Our Communities
of Practice
transform
previously
disconnected
groups into
integrated learning
communities
EDA’s Communities of Practice strengthen
America’s economic development
infrastructure by improving systems and
scaling practices nationally
www.eda.gov/strategic-initiatives/communities-of-practice

5. Activities
• Networking & Events
• Trainings & Peer Learning
• TA and Coaching
• Resource Creation & Sharing
Outputs
• Individuals served
• Organizations served
• Emerging practices
identified
• Tools developed
Outcomes
•  Connectedness within and
across cohorts
• Awareness of best practices
•  Capacity and effectiveness of
CoP participant organizations
Impact
More accelerated,
resilient, equitable,
and competitive
regional economic
growth.
www.eda.gov/strategic-initiatives/communities-of-practice
EDA’s Communities of Practice are fostering a more
accelerated, resilient, and equitable economic
recovery

6. EDA’s Communities of Practice span a range of
systems, topics, and programs
www.eda.gov/strategic-initiatives/communities-of-practice
systems
• Economic Development Districts
• Revolving Loan Funds
• Indigenous Economic
Development
topics
• Coal
• Manufacturing
• Technology-Based Economic
Development
programs
• Build Back Better Regional
Challenge
• Good Jobs Challenge
learnings

7. our communities
of practice
are talking
about:
diversifying
coal-reliant
economies
strengthening their
manufacturing base
technology-based
economic
development
improving
tribal access
to economic
development
tools
reaching small
businesses with
meaningful
lending options
building and
implementing
strong
regional plans
effective
cluster
strategies
better
connecting
workforce and
economic
development
diversifying
coal-reliant
economies

8. Each Community of Practice is
an important piece of a larger effort
EDD Community of Practice
equipping Economic Development
Districts to achieve their economic
development goals
Communities of Practice
capturing, organizing, and
scaling practices at a national
level
Networks
connecting, and bolstering the
capacity of, economic
development organizations
RLF Community of Practice
strengthening the capacity of
Revolving Loan Fund operators Indigenous Economic Development
Community of Practice
increasing access to federal
economic development resources
across indigenous communities
Building Resilient Economies in Coal
Communities
preparing coal communities to
revitalize and diversify their
economies

9. engage share learn implement
0ur invitation to you

10.  For high-level information on the portfolio and individual CoPs,
navigate to www.eda.gov/strategic-initiatives/communities-of-
practice.
You can find webpages on each CoP here, which include links to CoP-
managed websites, and ways to contact each CoP operator.
 To contact EDA’s Networks team directly, reach out to
networks@eda.gov.
How to engage

11. This initiative is designed to enable EDA Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) operators to
better address the need for flexible, accessible, recovery and growth-oriented small
business financing across the country. This Community of Practice will build RLF
organizational capacity, increase qualified high-impact deployment rates of RLF
funding, and build an effective and sustainable RLF cohort.
 Key Activities:
 Lead: National Development Council (NDC)
 Timeline: September 2022-September 2024
 For More Information: Revolving Loan Fund Community of Practice
Revolving Loan Fund CoP
Topical gatherings
for Peer-to-Peer
learning
Creation of RLF
Self-Assessment
Tool
Cohort-based
learning programs
Online portal for
RLFs to
communicate and
share in real time
Management of an
RLF Peer Advisory
Committee

12. This initiative, for Economic Development Organizations working within EDA’s investment
priority of technology-based economic development (TBED), is developing TBED knowledge
and skills across the field of economic development, building inter-organizational networks
amongst practitioners identifying and disseminating effective TBED practices, and stimulating
new TBED-driven partnerships.
 Key Activities:
 Lead: State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI)
 Timeline: September 2022 – September 2026
 For More Information: Technology-Based Economic Development Community of Practice
Technology-Based Economic Development CoP
Topical Webinars
Optional affinity
groups
Conferences
Coaching and
technical
assistance
Creation of
toolkits, self-
assessments,
information briefs
and videos

13. This initiative will expand and strengthen a network of manufacturing community
stakeholders across the country and provide specialized support as they seek to
strengthen their manufacturing base. The group will also co-design and establish
manufacturing ecosystem metrics that inform better interventions for manufacturing
communities in the future.
 Key Activities:
 Lead: American Manufacturing Communities Collaborative (AMCC)
 Timeline: September 2022-September 2026
 For More Information: Manufacturing Community of Practice
Manufacturing CoP
Weekly network
calls
Regional
roadshows
Topical webinars
Manufacturing
ecosystem-
focused podcast
Creation of
manufacturing
ecosystem
metrics tool

14. The Building Resilient Economies in Coal Communities Initiative, BRECC,
supports coal-reliant communities across the country seeking to diversify and
grow their local and regional economies through with peer-learning, capacity
building, and resource-sharing.
 Key Activities:
 Lead: National Association of Counties Research Foundation (NACo RF)
 Timeline: June 2022 - June 2025
 For More Information: Building Resilient Economies in Coal Communities Initiative
Building Resilient Economies in Coal
Communities Initiative, a Coal CoP
Bi-Monthly
National Network
Learning
Sessions
Conference
Sessions
Coalition of local
leaders from coal-
communities
Technical
Assistance Action
Challenge
National
storytelling
campaign,
including the Coal
Brew podcast

15. This initiative will forge deep, inter-regional ties between the 60 finalist Build Back
Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC) coalitions and accelerate cluster-based
economic development by testing new strategies, creating deeper insights, and
surfacing best practices from the implementation of the BBBRC projects.
 Key Activities:
 Lead: RTI International
 Timeline: June 2022 – December 2026
 For More Information: Building Better Regions Community of Practice
Building Better Regions CoP
Topical gatherings
for Peer-to-Peer
learning
Creation and
rollout of tools to
support Coalition
strategies
Regular
convenings for
Coalition leads
Coalition coaching
and technical
assistance
Online portal for
Coalitions to
communicate and
share in real time

16. A multi-layered program for the 32 Good Jobs Challenge (GJC) grantees
designed to foster collaboration among grantees, provide wraparound support for
grantees throughout implementation, and identify best practices to benefit the
greater community of workforce, education, and economic development
stakeholders.
 Key Activities:
 Lead: Jobs for the Future (JFF)
 Timeline: July 2022-June 2026
 For More Information: Good Jobs Challenge Community of Practice
Good Jobs Challenge CoP
Annual
convenings of all
GJC grantees
Optional affinity
group meetings
Workshops to
support grantee
data strategies
Grantee coaching
and technical
assistance
Online portal for
grantees to
communicate and
share in real time

17. This initiative creates new pathways for Regional Planning Organizations, especially
EDA’s 400+ Economic Development Districts (EDDs), to build relationships, and
explore and adopt new practices for advancing local and regional economic
development strategies.
 Key Activities:
 Lead: National Association of Development Organizations Research Foundation (NADO RF)
 Timeline: August 2022 – May 2027
 For More Information: Economic Development District Community of Practice
Economic Development Districts CoP
Topical Webinars
Virtual EDD Meet-
ups
In-person
convenings
Online portal for
EDDs to
communicate and
share in real time
“EDDs in Action”
Case Study Series
Tabletop
consulting

18. This initiative is designed to convene current and potential EDA indigenous grantees to
build tribal capacity for project planning and implementation via training and technical
assistance, and to facilitate expanded access to EDA’s economic development funding
opportunities for tribes.
This project also includes a strong research component to collect and analyze data on
EDA tribal grantees to develop tools and resources to help inform economic development
decision-making in these communities.
 Key Activities:
 Lead: Urban Institute
 Timeline: September 2022-September 2025
 For More Information: Indigenous Economic Development Community of Practice
Indigenous Economic Development
Research and CoP
Gatherings for Peer-to-
Peer learning
Short and long format
training programs
Creation of toolkits for
tribes to implement
best practices at
varying stages of an
economic development
project