(a) General. EDA may provide assistance in the form of a grant under this section to an Impacted Community to help the Community carry out a project or program that is included in a Strategic Plan developed in accordance with Sec. 313.6. Such assistance may include:
(1) Infrastructure improvements, such as site acquisition, site preparation, construction, rehabilitation and equipping of facilities;
(2) Market or industry research and analysis;
(3) Technical assistance, including organizational development such as business networking, restructuring or improving the delivery of business services, or feasibility studies;
(4) Public services;
(5) Training; and
(6) Other activities justified by the Strategic Plan that satisfy applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
(b) Application evaluation criteria. (1) An Impacted Community that seeks to receive an implementation grant under this section shall submit a completed `Application for Federal Assistance' (Form ED-900 or any successor form) to the applicable regional office (or regional offices in the event the Community crosses multiple geographic boundaries) serving the geographic area in which the Community is located. A complete application also shall include:
(1) An Impacted Community that seeks to receive an implementation grant under this section shall submit a completed `Application for Federal Assistance' (Form ED-900 or any successor form) to the applicable regional office (or regional offices in the event the Community crosses multiple geographic boundaries) serving the geographic area in which the Community is located. A complete application also shall include:
(i) The EDA-approved Strategic Plan that meets the requirements of Sec. 313.6; and
(ii) A description of the project or program included in the Strategic Plan with respect to which the Impacted Community seeks assistance.
(2) EDA will evaluate all applications for the feasibility of the budget presented and conformance with statutory and regulatory requirements. EDA also will consider the degree to which an implementation grant in the Impacted Community will satisfy the evaluation criteria set forth in the applicable FFO announcement.
(c) Coordination among grant programs. If an entity in an Impacted Community seeks or plans to seek a Community College and Career Training Grant under section 278 of the Trade Act or a Sector Partnership Grant under section 279A of the Trade Act while the Impacted Community seeks assistance under this section, the Impacted Community shall include in the application for assistance a description of how the Impacted Community will integrate any projects or programs carried out using assistance provided under this section with any projects or programs that may be implemented with other Federal assistance.
(d) Cost sharing requirement. (1) If an Impacted Community is awarded an implementation grant under this section, the following requirements shall apply:
(1) If an Impacted Community is awarded an implementation grant under this section, the following requirements shall apply:
(i) Federal share. The Federal share of a project or program for which a grant is awarded may not exceed 95 percent of the cost of implementing the project or program; and
(ii) Community's share. The Impacted Community must contribute at least five percent of the amount of the implementation grant towards the cost of implementing the project or program for which the grant is awarded.
(2) In order to provide funding to as many merit-worthy Impacted Communities as feasible, EDA may base the amount of the Community's required share on the relative distress caused by the actual or threatened decline in the most recent Civilian Labor Force statistics effective on the date EDA receives an application for an implementation grant.
(e) Limitation. An Impacted Community may not be awarded more than $5,000,000 in implementation grant assistance under this section.