Post from September 2, 2022
FRESNO, Calif. – Congressman Jim Costa (CA-16) announced a $65.1 million American Rescue Plan “Build Back Better Regional Challenge” grant for the Fresno-Merced Future of Food Innovation (F3) Coalition led by the Central Valley Community Foundation, to drive agriculture innovation and boost our regional economy. With $65.1 million in funding from EDA, the Fresno-Merced Future of Food Innovation (F3) Coalition will accelerate the integration of technology and skills in the region’s agriculture industry—improving productivity and job quality for existing farmworkers while driving a more resilient and sustainable food system. The projects funded as part of this award include the launch of iCREATE, a new ag-tech hub, with the mission to accelerate the development and transfer of technology between researchers at local universities and farmers across the region. At the same time, community colleges throughout the Central Valley will receive access to new technology and training to equip students and workers with the skills needed to access higher quality, higher paying jobs in ag-tech—improving both farm productivity and wages.“This is a big deal for our Valley! I voted to bring federal dollars back home with the American Rescue Plan, which makes it possible to deliver transformative investments like this to boost our regional economy,” said Costa. “This $65 million grant will build a stronger, more resilient food system by integrating new technologies, improving farm productivity, and creating good-paying jobs. I have supported this project from the beginning and done all I can to advocate in Washington for the Valley to get more than its fair share. Combined with the Good Jobs Challenge grant, we have secured $88 million in federal funding. This is a significant investment for the future of our Valley.”
The Fresno-Merced Future of Food Innovation (F3) Coalition is one of 21 winners – each a regional coalition of partnering entities – that will receive awards between $25 and $65 million to implement an average of six projects that together will enable each region's economic transformation and competitiveness.The Build Back Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC) is an unprecedented competitive federal grant program that provides each regional coalition with significant investments to tackle a wide variety of projects – including entrepreneurial support, workforce development, infrastructure, and innovation – to drive inclusive economic growth. Each coalition’s collection of projects aims to develop and strengthen regional industry clusters – all while embracing economic equity, creating good-paying jobs, and enhancing U.S. competitiveness globally. Projects span 24 states and include $94 million to two primarily Tribal coalitions and over $200 million for projects serving communities impacted by the declining use of coal.The 21 BBBRC awardees were chosen from 60 finalists which were each given about $500,000 in funding and received technical assistance to continue developing their cluster strategies. Those 60 finalists were chosen from a Phase 1 applicant pool of 529 applications, which exemplifies the tremendous demand for transformational economic development across the country. EDA will continue to support all 60 finalists with the creation of a Community of Practice – led by Research Triangle Institute – that will provide technical support, foster connectedness with peer regions and build capacity.The Build Back Better Regional Challenge is one of EDA’s many programs aimed at building strong regional economies and supporting community-led economic development. EDA was allocated $3 billion in supplemental funding under the American Rescue Plan to assist communities nationwide in their efforts to build back better by accelerating economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and building local economies that will be resilient to future economic shocks. Costa was the only member from the central San Joaquin Valley delegation who voted to pass the American Rescue Plan. For more information about EDA’s American Rescue Plan programs, visit https://www.eda.gov/ARPA/.
Original source can be found here.
