Manufacturing communities program ready for second round

The Department of Commerce (DOC) is getting ready to open a second round of applications for its Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership program. The program selects geographic regions, typically centered around universities or cities, that are making a strong effort to build up their local manufacturing base.

Acceptance into the DOC program gives those communities some priority in competing for existing grants offered by 12 federal agencies, such as the Department of Defense. The first class of 12 communities, announced last May, included:

• Southwest Alabama, led by the University of South Alabama
• Southern California, led by the University of Southern California Center for Economic Development
• Northwest Georgia, led by the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission
• The Chicago metro region, led by the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development
• South Kansas, led by Wichita State University
• Greater Portland region in Maine, led by the Greater Portland Council of Governments
• Southeastern Michigan, led by the Wayne County Economic Development Growth Engine
• The New York Finger Lakes region, led by the city of Rochester
• Southwestern Ohio Aerospace region, led by the city of Cincinnati
• The Tennessee Valley, led by the University of Tennessee
• The Washington Puget Sound region, led by the Puget Sound Regional Council
• The Milwaukee 7 region, led by the Redevelopment Authority of the city of Milwaukee

Information about the second round will be posted here.