Economic Development Administration

The Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, a sub-agency within the Cabinet-level Department of Commerce, administers federal economic development grants and contracts to support regional economic growth, diversification, and resilience across the United States. EDA funds economic development initiatives through grants to states, local governments, universities, and nonprofit organizations, and procures contract services in support of program administration and technical assistance delivery.

EDA's contract portfolio totals 808 awards since 1988, with a combined potential value of $210.3 million and $179.5 million in obligated dollars. Contract activity has declined sharply in recent years: 51 awards in 2022, 34 in 2023, 19 in 2024, 17 in 2025, and 16 year-to-date in 2026. Competitive concentration is fragmented; the top five primes by award count (Software Information Resource Corp., CSP Enterprises LLC, H & L Environmental Services LLC, J&M Global Solutions LLC, and Novaces LLC) hold 39 percent of recent awards, while the top five by potential value hold 25 percent of combined value. Software Information Resource Corp. leads across both metrics with 20 awards and $28.6 million combined potential value. The remaining 280 contractors each hold a small share of the overall portfolio. Contract set-asides are minimal: 74 percent of awards carry no set-aside designation; 20 percent are small-business set-asides; and 8(a), service-disabled veteran-owned small business, buy-Indian, woman-owned small business, and HUBZone awards together account for 6 percent of the portfolio.

EDA's grant portfolio is substantially larger, with 15,751 awards totaling $14.97 billion in federal dollars obligated since 2000. Grant activity declined significantly over the last five years: 1,113 awards in 2022, 439 in 2023, 566 in 2024, 179 in 2025, and 20 year-to-date in 2026. Grant recipients are highly fragmented; the top five recipients by award count and by federal dollars each hold only 2 percent of recent awards and 2 percent of recent federal dollars respectively. The Research Foundation for the State University of New York leads by both metrics with 11 awards and $72.2 million in federal dollars obligated. The remaining 4,871 recipients span universities, city and local governments, regional organizations, and nonprofits. Grants are predominantly Project Grants (99 percent) with a small share of Cooperative Agreements (1 percent).

No recent contract opportunities are recorded against EDA or its offices. No recent grant opportunities are recorded against EDA or its offices.

The Economic Development Administration provides grants to economically distressed communities to generate new employment, and stimulate industrial and commercial growth.