The Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration awarded a $420,000 project grant to the Blackhawk Hills Resource Conservation & Development for the development and implementation of a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) in the six-county Blackhawk Hills region of northwest Illinois. This funding supports the Economic Development Support for Planning Organizations federal grant program, which provides assistance to create regional economic development plans to stimulate and guide community and regional economic growth. Through this three-year award ending June 2024, Blackhawk Hills RC&D will develop and carry out a CEDS for Carroll, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, and Whiteside counties to analyze the regional economy and guide the coordination of local economic development efforts across the multi-county area.