Opportunity Information: Apply for 2012SC2
Apply for 2012SC2
- The Economic Development Administration in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) regional development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Strong Cities, Strong Communities Visioning Challenge" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.307 Economic Adjustment Assistance.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 14, 2012 and posted on Jun 14, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 23, 2012. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $6,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: City or township governments.
- Only cities that have a current population of at least 100,000 persons residing within their official municipal boundaries as of the 2010 Census are eligible to apply under this FFO. Cities must also meet EDAs economic distress criteria as outlined in section IV.A of this FFO.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Strong Cities, Strong Communities Visioning Challenge (also called the SC2 Pilot Challenge) was a federal grant opportunity run by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) to help large, economically distressed cities generate practical, forward-looking economic development strategies. The core idea was to push cities to tap a wider range of expertise and fresh thinking by running local “challenge competitions” that attract multidisciplinary teams (for example, professionals in economic development, planning, finance, technology, workforce, real estate, transportation, and related fields). Rather than funding a single pre-set project, the program focused on building actionable proposals and plans grounded in a realistic understanding of local conditions and broader regional and global economic trends, with the long-term goals of job creation, renewed investment, and improved community prosperity.
Under this opportunity, cities selected for awards would organize and administer their own competitions. Those competitions were structured to reward strong ideas in stages. First, teams would submit economic development proposals explaining how cutting-edge concepts could be applied to the city’s persistent challenges. Cities would then use evaluation panels they select to score submissions and award cash prizes to the top three proposals. After that initial round, each city would invite a smaller group of teams (generally two to six) to expand their ideas into more detailed, implementation-ready economic development plans. A separate prize was expected for the top-ranked final plan. The final deliverable for the grant was not just a set of contest winners, but a usable set of strategies distilled from the strongest plans, tailored to each participating city’s specific needs and conditions.
The funding instrument was a cooperative agreement, which typically means the federal agency expects to remain involved during the project rather than simply issuing funds and stepping back. The program was categorized as a challenge competition and tied to CFDA 11.307, Economic Adjustment Assistance. Total estimated funding was $6,000,000 across an anticipated six awards, with an award ceiling of $1,000,000 per recipient. Cost sharing or matching was required, so recipient cities needed to contribute non-federal resources consistent with EDA requirements.
Eligibility was limited to city or township governments. To apply, a city had to have at least 100,000 residents within its municipal boundaries according to the 2010 Census, and it also had to meet EDA’s economic distress criteria (as referenced in the opportunity’s eligibility section). The opportunity was posted June 14, 2012, with a closing date of July 23, 2012, and the anticipated project period was 18 months beginning October 1, 2012. For access issues or questions, EDA directed applicants to sc2challenge@eda.gov, and additional details were available through the SC2 Challenge website link included in the announcement.
Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) Visioning Challenge (SC2 Pilot Challenge) FAQs
What is the Strong Cities, Strong Communities Visioning Challenge (SC2 Pilot Challenge)?
The Strong Cities, Strong Communities Visioning Challenge (also called the SC2 Pilot Challenge) was a federal grant opportunity administered by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA). It was designed to help large, economically distressed cities generate practical, forward-looking economic development strategies by running local challenge competitions that attract multidisciplinary teams and new ideas.
Who ran this grant opportunity?
The opportunity was run by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA).
What problem was the SC2 Visioning Challenge trying to solve?
The program aimed to support cities facing persistent economic challenges by helping them develop actionable economic development proposals and plans rooted in realistic local conditions and broader regional and global economic trends, with long-term goals such as job creation, renewed investment, and improved community prosperity.
How was this opportunity different from funding a single pre-set project?
Instead of funding one predetermined project, the SC2 Visioning Challenge focused on a structured competition process to produce actionable proposals and implementation-ready plans. The final deliverable was a set of usable strategies distilled from the strongest plans and tailored to each participating city.
What kind of funding instrument was used?
The funding instrument was a cooperative agreement, meaning EDA typically expects to remain involved during the project rather than simply awarding funds and stepping away.
What type of program was this categorized as?
The program was categorized as a challenge competition and was tied to CFDA 11.307, Economic Adjustment Assistance.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was limited to city or township governments.
What population threshold did a city need to meet to apply?
A city had to have at least 100,000 residents within its municipal boundaries, based on the 2010 Census.
Did applicants also need to meet an economic distress requirement?
Yes. In addition to the population requirement, an applicant city had to meet EDA's economic distress criteria (as referenced in the opportunity's eligibility section).
How much total funding was estimated for the program?
Total estimated funding was $6,000,000.
How many awards were anticipated?
The announcement anticipated approximately six awards.
What was the maximum award amount per recipient?
The award ceiling was $1,000,000 per recipient.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
Yes. Cost sharing or matching was required, so recipient cities needed to contribute non-federal resources consistent with EDA requirements.
What was the basic model cities were expected to implement with the grant?
Selected cities were expected to organize and administer their own local "challenge competitions" designed to attract multidisciplinary teams and reward strong economic development ideas in stages, moving from proposals to more detailed, implementation-ready plans.
What types of teams was the competition meant to attract?
The program encouraged cities to attract multidisciplinary teams, for example professionals in economic development, planning, finance, technology, workforce, real estate, transportation, and related fields.
How did the competition process work in the first stage?
Teams would submit economic development proposals explaining how cutting-edge concepts could be applied to the city's persistent challenges. Cities would then evaluate and score submissions and award cash prizes to the top three proposals.
Who selected the evaluation panels for scoring proposals?
Each city would use evaluation panels that the city selected.
How many teams typically advanced after the initial proposal stage?
After the first round, each city would invite a smaller group of teams, generally two to six, to expand their ideas into more detailed plans.
What happened in the second stage of the competition?
Invited teams would expand their initial ideas into more detailed, implementation-ready economic development plans.
Were there additional prizes beyond the initial proposal awards?
Yes. In addition to cash prizes for the top three proposals, a separate prize was expected for the top-ranked final plan.
What was the final deliverable expected from cities under this grant?
The final deliverable was not only a set of contest winners, but a usable set of strategies distilled from the strongest plans, tailored to each participating city's specific needs and conditions.
What outcomes was the program aiming for?
The long-term goals included job creation, renewed investment, and improved community prosperity.
When was the opportunity posted?
The opportunity was posted on June 14, 2012.
What was the application closing date?
The closing date was July 23, 2012.
How long was the anticipated project period?
The anticipated project period was 18 months.
When was the project period expected to begin?
The anticipated project period was expected to begin on October 1, 2012.
What email address was provided for access issues or questions?
EDA directed applicants to sc2challenge@eda.gov for access issues or questions.
Where could applicants find additional details?
Additional details were available through the SC2 Challenge website link included in the announcement.
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