October 16, 2020
U.S. Department of Commerce Launches $25 Million SPRINT Challenge to Address Coronavirus Pandemic Through Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the opening of the Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) new Scaling Pandemic Resilience Through Innovation and Technology (SPRINT) Challenge, which will enable organizations across the country to address the economic, health, and safety risks caused by the coronavirus pandemic through entrepreneurship and innovation.
The SPRINT Challenge is a $25 million national competition funded by the CARES Act. With the publication of the SPRINT Challenge Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)
today, EDA seeks projects that aim to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic and future pandemics. The deadline to apply for the Challenge is December 3, 2020.
“Throughout our history, intrepid American innovators have solved problems and secured our economic competitiveness. The Trump Administration is counting on our Nation’s innovators to help our country through COVID-19 and beyond,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “The SPRINT Challenge will harness America’s entrepreneurial potential to respond to challenges caused by the coronavirus.”
“With this challenge, we will tap into American ingenuity, creativity, and innovation to find unique solutions to the unprecedented challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic,” said Dana Gartzke, Performing the Delegated Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “Innovators and entrepreneurs are quickly pivoting in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The SPRINT Challenge will help communities support those entrepreneurs when we need them the most.”
Eligibility is open to cities, counties, states, other political subdivisions of states, and Indian Tribes; public or private nonprofits; institutions of higher education; and EDA-Economic Development Districts.
Individual grants will be awarded up to $500,000 over a 12-month period of performance or up to $750,000 over an 18-month period of performance. Project focuses may include, but are not limited to, scaling innovative biotechnology, health security, and supply chain technologies and solutions to market; increasing regional, national, and government connectivity across innovation clusters to support commercialization and entrepreneurship; developing new and unique investment capital models to address the financial needs of entrepreneurs; or developing and scaling innovative entrepreneurship support models to address the virtual and remote work environment of the pandemic.
The CARES Act, signed into law
by President Donald J. Trump, provides EDA with $1.5 billion for economic development assistance programs to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
EDA’s Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
will administer the SPRINT Challenge, as authorized through the CARES Act.
For more information, please visit EDA’s SPRINT Challenge webpage.
ETCOG/ETEDD and Grant Writing USA will present a two-day grant writing workshop in Tyler, TX, August 27-28, 2026. This training is for grant seekers from all disciplines. Attend this class to learn how to write winning government grant proposals and find the available grant funding. Beginning and experienced grant writers from city, county, state agencies, K-12, colleges & universities and nonprofits are encouraged to attend. Registration is $525 and includes everything you need: Grant Writing USA Workbook Two days of expert instruction Lifetime access to Grant Writing USA Alumni Resource Center Grant Writing USA is offering ETCOG members a $50 discount. Please use the discount code "less50" at the time of registration. When: August 27 - 28 | 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Where: 1421 S Beckham Ave, Tyler, TX 75701 For event details visit: https://grantstraining.com/ty0826
ETCOG will hold a Public Hearing on Thursday, August 6, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. during its Executive Committee meeting at 3800 Stone Road, Kilgore, Texas. The purpose of the hearing is to gather public input on the Texas Community Development Block Grant ( TxCDBG ) Program Regional Project Priority Types for the East Texas region. As part of the standard TxCDBG process, each Council of Governments region in Texas is encouraged to identify the project types that best reflect regional needs and priorities. During the hearing, ETCOG’s Executive Committee will receive comments from local officials, stakeholders, and members of the public regarding which eligible project categories should be prioritized for East Texas. These priorities may include needs such as water and sewer infrastructure, street improvements, housing, and other eligible community development activities. Regional project priority types play an important role in the TxCDBG application process. The priorities adopted by ETCOG will be submitted to the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), which administers the TxCDBG program, for use in the upcoming funding cycle. Regional priorities account for a portion of the scoring used to evaluate grant applications. ETCOG encourages anyone with an interest in community development needs across East Texas to attend the hearing and provide input during the public comment period.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development launched a new Rural Development Eligibility Lookup Tool, which has been integrated into Rural Development’s Eligibility site. This site now directs users to an eligibility mapping tool for the following programs: Community Facilities Electric OneRD Guarantee Rural Business and Cooperative Services Water and Environmental Programs The Rural Development Eligibility Lookup Tool enables user flexibility in determining programmatic eligibility based on their location across multiple programs simultaneously. USDA Income and Property Eligibility Site: https://eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov/eligibility/welcomeAction.do USDA Rural Development Eligibility Lookup Tool (direct link): https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/3c2f6c9581bb4f06a4ab68df8f34b0be This consolidated view of eligibility represents a significant modernization in how Rural Development assesses and communicates program eligibility. By centralizing eligibility checks, utilizing current geospatial technology and adhering to modern data governance standards, the tool significantly reduces staff workload and improves engagement with rural communities. This initiative supports Rural Development’s mission to provide efficient, transparent and accessible services while ensuring compliance with federal requirements and maintaining consistency with existing eligibility data sources.
