A Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) provides a blueprint for economic and community growth. Every five (5) years a Revised CEDS is developed, on the intervening years we complete an Annual Performance Report on the progress made on the 5 Year Plan.
The Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) is a locally based, regionally driven economic development planning process and document that creates the space for your region to identify its strengths and weaknesses and brings together a diverse set of partners to generate good jobs, diversify the economy, and spur economic growth. This process engages a wide range of regional partners, including economic development organizations, community leaders and residents, tribes, the private sector, educational institutions, and other stakeholders in planning for our region’s future.
An effective CEDS allows our region to maximize its economic development potential, as well as engage with the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) and other federal partners to receive infrastructure and technical assistance grants, such as EDA’s Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance programs. The CEDS is a pre-requisite for federal designation as an EDD and must be updated at least every five years. Overall, an effective CEDS planning process identifies locally grown strategies that will guide regional economic development, encourage partnerships and collaboration, and improve economic outcomes and overall quality of life in your region.
2025-2029 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
Check out our previous plans and updates here!
A CEDS can’t be successful without incorporating diverse voices and interests from Chippewa, Luce, and Mackinac Counties. The Regional Economic Development Advisory Collaborative (REDAC) has representatives from economic and workforce development, local, state, and federal government, community organizations, adult, post-secondary and K-12 education, minority groups, transportation, private sector employers, and labor groups.
In addition to the contributions and review by the REDAC members, EUPRPDC reviewed studies and planning documents, conducted outreach sessions, and presented to community groups, and asking EUP citizens to respond to the surveys on various critical sectors to the EUP’s economy.
Interested in serving on the REDAC or having EUPRPDC present this initiative to your organization? Click here.
As described on the EDA’s website:
A CEDS is a strategy-driven plan for regional economic development. A CEDS is the result of a regionally owned planning process designed to build capacity and guide the economic prosperity and resiliency of an area or region. It is a key component in establishing and maintaining a robust economic ecosystem by helping to build regional capacity (through hard and soft infrastructure) that contributes to individual, firm, and community success. The CEDS provides a vehicle for individuals, organizations, local governments, institutes of learning, and private industry to engage in a meaningful conversation and debate about what capacity building efforts would best serve economic development in the region. The CEDS should take into account and, where appropriate, integrate or leverage other regional planning efforts, including the use of other available federal funds, private sector resources, and state support which can advance a region’s CEDS goals and objectives. Regions must update their CEDS at least every five years to qualify for EDA assistance under its Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance programs.
EUPRPDC receives a planning grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA) to help local units of government and other eligible entities like non-profits, tribal governments, and universities obtain federal funding to pursue projects which strengthen the Eastern Upper Peninsula’s through the creation of environments likely to yield new and retain existing private-sector employment. As the EDA-recognized Economic Development District for the counties of Chippewa, Luce, and Mackinac, EUPRPDC affects this process by preparing what is called a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy–or CEDS.
As the District Organization of the Eastern Upper Peninsula Economic Development District, EUPRPDC is responsible for developing a revised CEDS every 5 years, providing an annual performance report on the CEDS, convening the Regional Economic Development Advisory Collaborative who oversees the CEDS (and RPI) process and development, and surveying local units of government and other eligible entities to inquire as to which projects they have in the works that are appropriate for EDA-funding.
EDA manages a variety of investment programs. Below are three that EUPRPDC believes are very appropriate for projects in the Eastern Upper Peninsula.
Public Works
EDA’s Public Works program helps distressed communities revitalize, expand, and upgrade their physical infrastructure. This program enables communities to attract new industry; encourage business expansion; diversify local economies; and generate or retain long-term, private-sector jobs and investment through the acquisition or development of land and infrastructure improvements needed for the successful establishment or expansion of industrial or commercial enterprises.
Follow this link to learn more specifically about the types of projects EDA’s Public Works Program funds and the criteria used to judge applicant’s proposals.
Economic Adjustment Assistance
The EAA program provides a wide range of technical, planning, and public works and infrastructure assistance in regions experiencing adverse economic changes that may occur suddenly or over time. These adverse economic impacts may result from a steep decline in manufacturing employment following a plant closure, changing trade patterns, catastrophic natural disaster, a military base closure, or environmental changes and regulations.
The EAA program is EDA’s most flexible program. Under the EAA program, EDA can fund market and environmental studies, planning or construction grants, and capitalize or recapitalize revolving loan funds (RLFs) to help provide small businesses with the capital they need to grow.
Follow this link to learn more specifically about the types of projects EDA’s Economic Adjustment Assistance Program funds and the criteria used to judge applicant’s proposals.
Local Technical Assistance
The Local Technical Assistance program helps analyze the feasibility of potential economic development projects, such as an industrial park or a high-technology business incubator. Feasibility studies are an effective tool for determining whether the market will support a particular activity or site. Local Technical Assistance can prevent costly mistakes and misguided investments, such as costly infrastructure improvements to support obsolete industries. Targeted market feasibility studies can help communities overcome these hurdles and identify tomorrow’s higher-wage employers. Because of these feasibility studies, many communities have subsequently received funding under EDA’s Public Works or Economic Development Assistance programs, or other federal and state programs, to implement those projects.
Follow this link to learn more specifically about the types of projects EDA’s Local Technical Assistance Program funds and the criteria used to judge applicant’s proposals.
Through its competitive grant process, EDA evaluates all project applications to determine the extent to which they:
EDA’s investment priorities provide an overarching framework to ensure its grant investment portfolio – ranging from planning to infrastructure construction — contributes to local efforts to build, improve, or better leverage economic assets that allow businesses to succeed and regional economies to prosper and become more resilient. Competitive grant applications will be responsive to the evaluation criteria listed under each individual funding announcement, including at least one of the following investment priorities:
