On May 4, 2020, the WealthWorks rural wealth creation practitioner network held a peer learning webinar on supporting local economies. During the event, Christine Sorensen (U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development), Doug Lynott (U.S. Economic Development Administration), and Carrie Kissel (National Association of Development Organizations) shared slides about resources available to communities and regions to support their economies. Additional information was shared by presenters who joined by video without slides, including Christian Vasquez-Rivera (Rural Development Initiatives), Brian Carver (Bear River Association of Governments), and Jay Trusty (Southwest Regional Development Commission).

1. RURALWEALTHCREATION
WealthWorks Network
Quarterly Peer Learning Call
May 4, 2020

2. RURALWEALTHCREATION
Call Agenda
• Intro & common language: Carrie Kissel
• Federal info & resources for communities, regions, and
businesses:
– Christine Sorensen, USDA RD
– Doug Lynott, EDA
• Perspectives from practitioners:
– Christian Vasquez-Rivera, Rural Development Initiatives
– Jay Trusty, Southwest Regional Development Commission
– Brian Carver, Bear River Association of Governments
• General peer exchange: everyone!

3. RURALWEALTHCREATION
COVID-19: Major Uncertainty
We don’t know:
• Timeline
• Extent of health impacts
• Extent of economic impacts
• Impacts on human behavior and culture change
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4. RURALWEALTHCREATION
COVID-19: New Opportunities?
We do know:
• Inequality along race and income/occupation lines is clear
– viral exposure, health outcomes, household economic success
• Some investments of time/resources are likely to be good
bets to improve resilience regardless of what happens
• It may be a good time to test new ideas
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5. RURALWEALTHCREATION
COVID-19: Scenario Planning Concepts
Exploratory scenario planning: Forces of change, plausible
future states
• Robust responses: Actions that work under virtually any set
of circumstances
• Contingent responses: Actions that are put into place only
under certain conditions
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Scenario planning definitions: Janae Futrell, How to Design Your Scenario Planning Process, APA PAS Memo July/Aug 2019

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Multiple Forms of
Wealth
Improved
Livelihoods for
Everyone
Local
Ownership
WealthWorks: Doing Economic Development
Differently
Demand-driven community and economic development

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Slide credit: Rural Wealth: Eight Capital Stocks/illustration by B. Newman in “A wealth creation approach to economic development” M. Rahe, Rural Connections, Vol 10 Issue 2, 2016
Eight Forms of Community Capital

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Sample Value Chain Roles
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Slide credit: Appalachian Center for Economic Networks

9. RURAL DEVELOPMENT
COVID-19 Measures for
Rural Communities

10. • New COVID-19 Website
• Daily updates with
stakeholder
announcements and
resources for rural
lenders
• FAQs for borrowers
• Links to USDA COVID-19
website
Online COVID-19 Resources
rd.usda.gov/coronavirus

11. Online COVID-19 Resources (cont.)
• Developed Federal Rural Resource
Guide to serve as a one-stop shop
of federal programs that can be
used by rural communities impacted
by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Find this and other information at
rd.usda.gov/coronavirus

12. RD Programs: COVID-19 Immediate Actions
Rural Housing Service
Single-Family Housing Direct and Guaranteed Programs
• Issued 60 day moratorium on foreclosure and evictions
• Payment Moratoriums and Assistance
• Modified appraisal reporting, repair inspections, and employment verification
Multi-Family Housing Programs
• Eviction and penalty protection due to non-payment of rent
• Forbearance extension for property owner borrowers
Community Facilities Direct and Guaranteed Loan Program
• Direct loans may receive up to one year of payment deferrals
• Guaranteed Lenders may offer 180-day loan payment deferrals

13. Water and Waste Disposal Loan Guarantee Program
• Lenders may offer 180-day loan payment deferrals without prior RD consent
Telecom
• Extended deadline for borrower audit submissions for 60 days
Electric
• Extended deadline for borrower audit submissions for 60 days; historically due April 30th
Other Actions
• RUS Administrator to consider requests to waive certain site inspection requirements during COVID-19
emergency to prevent project delays.
• Allowing applicant to utilize alternative methods to notify the public such videoconferences, teleconferences,
and public notices on websites.
RD Programs: COVID-19 Immediate Actions
Rural Utilities Service

14. RD Programs: COVID-19 Immediate Actions
Rural Business Cooperative Service
• Lenders may offer 180-day loan payment deferrals on Business and Industry
Loan Guarantees and Rural Energy for America Program Loan Guarantees
without prior consent from RD.
• Intermediary borrowers participating in the following programs may approve
loan payment deferrals for their borrowers without RD approval.
• Intermediary Relending Program
• Rural Business Development Grant
• Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant
• Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program

15. CARES Act Implementation
Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program
• Appropriated $20.5M in program level; supporting up to $1B in lending authority
• Program would provide:
• Increased maximum allowable repayment terms to 10 years. Loan repayment may be
deferred on principal or principal and interest payments for a period up to 12 months from the
loan closing and may extend for a period up to 3 years.
• Eligible loan purposes include payroll costs, healthcare benefits, salaries, principal and
interest payments, rent/leases, utilities, inventory and supplies.
• Notice of Funding Availability at OMB clearance, target release as soon as possible.

16. CARES Act Implementation (cont.)
ReConnect
• Appropriated a $100M set-aside for grants; priority for grant applicants unfunded in Round 1.
• Funding set-aside gives priority to applications that were unsuccessful in Round 1 due to the
100% unserved requirement but meet Round 2’s 90% unserved requirement.
• Implemented via Federal Register Notice. ReConnect Round 2 application window is now
closed.
Distance Learning and Telemedicine
• Appropriated $25M to support DLT grants
• Implemented via Federal Register Notice; application window opens April 14th and closes July
13th

17. @usdaRD
rd.usda.gov/coronavirus
rd.usda.gov

18. Christine Sorensen
USDA Rural Development
Innovation Center
Christine.Sorensen@usda.gov
202-568-9832

19. WealthWorks Peer Learning
Economic Development
Integration

20. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INTEGRATION
Coordinated
Investments
Support Resilient
Regional
Economies
Increase
Access &
Capacity
Align
Resources
Streamline
Requirements
Optimize
Investments

21. EDI CENTRAL OBJECTIVES
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22. Referrals and
TA
FIRE,
Disaster
Recovery Workshop
REDS
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CONTINUUM OF INTEGRATION ASSISTANCE
Established
Capacities
Emerging
Capacities
Low Capacity
Capacity Building Continuum:
Strategic Planning, Cross-Sector Collaboration,
Project Design and Implementation

23. FEDERAL INTERAGENCY RESOURCE EXCHANGE (FIRE)
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24. FIRE PROCESS CENTRAL OBJECTIVES
CONVENE… DISCUSS… ESTABLISH…
Public
 Federal Government
 State and Local
Government
 Tribal Entities
 Higher Education
Private
 Business Owners
 Banks
 Investors
Nonprofit /
Philanthropic
 Foundations
 Human Service
Providers
Available Resources
 Program Grants and Loans
 Technical Assistance
 Catalytic Capital
 Best Practices
Current Initiatives
 Existing Partnerships
 Local Programs and/or
Projects
Potential Opportunities
 Preliminary Strategic Planning
 Asset and/or Cluster Mapping
 Opportunity Zones
Relationships
 Inter-Governmental
 Cross-Sector
Points of Contact
 Name
 Title
 Affiliation
 Telephone
 Email
 Organizational
Resources
A Basis for Trust
and Cooperation
The Foundation
for Ongoing
Collaboration
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25. REGIONAL ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION SUMMIT (REDS) PROCESS
Primary REDS Purpose
Central REDS Objectives
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26. WHOSE SUMMIT IS THIS, ANYWAY?
Question:
Is a REDS Summit a federal government event?
Answer: NO!
Local and Regional Strategic Priorities =
Local and Regional Event and Process
Potential REDS Hosts and Sponsors Can Include:
 Economic Development Districts
 University Centers
 Units of State and Local Government
 Native American Tribal Governments and Entities
 Local and Regional Economic Development and Planning Organizations
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27. CRITICAL KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL REDS PROCESS
Setting Expectations –
Process Participants and Stakeholders
I. REDS is a PROCESS, Not a Single,
One-Shot Event
II. Summit Participation
III. Project Implementation Action Team
Membership
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PORT TOWNSEND WA REDS: Moving
Plans Forward
• Economic Development Access – Attendees
recommended that the City develop 7th Street to support
a robust employment district and planned Makers &
Artisan District.
• Funding Sources – The group recommended that the City
explore all the funding sources identified in Table 5-3.2 –
Funding Options and partner with the associated agencies.
Source: City of Port Townsend REDS Meeting Summary, August 28, 2018
REDS – CROSS AGENCY SUPPORT FOR IMPLEMENTATION
Port Townsend REDS tackles infrastructure strategy for
Economic Development
WEIRTON WV REDS: Making Funding Connections
“Weirton City Manager Joe DiBartolomeo said there were
multiple potential projects in the city as a result of discussion
during the REDS, held Oct. 29-30.”
Source: The Intelligencer: Wheeling News-Register, Nov 15, 2018
“EDA, and the REDS, put a face and a name on the federal
government… USEDA showed the residents of Weirton that
government is truly working for us.”
Source: Weirton Daily Times, November 16, 2018
Government and Business Officials Gather for REDS in Weirton WV

29. THANK YOU!
QUESTIONS?
EDI Central Mailbox: edi@eda.gov
EDI Regional Contacts: https://www.eda.gov/edi/contact/
EDI Home Page: https://www.eda.gov/edi/
REDS Home Page: https://www.eda.gov/edi/reds/
REDS Media Coverage: https://www.eda.gov/edi/reds/news/
EDA & Opportunity Zones: https://www.eda.gov/opportunity-zones/
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30. RURALWEALTHCREATION
Peer learning segment: Share your ideas
• Questions? Comments? Ideas? Recent successes?
• How are you/your partners:
– Building multiple forms of community capital/assets?
– Supporting local ownership/control of businesses, institutions, and
productive assets?
– Being intentionally inclusive in your outreach regarding COVID-19
response and recovery?
• What are the “robust responses” (from scenario planning) that
are good bets for your region under any future scenario?
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31. RURALWEALTHCREATION
More Information
• Visit www.WealthWorks.org for:
– Case studies
– Videos
– Resources, guides, and how-tos
• https://www.nado.org/rdo-covid-19-resource-center
• https://www.aspeninstitute.org/programs/community-
strategies-group/rural-covid-19-resources
• https://www.routledge.com/Wealth-Creation-A-New-
Framework-for-Rural-Economic-and-Community-
Development/Ratner/p/book/9780367257422
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