Midwest Auto Communities Receive U.S. EDA Grant to Help Develop a Strategic Plan for Job Creation and Economic Growth

The U.S. Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) has announced a $500,000 grant to the Regents of the University of Michigan and the Center for Automotive Research of Ann Arbor, Mich., to support the Community Economic Adjustment Program (CEAP), which assists communities affected by automotive plant closures in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota in diversifying and expanding their economic base to create jobs and boost the local economy.
This project will allow Midwest communities to maintain collaborative partnerships with local government and universities in Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. The CEAP will work to organize focus groups of stakeholders, prioritize immediate community needs, and hold assistance workshops to develop funding proposals aimed at reinvigorating the local economies and spurring job creation.