BE A PART OF THE

Central Massachusetts Region

COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce (Chamber) has been awarded a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA). 

The CEDS will incorporate input from partners from across the 40 communities of the Central Massachusetts Region, generally located in southern Worcester County.

WHAT IS A COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY (CEDS)?

·        A CEDS is a strategy-driven plan for regional economic development.  A CEDS should be the result of regionally-owned planning process designed to build capacity and guide the economic prosperity and resiliency of an area or region. 

WHO CONTRIBUTES TO A CEDS?

·        A 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. 

WHY SHOULD YOUR ORGANIZATION PROVIDE INPUT FOR THE CEDS?

·        There are financial benefits to communities who are covered by a CEDS.  Regions with a CEDS can qualify for EDA assistance under its Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance programs.  In addition, a CEDS is a prerequisite for designation by EDA as an Economic Development District (EDD). 

·        Other Federal agencies look favorably on joint/regional planning efforts when reviewing proposed projects and grant requests, thereby increasing the possibility of funding.

·        The risk of not participating in the CEDS is that your organizational goals and objectives will not be included in the CEDS, thereby risking access to increased federal funding. 

HOW CAN YOUR ORGANIZATION PARTICIPATE IN THE CEDS PROCESS?

·        Volunteer to sit on the CEDS Steering Committee.  If interested, see contact information below.

·        Take the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis survey, via SurveyMonkey.  The link to the survey is: http://bit.ly/CEDS_survey

For a list of communities within the Southern Worcester County CEDS region, please visit http://worcesterchamber.org. If you have any additional questions please do not hesitate to contact: Karen Pelletier; she can be reached by phone at (508) 753-2924 or by email at: kpelletier@worcesterchamber.org