MEP Awards Grants to Help Manufacturers "Make it in America"

The Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) has awarded a total of $3.75 million in Make it in America grants to 10 MEP centers in nine states. The 3-year grant awards are in addition to the recently announced $20.5 million in Make it in America funding from the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration, the Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration and the Delta Regional Authority. The overall objective of the Make it in America Challenge is to make it more attractive for businesses to build, continue, or expand their operations in the United States.

This collaboration allowed teams of organizations to submit a single application to receive funding from the four agencies, with each funding stream focused on a different aspect of a regional economic development strategy. The effort's goal is to accelerate job creation by encouraging reshoring by U.S. firms, fostering foreign direct investment, encouraging U.S. companies to keep or expand their businesses in the United States, building strong supply chains and training local workers. EDA's investments will help distressed regions build on existing assets to generate job growth by creating an environment conducive for businesses to establish and grow their operations in the United States. ETA's investments will help to develop a skilled workforce for specific industries. MEP's grants will help develop greater connectivity in regional supply chains and assist small and medium-sized enterprises.

"We're glad to include the expertise of our Manufacturing Extension Partnership Centers in the Make it in America Challenge, specifically to strengthen small manufacturers' capabilities to serve in critical supply chain improvements," said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. "These projects will strengthen multiple industrial sectors and support skilled workforces across the country, encouraging investment in the U.S."

The 10 winners of the Make it in America Challenge will pursue projects in nine states. The following MEP centers will each receive $125,000 per year for three years to support their regional Make it in America teams:

• Maine MEP
• State of Ohio, Ohio Development Services Agency: 2 awards
• South Carolina MEP
• Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center
• Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership
• Industrial Technology Institute, Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center
• Washington Manufacturing Services, Impact Washington
• Missouri Incutech Foundation
• Innovate Mississippi

Details on the 10 MEP Make It in America Awards.

For more about the Make it in America Challenge, visit www.commerce.gov/news/fact-sheets/2012/09/25/fact-sheet-make-it-america-challenge.