This online resource highlights how EDDs have identified regional and local housing challenges and established what role they can play in improving housing outcomes in their region. It showcases EDD best practices from across the country in a variety of regional market contexts and provides implementable strategies for different roles that EDDs have taken including Planner, Financier, Land Manager, and Developer.
Regional development organizations are using local and regional resilience workshops to identify community climate and economic resilience needs, connect local leaders with funding opportunities, and create action plans for future sustainable growth. This resource provides a walk through of how organizations can bring these resilience workshops to their own regions. Topics covered include workshop goalsetting, stakeholder engagement, and post-workshop implementation, evaluation, and follow-up.
EDDs are well-suited to be the regional liaison with military installations across a wide variety of topic areas of mutual interest to military installations and their surrounding communities. This report examines some of the main challenges facing communities with military installations and offers how EDDs can best support these vital economic drivers in their regions. Throughout this report are examples from EDDs successfully managing these relationships and showcasing specific, replicable strategies that can be used at EDDs across the country serving regions home to military installations.
Regional Development Organizations (RDOs) and Economic Development Districts (EDDs) have used regional housing land banks as a tool for targeted neighborhood revitalization and redevelopment. This NADO Research Foundation resource provides an overview of regional housing land banks and considerations for how organizations can implement these programs into their regions.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Program is a vital tool for EDDs to use when driving transformative economic impact and targeted neighborhood revitalization. EDDs may be familiar with the Assessment, Cleanup, and Coalition grant opportunities through the Brownfields program, but may have not considered how their region can utilize existing RLF staff experience to establish Regional Brownfields RLFs for their region. This resource will address some key points in establishing a regional Brownfields RLF and provide helpful tips for getting a regional or local-specific program off the ground.
EDA engaged the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC) and its partners (National Association of Development Organizations Research Foundation, State International Development Organizations, and the American Manufacturing Communities Collaborative) to research the barriers to strategic alignment, educate stakeholders, and provide technical assistance to increase collaboration and co-investment. These Issue Briefs use case studies to discuss how states and EDDs can work together to improve outcomes in several important strategic area including aligning the CEDS development process, infrastructure, building relationships and more.
In July 2023, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) hosted its’ first ever Climate Resilience Workshop in St. Louis, Missouri. Convening military installation commanders, base planning and engineering staff, state and local officials, federal grantmaking agencies, environmental and economic resilience research and advocacy groups, and regional development organizations, this conference was unique in showcasing a distinct niche of planning work: military installation resilience.
On June 7-9, 2023, 18 local and regional leaders from coal communities across the nation convened in the Southwest Virginia (SWVA) region for a peer-learning journey. This Coalition was launched through the Building Resilient Economies in Coal Communities (BRECC) Community of Practice initiative, supported by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) and led by the National Association of Counties (NACo).
The Infrastructure Resilience Planning Framework (IRPF) was developed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to help regions understand infrastructure dependencies within their local systems and “to enable the incorporation of security and resilience considerations in critical infrastructure planning and investment decisions.” By demonstrating how to include local governments, community leaders, and private sector stakeholders in the planning conversations, the IRPF provides a potential model for integrating hazard mitigation plans into a region’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).
This brief provides a background for EDD staff about the workforce development ecosystem and how EDDs can better coordinate workforce and economic development programs.
This resource shares ten pieces of advice from Economic Development District staff whose 2025 NADO Impact Award-winning projects show how vision, planning, and collaboration can lead to meaningful results. These insights offer practical guidance for moving initiatives from concept to completion, reflecting the creativity, determination, and problem-solving needed to advance economic and community development.
Read how the Regional Economic Development Center (REDC) in southern New Hampshire has evolved its approach to the CEDS over time, both graphically and structurally. REDC’s approach involved a greater focus on public engagement and visioning, through partnerships with its Regional Planning Commissions and the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension. Housing and childcare remain the region’s most pressing challenges. REDC’s alternative lending program is a key tool in overcoming these challenges.
This report provides EDD staff with an overview of data center basics, the variety of local and regional impacts to consider, and the roles EDDs are increasingly playing as communities respond to data center development.
A special wealth creation page for EDDs now hosts training materials, reports, blog posts, and other resources all in one location. Specific resources to note are a Wealth Creation Primer, Looking Through the Lens of Wealth Creation, Focusing on Regional Assets Using the Wealth Creation Approach, blog posts from mobile workshops during NADO’s Annual Training Conference, and a variety of wealth creation training materials.
This report explores what it means to be investment ready for engaging in downtown development and showcases the varied downtown revitalization work that EDDs are doing in their communities. It highlights EDD best practices from across the country in a variety of geographies and provides an idea of the types of roles that EDDs have taken including: Downtown Planning, Brownfields, Facilitation, Funding and Implementation, and EDD-produced Resources.
View this report to learn how some EDDs are using wealth creation to frame their work in sector-based economic development, helping to develop and encourage partnerships to overcome mutual challenges, including barriers to resilience and workforce development.
On August 15-17, 2023, Economic Development Districts, tribes, and others gathered in Jamestown, North Dakota; Pierre, South Dakota; and Minneapolis, Minnesota to attend the kickoff meetings for the North Central Regional Food Business Center, led by Region Five Development Commission (R5DC), an Economic Development District and, WealthWorks regional hub.
EDDs can use their problem-solving expertise to support locally owned and/or controlled food systems based on regional and local assets. Locally controlled food systems, with a priority on production, processing, distribution, and consumption at the local level, can have outsized public health, climate, and economic impacts on underserved communities and serve as the economic spark needed to revitalize neighborhoods.
This microsite created by the NADO Research Foundation Regional Development Researchers Melissa Levy and Andrew Coker uses the Wealth Creation framework to help EDDs better understand regional food systems development, provide tangible strategies for EDDs that want to engage in food systems work, and give examples of how successful EDDs have grown into this space.
An effective Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) can be an impactful and valuable instrument for Economic Development Districts (EDDs) to support small businesses in their regions.Traditional banking institutions may have rigid or risk-averse requirements concerning past lending history, collateral, or loan amounts that can restrict the ability of entrepreneurs to secure capital investment. EDD RLFs can provide prospective borrowers with more flexible lending agreements that creates opportunity and makes capital more accessible in the region.
This resource features a variety of examples of Economic Development Districts and how they’re incorporating wealth creation into their CEDS processes and content. There are also links to a variety of tools that will support EDDs in viewing their CEDS through a wealth creation lens.
One of the key principles of wealth creation is keeping wealth local through structures of local or regional ownership and control. This report explores mechanisms for keeping wealth local and examples of places where they’re being used.
Arts and culture have historically connected people with one another and to the communities we live in. From FDR’s Work Projects Administration to today’s cultural districts, there is no limit on the ways we can integrate the creative sector into economic development strategy. These tips and considerations help provide a foundational knowledge for EDDs wishing to incorporate arts and culture initiatives into their existing work, enhancing the vibrancy and vitality of their regions.
This report explores the social determinants of health and provides examples of how Economic Development Districts (EDDs) are addressing these factors in their regions through the CEDS, and in areas such as workforce development and job creation, infrastructure, food security, health and prosperity, disaster resilience and public health preparedness, leveraging federal and other sources of funding, data-driven decision-making, and fostering public-private partnerships.
This tip sheet is meant for organizations interested in mapping out value chains around specific market opportunities. Value chain mapping offers a way to map out the functions necessary to moving products/services from supply to demand, create a visual baseline of existing partners, and identify gaps, bottlenecks and/or underutilized resources that may be brought into productive use.
This blog recaps the 2025 ATC Mobile Workshop Tour of Ogden, Utah, and explores Ogden’s story of resilience and reinvention. Ogden is using wealth creation principles (leveraging assets, engaging partners, being responsive to demand) to inform this reinvention. With projects like WonderBlock and a commitment to placemaking, Ogden is building not just a downtown but a destination for locals and visitors alike.
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) offer unique resources that help increase the capacity of EDDs to carry out their work, including specialized research, training programs, technology transfer, and commercialization capabilities. Explore this piece, written by EDD CoP project partner University Economic Development Association (UEDA), for tips on initiating, improving, and sustaining partnerships between EDDs and HEIs.
By bridging higher education and regional economic development, UT CIS and UCDD have demonstrated how tailored partnerships and mutual trust can support sustainable community and workforce development across Tennessee’s regions.
The partnership between Virginia Tech’s Center for Economic and Community Engagement and New River Valley Regional Commission inherently strengthens the resiliency of the Southwest Virginia region by increasing the capacity both organizations have, reducing the duplication of efforts, and advancing towards mutual goals.
This study explores three key initiatives—Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) updates, the Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) AmeriCorps Program, and the Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience (OPDR) Program—which demonstrate how universities and EDDs can collaborate to promote economic capacity, disaster preparedness, and workforce development.
The relationship featured in this case study showcases the opportunities that may arise for an EDD by partnering with a University Center by having greater access to expertise and resources. Gaining awareness of what both an EDD and a University Center can offer to a community can lead to greater benefits to everyone involved.
This report includes practical guidance for EDD staff who want to work effectively with Tribal partners. It outlines common Tribal strategies, discusses potential communication and capacity challenges, and emphasizes the importance of early, respectful engagement. Finally, it discusses emerging opportunities for collaboration between EDDs, Tribal Nations, and other aligned stakeholders.
This publication provides an introductory overview of tribal engagement strategies for staff at Economic Development Districts (EDDs). EDDs and Tribal Nations frequently have shared interests and the opportunity to partner on projects that deliver economic development to their overlapping communities. Many EDDs have existing relationships with nearby Tribal Nations, up to and including ongoing representation on EDD boards and committees. In others, relationships are more limited or have lapsed over time.
This microsite provides a variety of resources for EDDs looking to build or expand their working relationships with Tribal governments and Tribal enterprises, including tips from EDDs who have been there before, case studies, webinar recordings, and more. These resources are designed to support stronger partnerships, deepen understanding, and foster meaningful collaboration between EDDs and Tribal governments to promote shared prosperity and resilience.
This report explores the various regional impacts of population aging, as well as the roles that EDDs can and have filled to ensure people and economies are able to thrive.
Population aging is rapidly transforming regions across the country and increasing the need for, and diversity of, support programs for older adults and their caregivers. At the 2025 NADO Washington Policy Conference, a session titled Aging and RDOs: What’s Changing and What’s Ahead brought together experts to discuss how Regional Development Organizations (RDOs) and Economic Development Districts (EDDs) can adapt to these shifts.
Childcare costs and shortages are increasingly recognized as barriers to comprehensive regional development. This report examines the drivers of the challenge and the impact it has had in communities across the country. It highlights roles that EDDs are playing to increase childcare accessibility, quality, and affordability in their communities, and has recommendations for districts who have not yet been involved with childcare initiatives.
Read how Centralina staff worked to bring together the right set of stakeholders to address the unique issues that childcare shortages create. Their series of regional forums leaned on core EDD strengths to raise awareness, drive discussion, and push for solutions. The case study includes recommendations sourced from Centralina staff that can be applied in any region to raise the profile of the childcare challenge.
This case study discusses the Allamakee County Child Care Solutions Fund, an innovative program that deployed public and philanthropic funding to raise the pay of childcare workers in a rural community, improving workforce retention and access to childcare while helping providers weather economic uncertainty. After public funding ran out, UERPC and its partners got creative to keep the program alive.
This case study explores how Frontier Community Resources has worked to address the childcare challenge in rural Lincoln County Idaho by supporting the development of a youth center. A creative funding stack, community support, and leadership from Frontier staff all helped to address the urgent need and help increase the county’s economic resilience and quality of life.
Economic Development Districts (EDDs) often work with part-time elected officials at the municipal and county level that have limited staff capacity and time to engage with EDD programs and services. This tip sheet, provided through the EDD Community of Practice program, provides some tips for EDDs in better engaging these valuable partners in regional economic development and building mutually beneficial relationships.
AI tools offer powerful opportunities for EDDs to improve efficiency and productivity. However, without federal standards, EDDs must create their own AI policies to ensure responsible use. This brief outlines some of the impacts that AI is having on workplaces and provides guidance on how organizations can establish good internal polices and norms around AI use.
CEDS Strategy Committee members are integral partners to EDDs in driving regional economic growth. This brief highlights best practices and tips for building a strong CEDS Strategy Committee and helps EDDs identify regional stakeholders that have the political will, funding capacity, and expertise to encourage smart economic development through the CEDS planning process.
This brief covers approaches taken by EDDs and spotlights executive directors who share in their own words the ways they have recruited new staff, shaped their work and office culture, and built a sense of belonging at their organizations.