GTC 360° Advisors Secures $20 Million in EDA Recompete Funding for the City of Birmingham, Alabama
- Challenge: The City of Birmingham, AL – particularly the communities of North Birmingham, Northside, Pratt, and Smithfield – has faced deep-rooted economic distress due to racial inequality, segregation, and industrial pollution. These challenges have contributed to employment barriers and low education attainment, leaving prime-age employment rates below the national average. Birmingham’s Mayor sought assistance to secure funding through the competitive U.S. Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Recompete Pilot Program.
- Our Solution: GTC 360° Advisors, in partnership with Delivery Associates through the Community Funding Accelerator, assisted the Birmingham Mayor’s Office in developing a robust grant strategy over a year-long, two-phase submission process. Our team conducted in-depth analyses of economic conditions in the affected areas, recruited key partners to join the coalition and commit to hiring trainees from the program, developed a unique contract-to-hire workforce pathways program in collaboration with key stakeholders, helped forge a black-owned business entrepreneurship center program, and created a compelling grant narrative that spoke directly to EDA’s funding goals and priorities. Partnerships with Lawson State Community College, the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority, and local employers played a key role in addressing workforce training, childcare, and transportation issues. GTC 360° Advisors also represented the City in critical EDA meetings and presentations.
- Results: GTC 360° Advisors shepherded Birmingham through two highly competitive application Phases to secure $20 million in EDA Recompete funding – only one of six awardees overall. GTC 360° Advisors’ win for Birmingham represents the top 1% out of 565 total applicants, marking the most competitive grant program in EDA’s history. GTC 360° Advisors is proud that this funding will support five critical initiatives: workforce training, transportation access, expanded childcare services, effective governance, and support for Black-owned businesses.
