The California Employment Development Department (EDD)
recently announced the availability of up to $50 million in
the Community Economic Resilience Fund (CERF) Program
that will fund projects that have emerged from existing regional
processes or plans and are ready for implementation. This
Economic Development Pilot Program will fund projects that have
already emerged from existing regional processes or plans and are
ready for implementation. Under the CERF Program, California’s
counties were divided into 13 economic regions and can be viewed
here. These 13 regions will receive planning grants and
implementation funds through a competitive process.
CERF’s funding of $600 million was initially appropriated from
the American Rescue Plan Act Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery Fund of
2021 until the 2022 budget revised the source of funds to the
state General Fund. CERF was created to promote a sustainable and
equitable recovery from the economic hardship caused by COVID-19.
CERF supports new plans and strategies to diversify local
economies and develop sustainable industries that create
high-quality and accessible jobs for all Californians by:
Supporting the development of a regional planning process
that produces regional roadmaps for economic recovery from
COVID-19.
Investing in projects proposed by regional planning tables
that respond to the economic impacts of COVID-19 and meet
criteria for equity, job quality, and sustainability.
Leveraging state, federal, philanthropic, and private sector
investments in regions to maximize COVID-19 recovery efforts.
For more information about CERF, including project timelines,
enacting legislation, and fact sheets, visit the Governor’s
Office of Planning and Research’s CERF resource website.
