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Northern
EDGE Fund for
Northern EDGE's Fund for New Initiatives is one of three ways in which this demonstration project facilitates community capacity building to grow the economies of 29 targeted counties. The Fund for New Initiatives supports locally-based collaborative projects that represent the geography of northern Wisconsin . It is intended to seed a host of projects to stimulate sustainable, community driven, economic and workforce development. Projects funded through this Northern EDGE component are hoped to become future profiles of best practices. In late fall of 2002, twenty-six organizations submitted project proposals for Northern EDGE's Fund for New Initiatives. Proposals represented community-based projects from fifteen counties, including Ashland , Bayfield, Burnett, Chippewa, Forest, Iron, Langlade, Lincoln , Oneida, Price, St. Croix, Sawyer, Shawano, Vilas, and Washburn counties. A Review Team consisting of five representatives from the University of Wisconsin and University of Wisconsin-Extension evaluated proposals. Each proposal was assessed according to a number of factors such as project innovation, prospective community benefits and economic condition impacts, and demonstrated linkages with other business, economic, or workforce development organizations and/or efforts. Based on Review Team decisions and a follow-up meeting, fifteen projects were selected and announcements were made in the spring of 2003 when Northern EDGE funding was secured from the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration. |
Selected project proposals were required to address at least one of the following economic development strategies/initiatives:
- Growing & Expanding Area Businesses Stimulating Entrepreneurship Attracting New Businesses Capturing Outside Dollars Attracting Financial Resources Building Community Economic Development Capacity Engaging in Community Development Activities Increasing the Efficiency of Public Goods & Services
- Maximizing Worker Development
Northern EDGE Fund for New Initiatives
Selected Project Proposals
Northern
EDGE's Fund for New Initiatives provided financial support to the following
community economic and workforce development projects as one piece of
its overall goal to grow the economies of northern Wisconsin
. It is hoped that these projects will not
only help to grow local economies but will also serve as economic development
resources for northern Wisconsin by providing information and/or participating
in Northern EDGE workshops as part of a conference to be held in the spring
of 2004.
Projects
participating in Northern EDGE's Fund for New Initiatives will complete
a myriad of locally-based community economic and workforce development
efforts. These project activities will be documented for reference and
resource through project impact reports. The following includes the
locally-based initiatives participating in Northern EDGE:
Ashland County
- Ashland Downtown Revitalization, Recruitment, Retention Project
Bayfield County
- Spring into Spring
Burnett County
- Work & Play Campaign
Chippewa County
- Momentum Chippewa Valley Angel Investing Network
Forest County
- Creation of an Economic Development Corporation (EDC) in Forest County
- Recreation Trail Development in Forest County
Iron County
- Market/Location Study for a New Industrial Building
Lincoln County
- The Business & Education Coalition Project
Oneida County
- Minocqua Winter Park
St. Croix County
- Building Internal Communications Technology
Sawyer County
- Analyzing Out-migration of Sawyer County Youth & Steps to Reverse Trend
Shawano County
- Shawano Area Business Retention & Expansion Study
Vilas County
- Vilas Institute for Leadership & Sustainability: Vilas Vision
Washburn County
- Downtown Market Analysis: Training & Technical Assistance for the Northwest
- Industrial Labor Pool Development
Northern EDGE Fund for New Initiatives
Eligible Project Proposal Economic Development Strategies & Initiatives
Growing & Expanding Existing Area Business : This strategy focuses on channeling resources to existing area businesses in order to expand operations and increase higher wage jobs from within the existing economic base. Some approaches under this strategy may focus on projects to create a formal business retention and/or expansion study, or projects to create or enhance a downtown revitalization program, or projects to maximize opportunities from existing industry clusters (i.e., Tourism, Papermaking, and Manufacturing). Stimulating Entrepreneurship : This strategy focuses on channeling resources to foster new business start-ups. Some approaches under this strategy include projects that create and/or expand a business development program, projects that support the creation and/or expansion of a small business incubator, or projects that support the creation of investment networks. Attracting New Businesses : This strategy focuses on channeling resources in order to induce businesses to relocate to the area. Some approaches under this strategy may focus on projects that identify local strengths and opportunities for business attraction, or projects that identify what entities are involved in business attraction, or projects that develop market-specific recruitment programs. Capturing Outside Dollars : This strategy focuses on bringing financial resources to a community from individuals, businesses, or government outside of the community. Some approaches under this strategy may focus on projects that bring in outside consumer dollars, or projects that bring in federal funding for economic development, housing or infrastructure. Attracting Financial Resources : This strategy focuses on attracting financial resources in general. An approach under this strategy may include projects that utilize municipal financing such as TIF or BID districts. Building Community Economic Development Capacity : This strategy focuses on building the non-physical infrastructure within a community that is necessary for economic development efforts. An approach under this strategy may include projects that develop partnerships for a particular goal, or projects that facilitate leadership development and/or economic development workshops and conferences. Engaging in Community Development Activities : This strategy focuses on investing in social issues and quality of life issues in a community. An approach under this strategy may include projects that focus on programming and/or services for youth and/or adults, or projects dealing with recreation, healthcare, childcare, or housing. Increasing the Efficiency of Public Goods and Services : This strategy focuses on improving public services as the groundwork for economic development. An approach under this strategy may include projects that involve the use of underutilized land or facilities, or improvement of multi-modal transportation.
Maximizing Worker Development : This strategy focuses on building a community's labor force skills. An approach under this strategy may include projects that invest in human capital, or projects that create worker training programs, or projects that create linkages between educational institutions and businesses.
