Unique Capabilities. Unique Perspective.

Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS)

Accelerating Regional Growth Through CEDS Development

A well-crafted Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) can unlock significant long-term economic benefits for regions seeking sustainable growth and resilience. Having experienced professionals on your team—who understand the process, documentation, and stakeholder engagement requirements—can accelerate development timelines by months.

NOVACES has provided technical assistance in the creation and refinement of multiple CEDS nationwide.

We played a key role in establishing Puerto Rico’s first Economic Development District (EDD). Leveraging local workforce and economic data, our team identified high-potential industries for job creation and investment attraction. We hosted a bilingual, hybrid workshop—in both Spanish and English—that brought together leaders from 11 key industries and sectors to explore growth opportunities and barriers.

Our efforts resulted in:

• The groundwork and authorship of Puerto Rico’s 2021–2026 CEDS
• Formation of the strategic leadership team for the Southern Puerto Rico Pilot EDD
• The initial version of what is now the Southern Puerto Rico EDD website, which hosted a 30-day public review and comment period of the regional CEDS; the first digital CEDS in the U.S. and the first to be prepared in Spanish and English.

“This designation will support economic revitalization and innovation programs to retain existing businesses, encourage new entrepreneurial endeavors, entice industries to make long-term investments and create higher-skill and higher-wage job opportunities in Southern Puerto Rico.”– Alejandra Y. Castillo, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development

Training for Local Governments

NOVACES economic development training courses provide tools and skills training to local government agencies. Each program is customized to align with the goals of the region or community. Often delivered in a hybrid virtual and in-person format, topics may include:

• New business marketing and attraction
• Municipal development and downtown revitalization
• Economic development project financing
• Municipal funding and finance for economic resilience
• Managing economic development organizations
• Understanding data to measure your economy
• Ethics and economic development

NOVACES team members have decades of experience developing training, information-sharing, and strategic planning events. We prepare agendas, develop customized content, recruit and prepare speakers, conduct marketing outreach, and provide logistics for a variety of workshop and webinar formats.

Our team also serves as skilled facilitators, moderators and presenters at interactive in-person, online and hybrid events.

Previous training events include:

• A series of kick-off recovery meetings conducted with federal and local officials throughout Florida after Hurricanes Irma and Michael, which helped local leaders understand the full range of support available from the federal government and NGOs.In collaboration with multiple Area Development Districts, we delivered 2-day workshops after tornado and flood disasters in Kentucky, which delved deeply into recovery support for agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing, small business financing and downtown revitalization and rebuilding.
• “Bootcamp-style” training covering essential economic development and recovery topics to help local leaders better understand and develop strategies to support business retention and jump-start their economies.
• Recruiting and preparing webinar speakers from regional Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs), federal agencies and non-profits that offered resources to small businesses.

Grant Writing, Proposal Development, and Funding

Transform Great Ideas into Projects that Get Funded

The NOVACES Proposal Funding Learning Lab guides participants through the steps to develop a fine-tuned project proposal and provides one-on-one coaching with successful grant writers to prepare a compelling presentation. The learning lab culminates with each participant presenting a funding proposal to pre-screened grantmaking organizations.

NOVACES training programs are always tailored to the specific audience. The Proposal Funding Learning Lab Series has previously covered these topics:

• Identifying concepts for fundable projects and potential resources
• Build your project framework
• Understand your audience
• Work with a coach to develop your proposal
• Deliver your presentation to matched grant-making organizations

The framework tool that was introduced during the Learning Lab helped me transform pages of notes and ideas that I had been gathering for months into a clear message, but it was the work with the coaches that helped me feel confident enough to present my organization’s project to the audience of grantmakers at the end of the program.

Community Outreach & Engagement

With decades of experience, the NOVACES team understands that meaningful community engagement is vital to successful economic development recovery. We partner closely with public agencies and local leaders to facilitate outreach events and conduct interviews with respect and cultural sensitivity—building trust at every stage of the process.

Our approach emphasizes collaboration, presenting actionable options and innovative strategies that reflect the voices and priorities of the communities we serve.

Grounded in rigorous analysis, we assess regional economic conditions, community-specific impacts, and business needs. We leverage existing studies and Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS) to inform our work and ensure alignment with local development goals.

By engaging directly with communities, we deliver targeted, sustainable recommendations that help restore businesses, create jobs, and strengthen long-term economic resilience.

2023 Maui Wildfires

NOVACES collaborated with the Maui Economic Recovery Commission following the 2023 Maui Wildfires, providing research support, organizing special events, and contributing to the final drafting of key plan chapters that focused on economic impact and identified gaps in recovery efforts.

Our Work in Action: Disaster Management – Baseline Data for Resilience Planning

NOVACES conducted research to document the disaster management capabilities of the members of the United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc. (USET), a non‐profit, Inter‐Tribal organization serving 33 federally recognized Tribal Nations across the U.S. Gulf and East Coasts. The project established a baseline of the Tribal Nation members’ disaster management capacity, focusing on seven key categories.

Next, we developed a community resilience framework that can be used to conduct a capacity gap assessment, identifying what may be missing in member Tribal communities’ disaster preparedness plans.

As a result, USET is able to provide its members with resources relevant to their needs and to encourage information and resource sharing between member Tribal communities.