Fort Washakie, WY – The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) named Wind River Development Fund as one of 22 Recompete Finalists in the Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program. Selection as a Recompete Finalist unlocks the opportunity for WRDF to apply to Phase 2 of the program, which will award implementation grants totaling approximately $20-$50 million to each of the 4-8 Recompete Finalists. If awarded, the Phase 2 implementation grant will invest in a wide range of economic development activities on the Wind River Indian Reservation – home to the Northern Arapaho Tribe and the Eastern Shoshone Tribe – and in Fremont County, WY. Wind River Development Fund was also selected by the EDA to receive a Strategy Development Grant.
The newly-launched Recompete Program targets the most economically distressed areas through flexible, locally-driven economic investments. The program received 565 applications from across the country and selected 22 finalists and awarded 24 development grants. Wind River Development Fund is one of only 15 organizations in the United States to be selected for both Recompete Phase 2 and a development grant.
“On behalf of the Reservation and our regional partners, we are proud to be selected as a finalist in the Recompete Program and to receive a strategy development grant from the Economic Development Administration,” said Paul F. Huberty, Executive Director of the Wind River Development Fund. Huberty is an enrolled member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe. “Only through impactful investments and systems change will we have the chance to break these persistent and pervasive cycles of economic distress. We look forward to working with the EDA in Phase 2 as we refine our application for an implementation grant.”
Erika Yarber, Director of Business Development at WRDF, is an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe. “Today is a great day for the Reservation and Wyoming. We envision a sustainable, Indigenous-based economy that supports everyone in central Wyoming,” said Yarber. “We appreciate EDA’s partnership in creating this new future.”
“Recompete helps fulfill President Biden’s promise that no community in America will be left behind as we continue to grow our nation’s economy and invest in American workers,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “These Recompete finalists and grant recipients have presented a wide range of inspiring solutions to create jobs, develop long-term economic growth, and realize the full potential in communities that for too long have been overlooked or counted out.”
“These outstanding Recompete finalists and strategy development grant recipients exemplify the focused employment and job creation strategies required to address the unique, long-standing needs of communities,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo.
Wind River Development Fund is a non-profit, Native Community Development Financial Institution located in Fort Washakie, WY. The mission of the Wind River Development Fund is to provide financial opportunities to stimulate economic development on and near the Reservation, to promote self-sufficiency, self-determination, and an enhanced quality of life for the Reservation community.