U.S. Department of Commerce Announces $2.4 Million Grant to University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
The Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), led by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, announced today a $2.4 million grant for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The grant is aimed at supporting workforce development in Edinburg, Texas and its surrounding region.
The grant will be used to construct a business incubation center that will provide training, services, research and data to local small businesses. This investment, which will be matched with $600,000 in local funds, is expected to create approximately 90 jobs, according to the grantee’s estimates.
Secretary Raimondo stated that this investment, part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, is intended to build a resilient workforce across the country by expanding access to resource, training and development opportunities in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. She emphasized that the goal is to help more people secure good paying jobs in the community, thus boosting the local economy and providing more pathways to professional growth.
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo expressed satisfaction with the EDA’s provision of targeted grants that support local workforce development programs, indicating that the project will provide critical business infrastructure to prepare residents for quality jobs and promote economic resiliency in the region.
This project is part of the regional planning efforts led by the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council (LRGVDC). The EDA partners with LRGVDC to create an economic development roadmap aiming to strengthen the regional economy, support private capital investment, and stimulate job creation. The initiative is funded under the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023, which provided the EDA with additional funds for disaster relief and recovery in areas that suffered major disasters in 2021 and 2022.
