Recompete – Distressed Rural and Remote Communities Project

Recompete is a grant-funded program from the US Economic Development Administration (EDA) that invests in economically distressed areas where prime-age (25-54 years) employment is significantly lower than the national average. The goal of the program is to close this gap with flexible, locally-driven investments to create new good paying jobs ($26+ per hour in our area). The strategy includes workforce training opportunities to equip people with the skills needed for in-demand jobs, strengthening industries to support job creation, and providing wraparound services to ensure a successful transition into a meaningful career. 

The North Olympic Peninsula Recompete Coalition (NOPRC) brought together multiple stakeholders, including local governments, Tribes, ports, economic development agencies, educational institutions, community-based organizations, non-profits, and healthcare providers. Of the more than 500 applicants nationwide, NOPRC was one of only six grant recipients, securing $35.6 million to be spent between Oct 1, 2024 and September 30, 2029 through six project leads: 

• Olympic Community of Health (OCH)
• Peninsula College
• Port of Port Angeles 
• Composite Recycling Technology Center (CRTC)
• Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Capital, Inc.
• North Olympic Peninsula Resource Conservation & Development Council (NODC)

NODC’s Recompete focus is to increase the capacity of the most remote areas of the North Olympic Peninsula by providing sub-grants and technical assistance to the Hoh, Quileute, Makah, Lower Elwha Klallam and Jamestown S’Klallam Tribes, and the City of Forks. NODC is also providing planning and technical assistance to the North Hood Canal Chamber of Commerce (NHCCC) in south Jefferson County.

Each of the sub-awardees have unique needs and are responding to those needs through varying initiatives such as economic development plans, education opportunities, support services such as childcare, and expanding Tribal enterprises. 

The projects on the North Olympic Peninsula will remove barriers to employment, provide job skills training, create new jobs, support industry revitalization, and invest in remote and rural communities. The opportunities provided by Recompete have the potential to not only connect individuals to good local jobs in the short-term, but to revitalize the economy and job market on the North Olympic Peninsula, leaving lasting positive impacts on the region beyond the life cycle of the grant.