40 U.S.C. § 14321 — Grants and other assistance

(a) Authorization To Make Grants — (1) In general: The Commission may make grants for: (A) local development districts' administrative expenses (planning, technical assistance) — normally capped at 50% of those expenses, but up to 75% for a district serving a county with a "distressed county" designation, and up to 70% for one serving a county with an "at-risk county" designation (both under section 14526); a state agency certified as a local development district can only get these administrative grants for up to three years from its first grant; and the district's own contribution can be cash or in-kind (like space, equipment, or services), fairly valued. (B) helping states strengthen their development planning process for up to two years, coordinating with this subtitle, the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965, and other federal and state programs. (C) research, studies, evaluations, assessments, technical assistance, training, demonstrations, and building facilities needed for those activities, to further this subtitle's purposes. (2) Limitation on available amounts: (A) Normally the Commission can fund up to 50% of an eligible activity's cost; up to 80% in a "distressed county"; up to 70% in an "at-risk county." (B) Discretionary grants for major regional initiatives, special opportunities, or emergency economic distress are not bound by those percentage caps — but the total of these discretionary grants in a fiscal year cannot exceed 10% of the amount appropriated under section 14703 for that year, except that discretionary grants responding to COVID-19 economic distress don't count toward that 10% cap. (3) Sources of grants: Money for grants can come from appropriations for this section, combined with other federal programs, or from any other source. (4) Federal share: Even if another federal program normally limits its own federal cost-share, money appropriated under this section can be used to raise that share, however much the Commission decides is right. (b) Assistance for Demonstrations of Enterprise Development — (1) The Commission may fund demonstration projects for enterprise development — including buying or developing sites when needed — connected to developing the region's energy resources and to developing and encouraging the region's local arts and crafts. (2) The Secretary of Energy, the EPA, and other federal agencies must cooperate with the Commission and give whatever assistance the Federal Cochairman asks for. (3) In any fiscal year, no more than $3,000,000 may go to energy-resource demonstrations, and no more than $2,500,000 to indigenous arts-and-crafts demonstrations. (c) Records — (1) The Commission must keep accurate, complete records of what it does with federal money and report to the President, as the President requires. The President and the Comptroller General can audit these records. (2) People who get federal assistance under this section must likewise keep accurate records and report to the Commission, as the Commission requires, and those records can be audited by the President, the Comptroller General, and the Commission.