Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation

TO PROMOTE ECONOMIC GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESIDENTS OF ITS MEMBER COMMUNITIES THROUGH SUSTAINABLE USE OF THE BERING SEA RESOURCES.

COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT - THE COMMUNITY BLOCK GRANT (CBG) PROGRAM PROVIDES BBEDC'S CDQ COMMUNITIES WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO FUND PROJECTS THAT PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THE FUNDING PER COMMUNITY WAS $500,000 FOR 2019 (SAME AS 2018). $7,928,114 WAS REQUESTED AND AWARDED TO CDQ COMMUNITIES. THE INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT FUND (IGF) PROGRAM PROVIDES BBEDC COMMUNITIES WITH A SOURCE OF FUNDS FOR BROAD PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE AS WELL AS BUSINESS INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT. TRIBAL AND/OR CITY GOVERNMENTS ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR UP TO $2,000,000. NO COMMUNITIES WERE AWARDED THE GRANT IN 2019 (SAME AS 2018). THE ARCTIC TERN PROGRAM PROVIDES FUNDING FOR COMMUNITIES TO SUPPORT EMPLOYMENT AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR RESIDENT YOUTH UNDER THE AGE OF 17. IN 2019, $52,945 WAS AWARDED (DOWN FROM $58,275 IN 2018). THE INTEREST RATE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM PROVIDED $45,163 IN INTEREST RATE ASSISTANCE TO 21 RESIDENTS (UP FROM 21 RESIDENTS AND $40,604 IN 2018). GRANT WRITING ASSISTANCE OF $14,712 AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE OF $518 WAS PROVIDED TO COMMUNITIES IN 2019.

REGIONAL FISHERIES DEVELOPMENT - RECOGNIZING THAT THE QUICKEST WAY TO INCREASE THE VALUE OF BRISTOL BAY SALMON WAS THROUGH CHILLING, BBEDC EMBARKED ON AN AMBITIOUS PROGRAM TO PROVIDE ICE TO THE REGION'S FISHERMEN. IN 2019, BBEDC'S VESSEL UPGRADE PROGRAM ASSISTED 39 FISHERMEN WITH VESSEL UPGRADES FOR A TOTAL OF $685,741 AND 4 FISHERMEN WITH AN IN-SEASON EMERGENCY PROVISION GRANT OF $45,544 (DOWN FROM 69 FISHERMEN AND $1,063,359 IN 2018). BBEDC CONTINUED WITH ITS QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAM BY PURCHASING 30 TOTES FOR 11 FISHERMEN (DOWN FROM 38 TOTES FOR 15 FISHERMEN IN 2018), 58 SLUSH BAGS FOR 10 FISHERMEN (UP FROM 38 SLUSH BAGS FOR 13 FISHERMEN IN 2018), PROVIDING FLEX FOAM INSULATION TO 14 FISHERMEN (UP FROM 9 FISHERMEN IN 2018), AND PURCHASING PADDED DECK MATS FOR 22 FISHERMEN (UP FROM 9 FISHERMEN IN 2018). RSW FLEET SUPPORT OFFERED GRANTS UP TO $1,000 FOR FISHERMEN THAT HAD RSW SYSTEMS ON BOARD THEIR VESSELS. 25 FISHERMEN WERE AWARDED A TOTAL OF $19,538 (UP FROM 17 AND $11,962 IN 2018). 8 FISHERMEN WERE AWARDED WITH RSW SYSTEMS TOTALING $176,000 (DOWN FROM 10 FISHERMEN AND $219,512 IN 2018). PRE-SEASON ADVANCE LOANS WERE AWARDED TO 40 INDIVIDUALS IN 2019 (DOWN FROM 43 IN 2018). IN ADDITION, TWO ICE BARGES DELIVERED 2,155,120 POUNDS OF ICE (UP FROM 1,619,030 POUNDS IN 2018) AND $247,404 WAS AWARDED TO FUND FISHERIES HABITAT PROTECTION (UP FROM $149,120 IN 2018).

EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT, AND TRAINING - THIS PROGRAM OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES TO BBEDC'S CDQ RESIDENTS BY HELPING THEM DEVELOP THEIR SKILLS AND IMPROVE THE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS OF THE REGION. BBEDC'S EDUCATION PROGRAMS CONTINUED PROVIDING RESIDENTS WITH SKILLED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES. THE COLLEGE DEVELOPMENT FUND PROVIDED BENEFITS TO 70 RESIDENTS WITH FUNDS OF $104,927 (DOWN FROM $113,813 AND 85 RESIDENTS IN 2018). IN 2019, BBEDC'S VOCATIONAL/TECHNICAL PROGRAM ASSISTED 79 RESIDENTS WITH FUNDS OF $204,168 (DOWN FROM 97 RESIDENTS AND $227,952 IN 2018). BBEDC'S COMMUNITY AND GROUP TRAININGS PROVIDED $318,716 WORTH OF ASSISTANCE (DOWN FROM OVER $334,169 IN 2018). BBEDC CONTINUED ITS FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO THE UAF-BRISTOL BAY CAMPUS FOR ITS ADULT BASIC EDUCATION/GED COURSE SPONSORSHIP IN THE AMOUNT OF $40,000 (SAME IN 2018) AS WELL AS PROVIDED A $10,000 CONTRIBUTION TO THEIR NURSING PROGRAM. THE STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM PROVIDED 8 RESIDENTS WITH FUNDS TOTALING $20,287 (DOWN FROM $20,614 FOR 7 RESIDENTS IN 2018). BBEDC'S INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS CONTINUED WITH 4 RESIDENTS BENEFITING FROM THE IN-REGION INTERSHIPS (DOWN FROM 7 IN 2018), AND 18 YOUTH BENEFITING FROM YOUTH INTERNSHIPS (DOWN FROM 20 IN 2018). BBEDC'S EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNTIES CONTINUED PROVIDING SEASONAL EMPLOYMENT TO 44 RESIDENTS (UP FROM 38 IN 2018) AND PROVIDED 7 RESIDENTS WITH PRE-EMPLOYMENT SCREENINGS FOR AT-SEA EMPLOYMENT (UP FROM 5 RESIDENTS AND $2,472 IN 2018). IN 2019, BBEDC ALSO PROVIDED FUNDING IN THE AMOUNT OF $150,000 (UP FROM $57,337 IN 2018) FOR A FISHERIES INITIATIVE PROGRAM WITH A LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT.