The U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $600,000 grant to the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments to help the region with the idling of the General Motors Lordstown plant. 

The Eastgate Regional Council of Governments will use the money to contract a recovery coordination team. The recovery coordination team will work in developing and implementing a strategy in order to help the area respond to the loss of GM jobs. 

The EDA grant will be matched with $150,000 in local investment. 

Congressman Tim Ryan says that his office, Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, Youngstown State University and Cleveland State University all worked together to seek federal assistance. 

“This EDA grant establishes a local disaster recovery coordinator to develop and implement plans to address the economic downturn in the region, largely due to the shutdown of the GM Lordstown Complex and its supply chain. Without question, the local and regional impact of the GM closing was profound – given the direct, indirect and induced loss of jobs. From the outset, my office communicated with Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, Youngstown State University and  Cleveland State University to seek federal assistance under the Economic Adjustment Assistance program,” said Congressman Ryan.

This investment funds the Eastgate Economic Resiliency Project, which includes a recovery coordinator and supporting team to help see what the regions economic resiliency efforts may hold in the future. 

The economic recovery team will work with experts at Cleveland State University's Center for Economic Development.