S. 3965 — EDA Short Form Application Act

This section directs the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development to establish a short form application usable by rural communities—defined as incorporated municipalities, Tribal areas, or territories with a population of not more than 10,000 (per the most recent decennial Census) or not located in a metropolitan statistical area (per the Office of Management and Budget)—for any grant program administered by the Economic Development Administration (EDA). In developing the short form application, the Assistant Secretary must solicit input from rural stakeholders on improving the application process, including (1) application length; (2) required information and documentation; (3) standardizing materials such as budget templates across EDA programs; (4) reducing repetitive requests for data already available federally (e.g., via SAM.gov, Census Bureau, or comprehensive economic development strategies); (5) applicability of questions to rural areas; and (6) other relevant considerations. For transparency, the Assistant Secretary must publicly release redacted sample successful applications, application review and rating criteria, and standardized guidance for rural applicants.