As Central Ohio communities experience rapid growth, securing resources to fuel economic development is essential to shaping the region’s future. MORPC’s Economic Development office aims to equip communities with the support and expertise needed to identify, access, and acquire resources to advance their economic development efforts.
LEAP is a direct technical assistance program offering project development and consultation, strategic grant guidance, competitive application assistance, and project advocacy. MORPC’s Economic Development office provides tailored support to meet communities’ individual needs, while aligning local projects with regional priorities. LEAP is available to local governments and communities in MORPC’s 15-county region.
SERVICES AVAILABLE
Services are available at three tiers – Base, Advanced, and Premium – based on the complexity and time requirements of the requested services. Communities can request services at one or multiple tiers according to their needs.
I. Base Tier Services
LEAP Base Tier Services are provided pro–bono to all MORPC member communities and entities in the MORPC region up to an hour per request.
- Information about local and regional development priorities and resources to advance initiatives through the Drive Investment Newsletter.
- Guidance on appropriate opportunities aligned with your priorities.
- Consultation with relevant federal and state agency representatives through MORPC’s facilitation to ensure a competitive grant application.
- Introductions to key program partners within the region.
- CEDS Letter of Alignment to confirm your project’s alignment with the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy priority areas.
- Advocacy for your Competitive Advantage Project (CAP) to create awareness among legislative officials.
II. Advanced Tier Services
- Fact sheets to better understand key points of relevant notice of funding opportunities (NOFO).
- Guidance in determining eligibility for an identified funding opportunity.
- Assistance with stakeholder meeting facilitation and grant planning.
- Obtaining relevant Letters of Support for your grant application.
- Orientation to the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) to acquire a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) necessary for federal grant applications.
III. Premium Tier Services
- Support with structuring a competitive and compliant project scope.
- Templates for the grant narrative and budget portions of a grant application.
- Direction on how to complete the required application forms for a grant application.
- Guidance, including critical feedback, after a review of your grant application.
- Submission of your grant application on the federal grant website on your behalf.
Please note: MORPC cannot provide legal, engineering, or other professional consulting services to communities through this program.
REGIONAL PRIORITY AREAS
Our areas of support include:
- Economic Development
- Infrastructure
- Water Resources
- Brownfields
- Disaster Relief
HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS
- Submit a request for technical assistance through the Request for Services Form or by reaching out to the Economic Development office at economicdevelopment@morpc.org.
- MORPC staff will review the request and draft a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) outlining the project details and scope of work. If the requested service is informational in nature and can be provided pro-bono, an MOA will not be required, and staff will respond to the request. The MOA will contain information related to:
- the services and deliverables to be provided,
- the total hours of assistance and timeline for completion,
- the hourly rate of assistance based on the complexity of services and level of expertise needed, and
- invoicing and payment details.
- Once the MOA is signed by the community, a MORPC Economic Development staff member will be assigned to the request. The community will be invoiced for the program fees, and the Economic Development staff will begin providing services.
PRICING STRUCTURE
Pricing is calculated at an hourly rate commensurate with the time and level of experience needed to provide the agreed-upon services. Typically, information requests and Base Tier Services requiring one hour or less will be provided pro-bono.
If your community is in need of technical assistance but has limited funding for consultative services, we encourage you to complete the Request for Service Form and we will follow up to discuss available options.
