The Foundation is committed to facilitating the advanced education attainment and training needs of professionals practicing economic development in the state of Minnesota.
Therefore, the Foundation is making available annually, up to ten (10) $500 tuition reimbursement grants to offset the cost of the coursework and expenses leading to the completion of the Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) exam through the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and the Certified Economic Development Finance Professional (CEDFP) designation through the National Development Council.
Applicants or their employer must be, or agree to become, a member of the Economic Development Association of Minnesota to apply. Individuals may apply for and receive grant funds for each course taken. While ongoing grant support is not guaranteed, the Foundation will favor those that intent to complete multiple courses toward their CEcD exam completion.
International Economic Development Council – CEcD
The Certified Economic Developer exam tests a practitioner’s broad-based knowledge in economic development. Rather than testing an individual on their specialty, the test is intended to unite the field of economic development and establish a base line of what is considered the core body of knowledge for economic developers. As such, the exam covers the eight core competency topic areas of: Business Retention and Expansion; Strategic Planning; Marketing/Attraction; Real Estate Development and Reuse; Economic Development Finance;Workforce Development; Community Development; Management.
National Development Council – EDFP Certification Program
The EDFP Certification Program™ is a rigorous, four-course training series that explores the skills essential for the successful practice of economic development – business credit and real estate finance analysis techniques, loan packaging procedures, negotiating and problem solving skills and deal structuring techniques. Participants in the EDFP Certification Program build the capacity to translate development opportunities into results for their communities.
Participants in NDC’s EDFP Certification Program build the capacity to translate development opportunities into results for their communities. Topics covered in the EDFP Certification Program are: business credit; real estate finance analysis; loan packaging procedures; negotiating and problem solving skills; deal structuring techniques.
For more information, please contact Tim Clawson CEcD, Education Chair.
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