CEFA
Center for Economics & Foreign AffairsThe parent institution — connecting research, policy, capital, and public- and private-sector partners to advance economic development and foreign-affairs priorities at national scale.
Visit CEFARebuilding America
Rebuilding the American Industrial Base.
Applied America is where public priority, private capital, industry, and execution converge. We bring the capital, the organizations, and the capabilities required to turn major economic priorities into projects that get built.
ConceptOrion StandardCritical Minerals · Phosphate
A phased phosphate platform taking domestic rock through acid to finished fertilizer.
U.S. · state not yet selected · $1.44B
DevelopmentCircuit TalosAdvanced Materials · Semiconductors
A silicon-based product platform rebuilding domestic capacity from raw material to commercial product.
Texas · U.S. (indicative siting) · $250M→
DevelopmentAurofirmPrecious Metals · Financial Infrastructure
A precious-metals refinery, brokerage, and banking-adjacent platform built for a record-demand market.
Texas · U.S. (indicative siting) · $400M
$4.07BPlanned Capital
≈ $5.1BProjected Annual Revenue
≈ 43,000Direct & Supported Jobs
09Active Initiatives
Applied America project registry, 9 initiatives, as of October 2026. Planned capital is what each initiative’s plan calls for, not capital committed; for a phased initiative, that is its first phase. Projected annual revenue is a model projection; jobs are direct-and-supported estimates.
01Why work with us
Public priority.
Private discipline.
We structure projects so public outcomes and private investment requirements move together.
Public SectorFor economic-development offices, governments, and communitiesWork with Applied America
We prepare the project. Your office stays its public lead.
The capital plan, the partner set and the delivery path are ours to assemble. The priority, the announcement and the standing with the community stay yours.
Gate-testedEach project clears a readiness gate before it moves on.
Locally alignedJobs, sites, incentives, and community priorities built in.
AccountableMilestones and commitments that withstand public scrutiny.
Project SponsorsFor companies, developers, and operators with a projectBring a project
We carry the public side and join your project team.
We work the state, utility and county relationships that set your schedule, as part of developing the project — not as an introduction service.
Power positionSubstation-level capacity and a date, recorded in writing.
Sites that survive diligenceControl, title, geotechnical, wetlands and a costed utility path.
Speed through approvalsA consent map: every approval, its owner and its date.
Capital PartnersFor investors, banks, funds, and foundationsRequest a briefing
Projects reach you already prepared to the standard your diligence will apply.
We assemble each project’s governance, capital plan and diligence materials before we ask you to review it.
Deployable at scaleA portfolio of initiatives, not a single deal.
Open about the gapsFeasibility, siting and approval risk stated in the materials, not found later.
We stay after the introductionMilestones, partner commitments and project risks tracked through development.
02The operating model
From local priority to delivery.
Every project runs the same five stages and clears a readiness gate before it leaves each one.
Identify
We start from a region’s priority and screen it for public purpose, deliverability, and fit.
Structure
The project gets a sponsor to own it and a definition everyone evaluates the same way.
Develop
We test feasibility, set the delivery architecture — scope, governance, risk — and assemble the partners.
Prepare
We bring the capital: the stack is assembled and committed to the standard capital providers expect.
Deliver
We stay through approvals, construction, and handover, measuring what the project produces.
03America 275 · National Initiative
This is how America builds again.
A national initiative organizing industry, capital, communities, infrastructure, and talent around one objective — restoring American productive capacity at scale.
jobs — national targetby 2051 · America's 275th anniversary
Explore America 275Four ways to take part
The four pathways are not interchangeable. Read the roles under each and take the one that matches what you actually control.
LeadSet direction and lend your name.
- Advisory Board
- Founding Partners
- Regional Champions
- Industry Council
- Supplier Network
- Infrastructure Partners
- Capital Partners
- Foundations & Philanthropy
- Workforce Coalitions
- Universities & Research
- Policy & Government
- Civic Ambassadors
04What we publish
The Cefa Brief
Signed commentary and analysis by CEFA’s authors.
05The CEFA Network
Part of the CEFA ecosystem.
Applied America operates alongside CEFA's institutions and platforms — a connected network spanning research and foreign affairs, talent and workforce, tribal economic development, and procurement intelligence.
The Connect
Procurement & Opportunity IntelligenceCEFA's intelligence platform connecting organizations to government contracts, capital, and the partners needed to compete, win, and deliver on major opportunities.
Open The ConnectTalent Platform
CEFA Talent PlatformCEFA's talent and workforce platform — connecting skilled professionals, employers, and institutions to the people and opportunities behind national development.
Explore Talent PlatformTribal Affairs
CEFA Tribal PlatformA dedicated platform advancing economic development, sovereignty, and opportunity across Native nations — connecting tribal communities to capital, projects, and partners.
Explore Tribal AffairsNetwork
The CEFA Member NetworkThe social layer of CEFA membership — connect with fellow members, follow institutions, and build relationships across the ecosystem.
Visit NetworkBecome a Member
Join the ecosystemCreate a free account to connect with institutions, follow opportunities, and take part in rebuilding America's productive capacity.
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