Delta Regional Authority: Key Grant Programs
Agency Description
The Delta Regional Authority (DRA) works to improve regional economic opportunity by helping to create jobs, build communities, and improve the lives of the 10 million people who reside in the 252 counties and parishes of the eight-state Delta region.
Led by the Delta Regional Authority Board—comprised of the Federal Co-Chairman, appointed by the President, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate and the governors of the eight states—the DRA fosters local and regional partnerships that address economic and social challenges to ultimately strengthen the Delta economy and the quality of life for Delta residents.
Established in 2000 by Congress, the DRA makes strategic investments of federal appropriations into the physical and human infrastructure of Delta communities. Through the States’ Economic Development Assistance Program, these investments help to improve transportation and basic public infrastructure and to strengthen workforce development system and local business environments.
The Delta Regional Authority supports job creation and economic development through innovative approaches to growing local and regional leadership, increasing access to quality healthcare, and boosting opportunities for entrepreneurs to obtain affordable capital.
Discretionary Grant Programs
Below are brief descriptions of Delta Regional Authority grant programs.
For more information on these opportunities, follow the links in each description, which lead to individual grant program pages in the Grant Applicant Toolkit’s DOT Discretionary Grants Dashboard, where you can search federal grant opportunities at USDOT and other federal agencies that can aid communities in meeting their transportation infrastructure needs.
Community Infrastructure Fund
The Community Infrastructure Fund grant funds projects that address flood control, basic public infrastructure development, and transportation infrastructure improvements.
Learn more about this grant opportunity on the DOT Discretionary Grants Dashboard’s Community Infrastructure Fund page.
Delta Workforce Grant Program
The Delta Workforce Grant Program supports projects that expand job training and re-employment opportunities, align workforce and economic development strategies, create sustainable talent pipelines, establish or enhance locally/regionally significant public-private partnerships, and support enhanced workforce productivity through investments in innovative programming.
Learn more about this grant opportunity on the DOT Discretionary Grants Dashboard’s Delta Workforce Grant Program page.
Local Development Districts Community Support Pilot Program
The Local Development Districts Community Support Pilot Program is intended to build the capacity of the 45 Local Development Districts in the Mississippi River Delta Region and Alabama Black Belt.
Learn more about this grant opportunity on the DOT Discretionary Grants Dashboard’s Local Development Districts Community Support Pilot Program page.
States’ Economic Development Assistance Program
The States’ Economic Development Assistance Program grant funds projects in Basic Public Infrastructure, Transportation Infrastructure, Business Development, and Workforce Development.
Learn more about this grant opportunity on the DOT Discretionary Grants Dashboard’s States’ Economic Development Assistance Program page.
Strategic Planning Grant Program
The Strategic Planning Grant Program funds planning activities for delta regional communities.
Learn more about this grant opportunity on the DOT Discretionary Grants Dashboard’s Strategic Planning Grant Program page.