CLARKSDALE, Miss. – The Delta Regional Authority (DRA) has awarded more than $500,000 to four communities across Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee in its sixth round of funding through the Strategic Planning Program. Funding for this program is made available by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed by President Biden — a key part of his Investing in America agenda to rebuild the economy from the bottom up and the middle out.
“The Strategic Planning Program gives public entities across DRA’s footprint the ability to address long-standing issues and to develop a roadmap for economic growth and revitalization,” said Dr. Corey Wiggins, Federal Co-Chairman. “This investment will better position communities to maximize their economic development and basic public infrastructure opportunities.”
This sixth round of funding is DRA’s final funding award for the 2024 fiscal year. During 2024, DRA invested more than $2.3 million, in a total of 19 projects, through the Strategic Planning Program.
The Strategic Planning Program supports communities in the DRA region by promoting problem solving, enhancing resilience and building partnerships. Through grants ranging from $25,000 to $150,000, the program provides capacity-strained communities in the lower Mississippi River Delta and Alabama Black Belt regions with the necessary resources to develop roadmaps for economic development. These plans guide economic growth and help alleviate prolonged issues, including basic public infrastructure needs, industry growth, workforce pipelines and small business development.
Applicants can apply for a plan that fits their community’s unique challenges and needs, which include, but are not limited to, comprehensive economic development plans, master plans, preliminary engineering reports, utility rate studies, feasibility studies, workforce development plans and broadband deployment plans.
Sixth-Round Strategic Planning Program award recipients include:
Missouri
Bootheel Healthcare Foundation was awarded $150,000 to produce a comprehensive study for the construction of a new hospital facility at Three Rivers College to address the health care crisis affecting residents of the region, following the closure of the Twin Rivers Medical Center.
For more information about the Strategic Planning Program, visit www.dra.gov.
About the Delta Regional Authority
The DRA was established in 2000 as a formal framework for joint federal-state collaboration to promote and encourage the economic development of the lower Mississippi River and Alabama Black Belt regions. To fulfill this purpose, DRA invests in projects supporting transportation infrastructure, basic public infrastructure, workforce training, and business development. DRA’s region encompasses 252 counties and parishes in parts of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.