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Applications Open for 2025 Strategic Planning Program
Second-round applications are now open for DRA’s 2025 Strategic Planning Program, a funding opportunity providing communities within DRA’s eight-state service region with the necessary resources to develop strategies that identify gaps in infrastructure, workforce development, and small business development and entrepreneurship.
Approximately $1.5 million was made available earlier this year to help communities – without the capacity to strategically plan – address unresolved issues concerning infrastructure, industry growth, workforce pipelines and small business development. Awards range from $25,000 to $150,000. The application deadline for the summer cycle is Friday, Aug. 1, 2025.
To read the full story, click here.
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DRA Joins Panel Discussion to Talk Workforce and Education
DRA’s Workforce Programs Manager, Daniel Musgrave, recently joined industry leaders from across the region, in Prentiss, Mississippi, for a panel discussion at the Historic Prentiss Institute to celebrate the launch of the Civil-Military Innovation Institute’s Innovating, Learning, Leading, Uniting, Making and Experimenting (ILLUME) program, a transformative initiative created to help students in economically challenged areas focus on STEM educational opportunities.
The event highlighted how immersive science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education and workforce development can help equip Delta students for the jobs of tomorrow.
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DRA Four-Year Overview: 2021-2024
Over the past four years, the DRA has invested more than $218 million across 484 projects—supporting infrastructure, workforce development and strategic planning across our eight-state service region. These efforts have impacted over 203,000 families, provided training to more than 18,000 individuals, helped create or retain over 40,000 jobs, and leveraged an additional $335 million in public and private funding.
Recently, DRA created a series of fact sheets that provide a snapshot of how these investments are making a difference across our eight-member states. While these fact sheets focus on core investment areas like infrastructure, workforce development, and strategic planning, DRA also supports programming in health care, leadership development, small business development and regional capacity-building initiatives—all designed to strengthen the region’s economic resilience and improve the quality of life of those living across our eight-state service region.
Click DRA 2021-2024 Overview to view fact sheets.
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Applications for the 2026 Delta Leadership Institute (DLI) Executive Academy are now open. An extensive nine-month leadership development program, DLI brings together public, private and nonprofit sector leaders from the Mississippi River and Alabama Black Belt regions. For more information, click here.
Application Deadline: August 15, 2025
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Investing in the Delta | Louisiana Catalyst
Through the Strategic Planning Program, DRA invested $150,000 toward the Louisiana Catalyst to develop a workforce development plan to expand Northeast Louisiana’s microelectronics industry. This investment helped create new opportunities and lay the foundation for a stronger economy.
Watch this episode of Investing in the Delta to see how we are taking important steps toward building a talent pipeline for long-term growth and prosperity across our DRA region.
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Click here to view or download flyer.
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Community Infrastructure Fund
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Strategic Planning Program
Approximately $1.5 million is available through DRA’s Strategic Planning Program. Investments support projects that help communities identify and develop strategic plans that will address issues such as infrastructure, industry growth, workforce pipelines and small business development for communities within the DRA region. For more information on how to apply, visit Strategic Planning Program – Delta Regional Authority (dra.gov).
Applications Deadline: August 1, 2025 (Summer Cycle)
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Upcoming Events and Opportunities
- MOWA Choctaw Wellness Mission – June 3 – 12
- Strategic Planning Program Applications – Aug. 1
- 2026 Delta Leadership Institute Applications – Aug. 15
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