The Delta Regional Authority 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 Delta Regional Authority 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 Delta Regional Authority 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 our 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.
The 252 counties and parishes served by the Delta Regional Authority make up the most distressed area of the country. The time for action has arrived and the Delta Regional Authority is poised to work with local, state, and federal leaders to bring investment and opportunity back to the Delta region.
Creating Jobs
Since its creation in 2000, the Delta Regional Authority has worked to improve the lives of the 10 million people who live in the Delta through job creation and retention. Targeted investments in each of the eight states have helped to create and retain more than 17,000 jobs. Through the States’ Economic Development Assistance Program and Rural Community Advancement Program, DRA supports business incubators, job training and workforce development programs, and infrastructure and industrial development to attract new business investments and support Delta-based expansions, which increase the opportunities for high-skill, high-paying jobs for Delta residents.
Building Communities
The Delta Regional Authority forges local, state, and regional partnerships throughout the region as well as with its fellow federal agencies to ensure investment, increased capacity, and technical assistance that supports the development of Delta communities and regional clusters. With an impressive leverage ratio of 21.3 to 1, the DRA has leveraged its $129 million in strategic investments to attract $2.7 billion in public and private investments into projects over 13 cycles. These investments have touched nearly every county and parish in the Delta.
Local development districts are key partners and serve as front-line project developers, mobilizing their community and economic leaders to support the holistic development of a community’s workforce and education, business and industry, health, transportation, and public infrastructure.
Improving Lives
Through numerous policy initiatives, the DRA is investing in programs that better the health, accessibility, connectivity, and educational opportunities for Delta residents of all ages. Over 12 funding cycles, these investments have trained 3,745 individuals and helped 25,500 families gain access to clean water and sewer service. The Delta Leadership Institute is training community leaders to identify regional solutions through collaborative partnerships and the DRA’s Healthy Delta Initiative and other health programs are helping to improve the health outcomes and quality of life for people in the Delta.
Per congressional mandate, the DRA compiles and publishes an exhaustive report outlining both the uses, outputs, and outcomes of the past year’s spending as well as proposed budgets for the coming fiscal year. This document includes detailed descriptions and updates of DRA programs, policy initiatives, and state-by-state investments.
