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DRA THE DISPARITY REDUCING ADVANCES PROJECT
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In This Issue:
The DRA website has in-depth summaries of Partner meetings, reports on Health Disparities and information on the exciting work underway by all DRA Partners.
The DRA Project's eight efforts are:
Public Health/Community Based Prevention
1. Focus on Social Determinants of Health
2. Draw lessons from National Healthy Eating and Active Living Programs
3. Obesity Prevention in Schools
4. REACH 2010 (Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Public Health) lessons Health Care Focused Efforts
5. Care Model
6. Integrative Primary Care
7. Consumer-patient Navigation
8. Continuous Passive Biomonitoring
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In This Issue:
- Welcome New DRA Project Partners
- Feature Articles
- The DRA Project
The DRA website has in-depth summaries of Partner meetings, reports on Health Disparities and information on the exciting work underway by all DRA Partners.
The DRA Project's eight efforts are:
Public Health/Community Based Prevention
1. Focus on Social Determinants of Health
2. Draw lessons from National Healthy Eating and Active Living Programs
3. Obesity Prevention in Schools
4. REACH 2010 (Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Public Health) lessons Health Care Focused Efforts
5. Care Model
6. Integrative Primary Care
7. Consumer-patient Navigation
8. Continuous Passive Biomonitoring
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DRA Announces 2008 Grant Program
Oct. 10, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT REX NELSON
(501) 686-6188
The Delta Regional Authority has begun its federal grant program for fiscal year 2008. Those wishing to apply for grants can find a pre-application package and timeline by going to the DRA website at www.dra.gov.
The DRA serves 240 counties and parishes in parts of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.
"We're working hard to improve the lives of those who live in these 240 counties and parishes," said Pete Johnson of Clarksdale, Miss., the authority's federal co-chairman. "We've helped communities in eight states leverage tens of millions of dollars from other federal and state programs. The eight governors who are members of our board have done an outstanding job recommending worthy projects to the full board. In the process, we've created jobs, provided workforce training and supplied water and sewer services for those who didn't have adequate services before."
Johnson, who was appointed by President Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2001, serves on the DRA board with the governors of the eight states. The federal-state partnership's grant program has allowed cash-strapped cities and counties to leverage money from other agencies. The DRA also has expanded its regional initiatives in the areas of health care, transportation and information technology in recent years.
In an article published last year, The Economist described the DRA as an agency "mostly staffed by people who live in the region and are eager to see change. Its express purpose is to coordinate projects with relevant states and to cut through red tape. It is creating, or helping to retain, 36,000 jobs, most in manufacturing, which will generate $1 billion in salaries; it has also helped 23,000 families to get running water and sewerage."
Local development districts work with the DRA to publicize the grant program, educate applicants and provide technical assistance.
"We've been fortunate to develop close working relationships with the local development districts and economic development organizations across the region," Johnson said. "These strong relationships are helping us to have a positive effect on the lives of more Delta residents than ever before. Meanwhile, we keep administrative expenses low so this money is getting directly to those who need it."
Unlike many federal grant programs, DRA funds can be used as matching money for other federal grants.
All pre-application packages must be received by local development districts no later than noon on Jan. 8. The local development districts will screen the pre-applications. Anything received after the deadline will be deemed ineligible.
Pre-applications will only be accepted through local development districts. They should not be sent directly to the DRA. Addresses for local development districts can be found at www.dra.gov.
Once grant applications are submitted by the development districts, the federal co-chairman will determine which applications are eligible for funding. There is an appeals process for those applicants whose submissions are ruled ineligible.
From the list of eligible applications in their states, the governors then will make recommendations to the full board. The board will decide which projects are funded based on the amount of money available. Congress has mandated that transportation and basic public infrastructure projects must receive at least 50 percent of appropriated funds.
The areas of emphasis for the grant program are:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT REX NELSON
(501) 686-6188
The Delta Regional Authority has begun its federal grant program for fiscal year 2008. Those wishing to apply for grants can find a pre-application package and timeline by going to the DRA website at www.dra.gov.
The DRA serves 240 counties and parishes in parts of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.
"We're working hard to improve the lives of those who live in these 240 counties and parishes," said Pete Johnson of Clarksdale, Miss., the authority's federal co-chairman. "We've helped communities in eight states leverage tens of millions of dollars from other federal and state programs. The eight governors who are members of our board have done an outstanding job recommending worthy projects to the full board. In the process, we've created jobs, provided workforce training and supplied water and sewer services for those who didn't have adequate services before."
Johnson, who was appointed by President Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2001, serves on the DRA board with the governors of the eight states. The federal-state partnership's grant program has allowed cash-strapped cities and counties to leverage money from other agencies. The DRA also has expanded its regional initiatives in the areas of health care, transportation and information technology in recent years.
In an article published last year, The Economist described the DRA as an agency "mostly staffed by people who live in the region and are eager to see change. Its express purpose is to coordinate projects with relevant states and to cut through red tape. It is creating, or helping to retain, 36,000 jobs, most in manufacturing, which will generate $1 billion in salaries; it has also helped 23,000 families to get running water and sewerage."
Local development districts work with the DRA to publicize the grant program, educate applicants and provide technical assistance.
"We've been fortunate to develop close working relationships with the local development districts and economic development organizations across the region," Johnson said. "These strong relationships are helping us to have a positive effect on the lives of more Delta residents than ever before. Meanwhile, we keep administrative expenses low so this money is getting directly to those who need it."
Unlike many federal grant programs, DRA funds can be used as matching money for other federal grants.
All pre-application packages must be received by local development districts no later than noon on Jan. 8. The local development districts will screen the pre-applications. Anything received after the deadline will be deemed ineligible.
Pre-applications will only be accepted through local development districts. They should not be sent directly to the DRA. Addresses for local development districts can be found at www.dra.gov.
Once grant applications are submitted by the development districts, the federal co-chairman will determine which applications are eligible for funding. There is an appeals process for those applicants whose submissions are ruled ineligible.
From the list of eligible applications in their states, the governors then will make recommendations to the full board. The board will decide which projects are funded based on the amount of money available. Congress has mandated that transportation and basic public infrastructure projects must receive at least 50 percent of appropriated funds.
The areas of emphasis for the grant program are:
- Basic public infrastructure in distressed counties.
- Transportation infrastructure for the purpose of facilitating economic development.
- Business development with an emphasis on entrepreneurship.
- Job training with an emphasis on existing public education institutions.