Grant Services

Our Economic Development team assists member governments and other organizations in the region in applying for and successfully acquiring local, county, state, and federal grants. These grants include HUD’s Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) funds offered through the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA), that can be utilized for housing rehabilitation, public infrastructure, and other community facilities and services that provide essential services to low and moderate income areas. Our Grants Specialists have years of extensive experience in grant writing and grant administration services, with established and long-standing relationships with numerous funding agencies and partners that SARPC works with. SARPC partners with many funding agencies that provide community development projects such as:

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• Basic public infrastructure and public works projects

• Transportation infrastructure and road resurfacing projects

• Business & workforce development

• Initiatives like flood control, broadband access, and entrepreneurship training

• Strategic, long-range, disaster recovery, economic development, and regulatory plans

• Renewable energy

• Recreation and other community services and public safety facilities

• Environmental conservation, land management, resiliency, habitat restoration, and water quality

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SARPC Planners assist communities with preparing grant applications and offer grant administration services once the funding has been obtained and secured.  Our grant specialists are available to help communities find funding for their needs and assist with project development.

SARPC’s funding partners include, but are not limited to:

• Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA)

• Economic Development Administration (EDA)

• National Atmospheric and Oceanic Association (NOAA)

• Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR)

• Delta Regional Authority (DRA)

• Southeast Crescent Regional Commission (SCRC)

• Gulf Coast Resource, Conservation, and Development Council (RC&D)

• United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Revolving Loan Fund (RLF)

SARPC’s Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Program is a locally controlled source of capital used to provide gap financing to start-up and expanding businesses in Baldwin, Escambia, and Mobile counties. The primary goal of the program is to stimulate the economy through the creation of local jobs. The RLF targets small to medium-sized businesses, which are financially sound but are unable to secure adequate financing for start-up or expansion projects. Working with our partners at Alabama Small Business Development Center Network (SBDC), SARPC’s RLF loans can be made for financing land, buildings, equipment, and working capital. 

Our business and project loans are ideal for Startups and Expanding businesses and financing is available for up to 100% of project costs. Our aim is to address the following Six (6) Needs:

1. Business Support
2. Entrepreneurship
3. Expansion and Growth
4. Sustainable Development
5. Workforce Development
6. Economic Leadership and Funding

Workforce Development

SARPC manages and administers the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), which is a work-based training program that promotes economic self-sufficiency for older workers with low incomes by providing useful part-time community service assignments, while promoting transitions into un-subsidized employment.

Participants receive on the job training skills while working, allowing them to be more competitive in their search for un-subsidized employment.

To be eligible for participation, applicants must be 55 years of age or older, meet federally established income guidelines, and reside in SARPC's Region. Participants are placed in Host Agencies, governmental agencies or private non-profit organizations with 501(c)(3) designations, to "fill gaps" and perform jobs that expand community services. Through the SCSEP grant awarded to SARPC, participant wages are fully funded by the program. Participants are eligible to work up to 29 hours per week and receive a stipend of $12.00 per hour.

There is NO COST to Host Agencies for these assignments. SARPC administers all programmatic, administrative, and fiscal responsibilities, including payroll and fringe benefits. As a Member Government of SARPC, your community is eligible to participate in these employment services.

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Visit our Data Hub site for more information about SARPC’s economic development services.

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SARPC’s Region serves the three counties in south Alabama of Baldwin, Escambia and Mobile counties.

SARPC serves as the Economic Development District (EDD) for Region 8 and is required to prepare a regularly updated Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for the Region. SARPC’s CPED department prepares the Region’s CEDS every five years, including a comprehensive update report each year. The CEDS is a locally driven planning document designed to guide regional economic growth, resilience, and long-term prosperity. Developed through collaboration among local governments, businesses, community organizations, educational institutions, and other stakeholders, a CEDS identifies a region’s strengths, challenges, opportunities, and economic priorities. The strategy serves as a roadmap for coordinated economic development efforts by establishing goals, implementation actions, and investment priorities that support job creation, business growth, infrastructure improvements, workforce development, and overall quality of life.

Additionally, SARPC serves as the Local Development District (LDD) for the Delta Regional Authority (DRA) and the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission (SCRC).