Federal Partnerships and Funding

The partnership that Louisiana has forged with key federal agencies, plays an important role in the state’s continued economic development. These strategic investments in Louisiana—executed with the support of state and local and regional economic development agencies—reflect the diversity and dynamism of Louisiana’s economy.

State-federal partnerships create the revenue streams, jobs and opportunities for establishing new private sector companies that benefit every region of the state. Programs take many forms, from deploying capital to developing resiliency initiatives such as the Paycheck Protection Program, to the long term and sustainable funding of defense preparedness, education, housing, technology, aviation, job training and other vital sectors. 

Defense:
‍Direct spending by the Department of Defense in Louisiana generates approximately $9.64 billion in economic impact. DOD’s investments within its Louisiana-based infrastructure helped create more than 77,000 jobs, while also generating $348.7 million in state and local tax revenues. 

Evidence of Louisiana’s vital importance to maintaining the USA’s military leadership can be seen in the $111 million allocated to Fort Polk for the 2022 fiscal year. Fort Polk will receive $56 million for the construction of new barracks housing and an additional $55 million for the creation of a new Joint Operations Center.

The 2022 National Defense Authorization Act has helped Louisiana begin the new year with congressional authorization for $219 million in military construction projects.

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Resiliency/Pandemic Response:
‍Louisiana secured $29.6 million in federal support through the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan. In addition, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided $454 million to address the unprecedented challenges to public health and safety created by the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding enabled Louisiana to provide vital equipment to healthcare and other frontline workers, including:

• 4.5 million N95 masks
• 9.3 million surgical masks
• 632,000 face shields
• 3.5 million gowns/coveralls
• 277 million gloves
  

Housing:
‍Louisiana received $45.4 million in federal housing assistance through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. The CDBG Program helps municipalities provide affordable housing and supports a broad range of community development initiatives.

Education:
‍The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is providing the state more than  $7.5 million, via the DOD’s Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP). The DCIP funding will provide five schools in Vernon Parish with Technology-Enhanced Learning Centers. The schools receiving the funding serve 2,000 children and their families who are affiliated with the U.S. Army’s Fort Polk complex.

Economic Development: 
‍The Economic Development Administration, a division of the U.S Department of Commerce, has invested millions of dollars to help the state increase employment within tourism, oil and gas, retail, agriculture and other sectors, as well as supporting the expansion of broadband internet to underserved areas of the state.

Paycheck Protection Program:
‍More than 73,800 Louisiana businesses and organizations received approximately $7.3 billion in loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). PPP is a Small Business Administration (SBA) initiative that helped businesses and organizations continue operations during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. PPP funding enabled businesses and organizations to retain their employees, meet payroll costs and pay for other business expenses, including mortgages, rent and utilities.‍

Aviation:
‍The Federal Aviation Administration awarded the State of Louisiana $35 million to fund improvements for 51 state airports, including Baton Rouge Metropolitan, Lafayette Regional, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and Shreveport Regional.