Jan 22, 2026
Cooperative Energy Awards $135,000 in Grants to Support Comsmunity and Economic Development in Mississippi
Hattiesburg – Cooperative Energy, together with its 11 Member electric distribution cooperatives it serves, awarded $135,000 in Cooperative Competes grants in 2025 to support strategic community and economic development efforts across Mississippi.
The grants were awarded through Cooperative Energy’s Cooperative Competes program, which provides funding for proactive site development, workforce analysis, marketing initiatives, and other readiness efforts designed to attract new capital investment and job creation throughout the region.
“Continued investment through the Cooperative Competes grant program reflects the strong commitment of our Member cooperatives to build competitive, investment-ready communities across Mississippi,” said Jeff C. Bowman, Cooperative Energy president and CEO. “These grants help communities, particularly in rural areas, leverage local, state, and federal resources while positioning themselves for long-term economic growth and job creation.”
In 2025, the following grants were awarded for the following community and economic development initiatives:
Hancock County - $20,000. Funds were awarded to assist with the production of marketing videos incorporating aerial drone footage, animated site graphics, infographics, and text overlays to communicate key information such as available sites, infrastructure details, regional connectivity, and workforce strengths for the Port Bienville Industrial Park and Ignition Park at Stennis International Airport. Both industrial properties are powered by Coast Electric.
Bolivar County – The Cleveland-Bolivar County Chamber of Commerce received a $25,000 grant to assist with the clearing, excavating, and installation of select fill material for a new 15,000 square foot site along the new concrete north apron at the Cleveland Airport. The 20-acre, runway adjacent, Cleveland Airport North Industrial Site is powered by Delta Electric.
Lamar County – A $30,000 grant supports completing environmental due diligence of the Lamar County Industrial Park in Purvis, powered by Pearl River Valley Electric. The grant will assist Lamar County with the completion of an ALTA Survey and geotechnical soil borings, the final items of environmental due diligence required for proactive readiness of the 52-acre site. This grant will also be used to clear and grub 22-acres of the site.
Forrest/Jones County – The I-59 Supply Chain Park is a multi-parcel industrial park adjacent to the Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport. A $50,0000 grant was awarded to support site readiness and environmental due diligence study updates for parcels within the industrial park.
Jones County – The Economic Development Authority (EDA) of Jones County was awarded $10,000 to procure analytics software to better evaluate workforce, retail, and commercial patterns and impacts on economics within the region.
Launched in early 2019, the Cooperative Competes initiative strengthens community and product competitiveness throughout Cooperative Energy’s service area. The grant portion of the initiative allows economic organizations to apply for grant funding to offset industrial property development costs or invest in other strategic economic development efforts. Funding is provided jointly by Cooperative Energy and its 11 Member electric distribution cooperatives.
Since the program’s inception, 80 Cooperative Competes grants totaling over $2.8 million have been awarded across 28 counties in the state.
For more information about Cooperative Competes or Cooperative Energy’s economic development efforts, visit www.cooperativeenergy.com/economic-development
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About Cooperative Energy Cooperative Energy serves as the generation and transmission partner for 11 Member-owned electric cooperatives. Known as the Power of 12, Cooperative Energy and its Members work together to provide reliable, affordable, and responsible power from the Mississippi Delta to the Coast. Together, the electric cooperatives power the lives of more than 1 million Mississippians throughout 55 counties.
