LITACorp Selects Consultants, Begins Providing Technical Assistance to Louisiana Communities

LITACorp and consultants will assist Louisiana communities seeking to apply for federal grants through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)

BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Infrastructure Technical Assistance Corporation (LITACorp) has selected Franklin Associates and Hunt, Guillot and Associates (HGA) to lead its inaugural Technical Assistance Program (TAP). Through TAP, Franklin Associates and HGA will provide services that include, but are not limited to, strategic planning, project development, funding identification, grant writing, grant administration and more, at no-cost to Louisiana communities.

“We are excited to partner with Franklin Associates and HGA to provide much needed services to Louisiana communities,” said Leslie Durham, LITACorp Executive Director. “Both organizations bring decades of experience and technical expertise that would otherwise be inaccessible to our state’s most rural and economically distressed communities. LITACorp is proud to be a part of the solution in helping unlock more federal dollars to strengthen Louisiana’s public infrastructure.”

Established in 2005, Franklin Associates is a management consulting and communications firm with deep relationships in Louisiana and across the southeast. Franklin Associates is a certified minority business enterprise based in Baton Rouge.

“Franklin Associates’ mission is to help communities thrive. It is our privilege to work alongside LITACorp to help governments throughout our state access this critical funding and strengthen their infrastructure and economies. We look forward to ensuring that across Louisiana, the communities that have traditionally been shut out of these funding opportunities and need it most can address their priorities and needs,” said Perry Franklin, Franklin Associates Owner and President.

HGA is a multi-disciplined project management and engineering services company that has provided professional services to an extensive portfolio of customers throughout numerous industries for more than 20 years. HGA is headquartered in Ruston and has offices in Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, and Shreveport as well as Alabama, Arizona, and Texas.

“HGA is pleased to work as a technical partner to LITACorp, helping them to advance infrastructure opportunities and programs for our parishes and municipalities throughout Louisiana,” said Jack Hunt, HGA Vice President for Program Management.

LITACorp is a collaborative partnership between the Louisiana Municipal Association (LMA) and Police Jury Association of Louisiana (PJAL) and is financially supported through the $25 million Political Subdivision Federal Grant Assistance Fund which was passed by the Louisiana State Legislature in 2022.

“For years, we have listened to the challenges experienced by mayors and aldermen when attempting to access federal grant dollars,” said John Gallagher, LMA Executive Director. “We have created a unique model through LITACorp to meet our constituents where they are at by providing them with the capacity and expertise they need to compete for these funds and invest in their public infrastructure.”

“We are experiencing historic levels of federal investment into public infrastructure as a result of the IIJA,” said Guy Cormier, PJAL Executive Director. “I appreciate the Louisiana State Legislature for providing the resources we needed to seed LITACorp so that we can position our communities to compete for these federal dollars through technical assistance and support with local match requirements.”

Interested communities must submit a Letter of Interest (LOI) to LITACorp to be considered for technical assistance services. Beginning today, LITACorp will accept LOIs on a rolling basis.

For more information about TAP and how to submit an LOI, visit www.LITACorp.org.

The Louisiana Infrastructure Technical Assistance Corporation (LITACorp) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to advance the economic prosperity of Louisiana communities. LITACorp is a collaborative partnership between the Louisiana Municipal Association and the Police Jury Association of Louisiana to assist local governments with accessing federal grants through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to construct, improve, and repair public infrastructure in rural and economically distressed communities.