Welcome
The South is a region of deep challenges, yet immense opportunity. Born from a legacy of slavery, the South became the cradle of Civil Rights. Despite a persistence of poverty, it has produced history-making innovators and entrepreneurs. Enduring a history of environmental degradation, it developed a culture of stewardship. We are a land of contrasts, a land where progress is possible.
TOGETHER, PROGRESS IS POSSIBLE
The Southern Economic Advancement Project (SEAP) partners with policy thinkers and doers to amplify their efforts and bridge gaps in policy infrastructure. We act as a connector, convener, and policy entrepreneur across issues and states, translating good ideas to the Southern context. Our goal is to advance policies that improve economic security, healthcare access, and environmental justice for all Southerners.
The South has the capacity for great innovation.

Black Lives Matter
Leading on criminal justice reform and re-entry strategies
CHECK.
Universal Pre-K?
A Georgia governor showed what’s possible. Florida voters stepped up when leaders wouldn’t.
Household income of adults
who were raised in low-income families
who were raised in low-income families

Together, we can answer the South’s deep challenges
It is common for children born into poverty in the South to stay in poverty. That’s not the case everywhere in America, and should not be a norm in the South.
OpportunityAtlas.org | Developed by Darkhorse Analytics |
Opportunity Insights and US Census Bureau © Mapbox © OpenStreetMap
Opportunity Insights and US Census Bureau © Mapbox © OpenStreetMap
9 million
Uninsured Southerners
1.6 million
African American children in poverty in the South
$16 billion
Federal dollars left on the table each year because Southern states fail to expand Medicaid
1.8 million
Southerners in prison/jail or on probation/parole
$16 billion
Federal dollars left on the table each year because Southern states fail to expand Medicaid
11.7 Million Southerners in Poverty
Highest infant and maternal mortality rate in the U.S.
SEAP —
bridge,
translator,
partner
SEAP — bridge, translator, partner
