READI to gather

The East Central region was awarded $35 million in READI 2.0 funding.

In the coming weeks, the region will take the next step in the project selection process.

East Central Indiana Regional Partnership president and CEO Trevor Friedeberg provided an email update to stakeholders this week, indicating that a final application for projects will be released in the next few weeks.

More than 170 projects were submitted in fall 2023 to be part of the region’s Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative 2.0 application.

The purpose of the final application is two-pronged:

•To make sure information on existing projects is updated and accurate

•To identify projects that may qualify for the additional $250 million in grant funding Lilly Endowment announced early this year to fund Indiana Economic Development Corporation blight reduction/redevelopment and arts/culture projects

“Now we’re gathering additional information, refining that final list of projects,” said Friedeberg on Thursday morning. “Really because I understand projects change as time passes and October was many months ago. So we want to make sure we’re capturing the most accurate and up-to-date information.”

“We want to be able to capture those new projects that could qualify for the Lilly dollars,” he added.

The final application is expected to be made available in the next few weeks. The regional partnership is still finalizing details, including how long the final application will be open, but it said other regions have settled on 60 days and that the East Central region will likely be similar.

“We of course want to have a good balance between giving enough time and keeping the process moving,” said Friedeberg.

Once final applications are in, regional stakeholders, led by the steering committee that includes two representatives from each of the counties — Jay, Randolph, Blackford, Delaware, Grant, Henry, Wayne and Fayette — in the region, will work to determine a list of finalist projects to present to Indiana Economic Development Corporation. Regional and state officials will then work together to determine how best to distribute the $35 million in regional READI funding as well as the money available through Lilly Endowment to make the greatest impact.

READI 2.0 funding is for capital projects such as new construction, rehabilitation, equipment purchases, strategic land acquisition for redevelopment and infrastructure with a focus on improving population growth, income, employment opportunities, educational attainment, housing development, childcare capacity and innovation activities.

“I strongly feel that what we present to them … they will likely be very supportive of what we're putting forward,” said Friedeberg. “It's going to be a little bit of give and take, but I feel like they want us to be able to determine what's best for our region ...”  

He said he’s hopeful that finalist projects can be identified by late summer.

The $35 million that was awarded to the region represents a $20 million increase from its grant funding in the first iteration of READI. From the $15 million the East Central Region was awarded in READI 1.0, projects in Jay County that were funded were Salamonia Schoolhouse and Jay County Early Learning Center.

The READI 2.0 funding comes on a 3-1-1 match basis, with 60% from the private sector, 20% from local government and 20% from the state program. The match is considered on a regional basis rather than project-by-project. (The funding from Lilly Endowment will follow similar guidelines, Friedeberg said.)

East Central Indiana Regional Partnership has led the regional planning process along with HWC Engineering, including workshops and public surveys, with that effort extending through most of 2023. That work led to a regional application, which resulted in the announcement of the funding award in April.

The region set a focus on quality of life, housing and infrastructure, childcare and support for families, and education and opportunity. 

“We’ve done a ton of work to get to this point,” said Friedeberg. “We’re very proud of the way that the region has come together. There’s a lot more work ahead of us and I’m confident that if we keep the momentum that we’ve built the process will be successful, we’ll implement some excellent projects throughout the region and further set ourselves up for success in the future. It’s been a ride and it’s not over yet, but I’m very excited to see what this $35 million will bring to the region and what that’s going to leverage moving forward.”