Below is a list of current and upcoming opportunities. If you have questions about an opportunity listed below or additional grant opportunities you’d like to add to the list, please contact Josie Smith (josie@regionalopportunityinc.org).

ROI Grant Opportunities

Check back soon for grant opportunities from ROI!

Grant Opportunities Outside of ROI

The following opportunities are offered by organizations other than ROI. ROI is not affiliated with any of these grants. This list is meant to provide our partners with other sources of funding for the great work they do in the Indiana Uplands Region.

Tactical Urbanism Demonstration Projects Supporting Active Transportation

The Tactical Urbanism Demonstration Projects Supporting Active Transportation from the Indiana Department of Health provides funding to build short-term, low-cost demonstration projects that create long-term momentum to improve the built environment supporting safe walking and bicycling for residents of all ages. Examples of projects include temporary bicycles and pedestrian safety demonstration projects, purchase and deployment of temporary traffic calming equipment and projects, and temporary protected bike lanes or pedestrian lanes.

  • Award Range: Maximum grant award is $10,000 for each community and may include single or multiple project locations
  • Timeline: Applications are due by 4pm on Thursday, February 27, 2025
  • Learn More >>

Indiana Arts Commission Arts Project Support Program

Arts Project Support grants provide funds to support a public-facing short-term arts project or series of arts activities. Examples include performances, exhibits, arts festivals, arts learning for specific populations such as older adults or youth, public art, or some other arts-based or arts-serving activity. The goal of this program is to provide Indiana’s people and communities access to arts experiences.

  • Award Range: Up to $4,000, no match required
  • Timeline: The Spring cycle for FY 2026 is open now and closes March 4, 2025 for the grant period of July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026
  • Learn More >>

AARP Community Challenge Grants

AARP is offering three grant opportunities designed to fund ready-to-launch community programs and projects. Proposed projects and programs must benefit community residents, especially those 50 and older.

  • Award Range: Up to $25,000
  • Timeline: Applications are open now and due by March 5, 2025.
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Riley’s Way Foundation Call for Kindness Fellowship

The Call for Kindness Fellowship empowers youth leaders ages 13 to 23 in the United States to implement social impact projects that inspire kindness and strengthen communities. Selected youth participate in a 12-month leadership development fellowship and receive a startup grant of up to $5,000, one-on-one coaching, virtual skill-building sessions, an in-person leadership retreat, mentorship opportunities, and a peer community. Fellows can also apply for continuation grants with ongoing project support and coaching.

  • Award Range: Up to $5,000
  • Timeline: Application deadline in March 9, 2025
  • Learn More>>

Grants for Arts Projects

The Grants for Arts Projects from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) provides funding for public engagement with the arts and arts education, for the integration of the arts with strategies promoting the health and well-being of people and communities, and for the improvement of overall capacity and capabilities within the arts sector. Projects in the following disciplines are eligible for funding: Artist Communities, Arts Education, Dance, Design, Film & Media Arts, Folk & Traditional Arts, Literary Arts, Local Arts Agencies, Museums, Music, Musical Theater, Opera, Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works, Theater, and Visual Arts.

  • Award Range: $10,000-$100,000
  • Timeline: Part 1 Applications for the March Cycle are due March 11, 2025. Part 2 is due March 24, 2025
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Hershey Heartwarming Young Heroes Global Youth Service Day Grants

Youth Service America, in partnership with the the Hershey Company, is offering grans for Youth Service Month and Global Youth Service Day 2025 projects. Young people ages 5-25 are eligible to apply for these grants to lead and engage their peers in projects in their communities. Projects may address any issue or community need that is important to youth project leaders and their peers.

  • Award Range: $250 for projects with at least 25 other youth volunteers; $500 for projects with at least 50 other youth volunteers
  • Timeline: The application deadline is March 16, 2025
  • Learn More>>

T-Mobile Hometown Grants

The Hometown Grants from T-Mobile provide funding for communities with populations of 50,000 or less to implement transformational quality of place projects. Grants are given every quarter to up to 25 small towns.

  • Award Range: Up to $50,000
  • Applications open on a quarterly basis with the following schedule:
    • Spring: Applications open January–March (Quarter 1 Grants close Tuesday, March 31, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. CT.)
    • Summer: Applications open April–June
    • Fall: Applications open July–September
    • Winter: Applications open October–December
  • Learn More >>

The Skatepark Project Skatepark/Skatespace Grant

The Skatepark Project helps underserved communities throughout the United States create safe and inclusive public skateparks for youth. The Skatepark/Skatespace Grant is available to nonprofit organizations and municipalities seeking to build free, public skateparks or skatespaces in underserved communities. Funded skatepark projects should be designed and built from concrete by qualified and experienced skatepark contractors; include local skaters throughout the planning, fundraising, and design process; and demonstrate a strong grassroots commitment to the project. 

  • Award Range: Up to $25,000
  • Timeline: The deadline to apply is March 31, 2025
  • Learn More >>

Voya Unsung Heroes Awards Program

The Voya Unsung Heroes Awards Program helps U.S. K-12 educators and their schools fund innovative classroom projects. Each year, 50 educators are selected to receive $2,000 for their class projects. Of these finalists, three are chosen to receive the top awards of an additional $5,000, $10,000 and $25,000. Full-time educators, teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, or classified staff with effective and innovative projects that improve student learning are eligible to apply. Applicants must be employed by an accredited K-12 public or private school located in the United States.

  • Award Range: 50 finalists receive a $2,000 award. Three finalists will be selected for additional awards of $5,000, $10,000, and $25,000
  • Timeline: The deadline to apply is April 18, 2025
  • Learn More >>

Community Connect Grants Program

The purpose of the Community Connect Grants Program is to provide financial assistance to eligible applicants that will provide broadband services in rural areas. The broadband should be provided on a “community-oriented connectivity” basis and foster economic growth and deliver enhanced educational, heath care, and public safety benefits. Funds may be used to construct, purchase, or lease land or buildings to deploy broadband service, the cost of providing broadband service free of charge to essential community facilities for up to two years, and/or the improvement, expansion, construction or purchase of a community center that provides online access to the public.

  • Award Range: $100,000 – $5,000,000
  • Timeline: Applications open February 20, 2025 and close April 21, 2025
  • Learn More >>

Cultural and Community Resilience Grants

The Cultural and Community Resilience grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) support community-based efforts to address the impacts of climate change and COVID-19 by safeguarding cultural resources and fostering cultural resilience through identifying, documenting, and/or collecting cultural heritage and community experiences. The program prioritizes projects from disadvantaged communities and NEH encourages applications that employ inclusive methodologies. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations with a 501(c)(3) status, institutes of higher education, state and local governments, and federally recognized Native American Tribal Governments.

  • Award Range: Up to $150,000
  • Timeline: Application opens February 20, 2025 and closes May 20, 2025.
  • Learn More >>

Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas Grants

The Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA) program offers funding to support clean energy projects in communities of 10,000 people or fewer. This initiative is designed to address the unique challenges faced by rural areas, such as higher energy costs, less resilient energy systems, and limited access to clean energy solutions.

  • Award Range: Varies per project
  • Timeline: Concept papers due February 27, 2025 and applications due August 28, 2025
  • Learn More >>

Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program

The United States Department of Transportation Build America Bureau is offering up to $27 million in no-match grants on a first-come, first-serve basis through the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program. This program provides grants to support legal, technical, and financial advisors to help advance infrastructure projects.

  • Award Range: $200,000 to $750,000 for single projects; $500,000 – $2,250,000 for multi-community projects
  • Timeline: Applications open March 4, 2025 and close April 3, 2025
  • Learn More >>

Community Economic Development Grants

The Community Economic Development Grants, from the US Administration for Children and Families Office of Community Services is a federal grant program for community development corporations (CDCs) to enhance investment in communities facing persistent poverty and high unemployment through the creation and expansion of businesses and job-opportunities. 

  • Award Range: $75,000 – $150,000
  • Timeline: Applications due May 1, 2025
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Public Impact Projects at Smaller Organizations Grants

The Public Impact Projects at Smaller Organizations grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities support the expansion of humanities programming currently offered by smaller museums and cultural organizations and to assess the organization’s relationship to their community and surrounding neighborhoods. 

  • Award Range: Up to $25,000
  • Timeline: Applications open March 11, 2025 and close June 11, 2025
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Digital Projects for the Public Grants

The Public Impact Projects at Smaller Organizations grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities support the expansion of humanities programming currently offered by smaller museums and cultural organizations and to assess the organization’s relationship to their community and surrounding neighborhoods. 

  • Award Range: Up to $30,000 in Discovery Grants, up to $100,000 in Prototyping Grants, and up to $400,000 in Production Grants
  • Timeline: Applications open March 11, 2025 and close June 11, 2025
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IU’s Sustaining Hoosier Communities

Sustaining Hoosier Communities pairs one rural community with IU faculty, staff, and students for an intensive year to advance community-identified projects that improve Hoosier lives.

  • Award Range: No direct funding, but includes support and tailored reports on community-identified projects.
  • Timeline: Application deadline is October 1, 2025.
  • Learn More > >

Jeffris Heartland Fund

The Jeffris Family Foundation’s Jeffris Heartland Fund supports historic preservation projects in small towns and cities in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The Fund provides matching grants for advanced planning studies for historic preservation projects preparing for a capital campaign and a restoration project. Grants cover 50% of the cost of a Historic Structure Report, and must be matched dollar-for-dollar with cash from other sources. Projects must be located in small towns and cities with a population under 150,000 that are not within a major metropolitan area, and the historic site must be on (or be eligible to be on) the National Register of Historic Places.

  • Award Range: Up to 50% of the cost of a Historic Structure Report, with a 1:1 matching requirement
  • Timeline: Preliminary inquiries accepted on a rolling basis
  • Learn More >>

CreatINg Places Grants

CreatINg Places is a place-based grantfunding program from the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority (IHCDA). The grant supports projects that activate underutilized public spaces or create new public spaces. The program aims to generate public interest and involvement in the development and implementation of place-based improvements by incentivizing small, public donations with a matching grant from IHCDA if and when their funding goal is reached by a set period of time.

  • Award Range: $5,000 – $50,000 with a 1:1 fundraising match requirement
  • Timeline: Applications are available now and accepted on a rolling basis
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Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program

The purpose of the Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program from the US Department of Agriculture is to provide funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. Projects supported through this program must demonstrate substantial community support and facilities must serve the rural area where they are or will be located. Rural areas must have no more than 20,000 residents according the the latest US Census Data. Examples of essential community facilities include:  Health care facilities, including hospitals, nursing homes, or dental clinics; public facilities such as town halls, courthouses, airport hangars, or street improvements; community support services such as childcare centers, transitional housing, or community centers; and public safety services such as fire departments and vehicles or police departments and vehicles.

  • Award Range: Unspecified, applicants may apply for a loan, a grant, or a combination of both
  • Timeline: Applications are available now and accepted on a rolling basis
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Community Heart & Soul Seed Grant Program

The Community Heart & Soul Seed Grant Program provides start-up funding for resident-driven groups in small cities and towns looking to implement the Community Heart & Soul model. Community Heart & Soul is a resident-driven process that engages the entire population of a town in identifying what they love most about their community, the future they want for it, and how to achieve it. 

  • Award Range: Up to $10,000 with a 1:1 cash matching requirement
  • Timeline: Applications are available now and accepted on a rolling basis
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Next Level Jobs – Employer Training Grant

The Employer Training Grant offers employers $5,000 per employee who is trained, hired, and retained for at least 6 months in seven priority sectors: Advanced Manufacturing, Technology and Business Services, Transportation and Logistics, Health and Sciences, Building and Construction, Agriculture, and Early Childhood. 

  • Award Range: $5,000 per employee, up to $50,000 per employer
  • Timeline: Open now and ongoing
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Next Level Jobs – Workforce Ready Grant

The Workforce Ready Grant is a grant program for individuals that covers the tuition and fees of qualifying certificate programs across Indiana. Trainings are available in the following industries: Advanced Manufacturing, Building and Construction, Health and Life Sciences, Information Technology and Business Services, Transportation and Logistics, and Early Childhood. 

  • Award Range: Cost of qualified training
  • Timeline: Open now and ongoing
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Children’s Book Project Grant

The Children’s Book Project Grant, from the Pilcrow Foundation, is a 2-to-1 match grant for rural libraries to purchase up to $1,200 worth of new, quality, hardcover children’s books. 

  • Award Range: Up to $1,200 with a 2-to-1 matching requirement
  • Timeline: Applications are due every April 1 and October 1
  • Learn More >>