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.

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
  • Timeline: Quarter 4 Grants open October 1, 2024 and close December 31, 2024
  • Learn More >>

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. Attend a virtual session on December 16 to hear about the program’s benefits, eligibility, and timeline.

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

IU’s Rural Placemaking Studio Program

The Center for Rural Engagement at Indiana University and IU Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design are now seeking applicants for the second round of the Rural Placemaking Studio. The program aims to enhance arts and cultural development in rural Indiana communities. Selected applicants will receive tailored support, funding for projects, and resources to build vibrant, inclusive spaces through creative placemaking.

  • Award: No direct funding, but includes tailored support and resources for creative placemaking.
  • Timeline: Application deadline is Jan. 17, 2025.
  • Learn More >>

Community Crossings Matching Grant

The Community Crossings Matching Grant from the Indiana Department of Transportation provides funding to cities, towns, and counties across Indiana to make improvements to local roads and bridges. There are two calls for projects each year, one in January and one in July.

  • Award Range: Up to $1.5 million per project
  • Timeline: Next call for projects opens January 2, 2025 and closes January 31, 2025
  • Learn More >>

Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition Grant

The Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street, in partnership with Indiana Humanities, will bring its traveling exhibition Voices and Votes: Democracy in America to small towns across Indiana in 2026. Six towns with populations under 10,000 will be selected to host the exhibit, which gives an in-depth look on America’s democracy and bring discussions about democracy to Indiana’s smaller communities. Selected towns will receive extensive training, funding, and other resources from the Smithsonian and Indiana Humanities. Each of the six hosts will curate a unique section of the exhibit that tells the story of their community as it relates to the exhibit’s themes.

  • Award Range: Unspecified
  • Timeline: Application deadline is Jan. 31, 2025
  • Learn more >>

Indiana Destination Development and IN Indiana Placemaking Activation Grants

Indiana Destination Development and IN Indiana Placemaking Activation grants provide communities the chance to enhance their tourism potential while also improving the quality of life for residents. The Destination Development Grant offers matching funds for projects that attract out-of-state visitors, foster industry collaboration, and enhance local communities, while the Placemaking Activation Grant focuses on creating visually captivating experiences that highlight Indiana as a cohesive destination. To learn more, join the Grant Program Informational Webinar on Nov. 8.

  • Award Range: A 1:1 matching grant of between $50,000 and $250,000 (Indiana Destination Development) and a 1:1 matching grant of up to $25,000 (IN Indiana Placemaking Activation).
  • Timeline: Applications open October 18, 2024 and close February 7, 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 >>

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
  • Learn More >>

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
  • Learn More >>

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
  • 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
  • Learn More >>

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
  • Learn More >>

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
  • Learn More >>

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
  • Learn More >>

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
  • Learn More >>

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 >>