Applications for the Fall 2026 Fellowship cohort are due July 17.
ROI’s Grant Writing Fellowship helps Uplands communities and organizations secure grant funding from various local, regional, state, and federal sources.
This initiative supports a network of grant writers across the Indiana Uplands who are pursuing projects and programs that improve the quality of life for residents across a variety of community needs. Fellows learn from experts how to effectively move ideas from concept to grant submission and beyond, including identifying opportunities, strengthening proposals, building partnerships, and much more. ROI will offer the Fellowship in Fall 2026 and again in Spring 2027.
The Fall 2026 fellowship will feature instruction from Purdue Extension, Cate Racek, and ROI Grants Management Specialist Josie Smith. With more than 16 years of experience in strategic grantsmanship, Racek has built a career helping researchers, community partnerships, and nonprofit organizations identify, pursue, and win external funding. Previously with Indiana University Bloomington, she launched Racek Consulting in 2021. In the last five years, she has helped research projects and mission-driven programs secure funding from the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Education, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Defense, National Endowment for the Humanities, and Lilly Endowment.
Smith brings more than five years of experience managing federal, state, and foundation-funded programs. She oversees a large grant portfolio and has extensive experience in proposal development, compliance, and budget management. Smith holds a Master of Public Affairs from Indiana University and is committed to helping communities secure resources that create lasting impact across the Indiana Uplands.
Fellows selected for this program:
- learn to identify grant opportunities that are ideal for their community or organization (state, federal, and philanthropic opportunities)
- develop skills in writing proposals in accordance with grant guidelines
- explore ways to tell your community’s unique story
- discover how to develop partnerships with other community stakeholders
- develop detailed budgets
- identify metrics that can show community impact
- determine how to best visualize and present impact data
- learn about long-term program sustainability and managing grants to a successful conclusion
Eight sessions will be delivered through a combination of in-person and virtual sessions, coupled with office hours, to address individual grant topics that Fellows would like to discuss with instructors.
2026 Fellowship Schedule
- August 13, 2026: Basic Grant Writing (Part 1) – Odon, IN
- August 25, 2026: Basic Grant Writing (Part 2) – Odon, IN
- September 15, 2026: Finding the Right Grant Opportunity (Virtual)
- September 29, 2026: Building Partnerships, Sustainability & Budget Development – Bedford, IN
- October 27, 2026: Professional Writing for Maximum Impact & Logic Models (Virtual)
- November 3, 2026: One-on-One Office Hours (Virtual)
- November 17, 2026: Grant Management and Compliance (Virtual)
- December 1, 2026: Telling Your Story, Proposal Feedback & Graduation – Bedford, IN
Fellows must attend all sessions and are selected through an application process based on their commitment to expanding resource capacity, passion for improving quality of life in their community, and willingness to collaborate with partners across the Uplands region.
ROI covers the following for selected fellows:
- tuition for all grant writing training sessions
- all program materials and resources at no cost
- meals during in-person sessions
- travel stipend
Fellows will also receive continuing professional development on a variety of related topics, connections to a network of peers, and information on available opportunities.
If you have any questions, please contact Julie Halbig, Vice President of Economic and Community Development, at 812-287-8116 ext. 115 or juliehalbig@regionalopportunityinc.org.