Advancing Regional Prosperity through Quality of Place and Community Workforce Attraction Grants
As part of an overarching strategy for improving economic and community prosperity in the Indiana Uplands, Regional Opportunity Initiatives established a grant opportunity for the 11 counties of our region.
Ready Communities grants provide communities and organizations with resources to strategically develop programs that build quality of place, grow regional capacity for workforce development and attraction, and improve the attributes and amenities that make the Indiana Uplands a desirable place to live, work, and play.
The process began with Ready Communities Planning Grants. Each Indiana Uplands county received a $50,000 planning grant to develop Quality of Place and Workforce Attraction Plans.
Following the Ready Communities Planning Grant stage, up to $3 million was made available for quality of place and workforce attraction implementation grants.
- In Round I & II, ROI awarded 12 implementation grants.
- In Round III, ROI awarded 6 implementation grants.
In 2022, a new round of Ready Communities grants was opened, Ready Communities 2.0. Up to $3 million dollars of Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative funding was earmarked to support this competitive funding program. For more information on awarded projects, visit our READI Projects & Programs page.
Recent Ready Communities News
- (2/8/22) Salem Heritage Park: a public/private success story
- (2/16/21) Ready to Launch: The Launching Center is Eager to Welcome Teens & Prepare Them for STEM Careers
- (2/5/21) A New Nationally Recognized Model is Bringing Creative Financing to the Indiana Uplands
- (10/28/20) Six quality of place projects awarded ROI Ready Communities implementation grants totaling over $1 million
- (4/20/20) ROI extends timeline for third round of Ready Communities implementation grants
- (3/16/20) March 17 Grant Workshop Canceled
- (2/27/20) ROI opens third round of Ready Communities implementation grants
- (1/10/20) Plans complete for all 11 Indiana Uplands counties
- (12/20/19) ROI awards $1.86 million in Ready Communities implementation grants
- (7/18/19) Second round of Ready Communities implementation grants now open
- (4/20/19) Plans complete for nine Indiana Uplands counties
- (3/19/19) ROI opens application for first round of Ready Communities implementation grants
- (3/15/19) Quality of place and workforce attraction plans released for four counties
- (10/4/18) ROI announces launch of $3.5 million community grant program