The Indiana Uplands region will receive $30 million in READI 2.0 funding. It’s part of the $500 million approved by the state last week.
The Uplands region comprises 10 counties for this round of funding, including Monroe, Daviess, Greene, and Lawrence.
Tina Peterson is president and CEO of Regional Opportunity Initiatives and Community Foundation in Bloomington. The nonprofit will facilitate funding for the Uplands region. She said it’s working on a process for vetting projects.
“We have a steering committee from across the region that helps us vet opportunities," she said. "And when necessary, we pull together subject matter experts to evaluate opportunities in our region.”
Read more: State awards $500 million for READI 2.0, aiming to generate $11 billion in investment statewide
The first round of READI grants came from President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan.
But this round comes from the state budget. Peterson said it’s a testament to the first round’s effectiveness. ROI's Strategic Plan helps identify areas for funding.
“We've been very deliberate in understanding what our challenges are related to housing and to infrastructure, both as it relates to residences, but also to growing some of our commercial and employment opportunities."
Peterson said to expect these to be continued areas of investment for READI 2.0.
She added the Uplands region is the sixth largest of fifteen in the state. Most of the Uplands is rural, which is not unique for Indiana. But the area is uniquely positioned with substantial employment sectors like advanced manufacturing, life sciences, and defense, which have outpaced state and national rates of job growth.
Peterson said the ROI hopes to start deploying grants this summer.
