INDIANAPOLIS – Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced 17 regions representing all 92 counties submitted proposals for funding from the Indiana Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI). Together, these proposals, which aim to accelerate small- and large-scale growth within their communities, total more than $1 billion in requested funding; the READI budget is $500 million.
“Secretary Chambers and I are impressed with and appreciative of all the hard work and collaborative energy invested in the READI regional development plans submitted across the entire state,” said Gov. Holcomb. “I have no doubt these plans will be the beginning of transformational progress that will impact Hoosiers for generations to come.”
In July, regions indicated their intent to pursue READI funding. Each region convened a broad, diverse group of stakeholders, including major employers and anchor institutions, education partners, economic development professionals, philanthropy partners, and elected officials, to develop a game plan for population and economic growth. In these plans, regions outlined their proposal to invest in their growth and prosperity, outlining a series of strategies focused on physical projects and sustainable, multi-year programs to advance quality of place, quality of life, and quality of opportunity.
The regions that submitted READI regional development plans are:
- 70-40 Greater Mt. Comfort Corridor, led by the Hancock County Economic Development Council
Counties: Hancock, Marion - 180 Alliance, led by the West Central Indiana Alliance
Counties: Boone, Hendricks, Montgomery, Putnam, Johnson and Morgan - Accelerate Rural Indiana, led by the Decatur County Community Foundation
Counties: Decatur, Rush, Shelby
City: Batesville - East Central Indiana Regional Partnership, led by the East Central IN Regional Partnership
Counties: Blackford, Delaware, Fayette, Grant, Henry, Jay, Randolph, Wayne - Greater Lafayette Region, led by the Greater Lafayette Commerce Community and Economic Development Foundation
Counties: Benton, Carroll, Fountain, Tippecanoe, Warren, White - Indiana First Region, led by the Southwest Indiana Development Council
Counties: Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Harrison, Knox, Martin, Pike, Orange, Spencer, Perry - Indiana Uplands, led by the Regional Opportunity Initiatives Inc.
Counties: Brown, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Owen - North Central, led by the North Central Indiana Regional Planning Council
Counties: Cass, Clinton, Fulton, Howard, Miami, Tipton - Northeast, led by the Northeast Indiana RDA
Counties: Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, LaGrange, Kosciusko, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells, Whitley
- Northwest, led by the Northwest Indiana Forum
Counties: Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Jasper, Newton, Pulaski, Starke - Southern Indiana, led by the Our Southern Indiana Regional Development Authority
Counties: Clark, Floyd, Jefferson, Scott, Washington - South Bend/Elkhart, led by the Northern Indiana Regional Development Authority
Counties: Elkhart, Marshall, St. Joseph
- South Central Indiana Talent Region, led by the Southern Indiana Housing and Community Development Corporation
Counties: Bartholomew, Jackson, Jennings
Town: Edinburgh - Southeast, led by SEI READI Inc.
Counties: Dearborn, Ohio, Switzerland, Union, Franklin, Ripley (excludes city of Batesville) - Evansville Region, led by Southwest Indiana RDA (SWIRDA)
Counties: Gibson, Posey, Vanderburgh, Warrick
- West Central, led by the Wabash River RDA
Counties: Clay, Knox, Parke, Sullivan, Vermillion, Vigo - White River Regional Opportunity Initiative, led by the Central Indiana Regional Development Authority and Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization
Counties: Hamilton, Madison, Marion
READI builds on the framework and successes of the Indiana Regional Cities Initiative and the 21st Century Talent Initiative, encouraging regional collaboration and data-driven, long-term planning that, when implemented, will attract and retain talent in Indiana. The IEDC will work closely with the newly established READI review committee to follow the evaluation timelines and assess the submitted plans before making formal recommendations for funding to the IEDC board of directors in December. Members of the READI review committee include:
- Bill Hanna, Executive Director, Dean and Barbra White Family Foundation
- Isaac Bamgbose, President and CEO of New City Development
- Jason Dudich, Vice President for Finance and Administration, Treasurer, University of Indianapolis
- Jason Blume, Executive Director, Innovation One
- Kelli Jones, Co-Founder and General Partner, Sixty8 Capital
- Leah Curry, President, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana
- Lori Luther, Chief Operating Officer, IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital
More information on the READI review committee, as well as links to download the regions’ proposals, is available at IndianaREADI.com. A map of the identified regions can be found here.
