BEDFORD — In early 2023, Radius Indiana introduced the Spark Downtown Facade Program. Radius secured funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for businesses in participating Spark Downtown communities to help them make improvements to almost any facade project that is visible from the road.
The organization realized during the last year that its communities often lack the necessary funding to take on projects to help revitalize their downtown areas. Building owners in participating Spark Downtown communities are eligible to apply for 1% interest loans and must receive committee approval and be able to secure 50 percent matching funds.
Participating cities include the Town of Orleans, the Town of Odon, the City of Washington, the City of Salem, the City of Loogootee, the City of Bedford, and the City of Jasper.
Building owners in participating Spark Downtown communities are eligible to apply and must receive committee approval and be able to secure the loan.
“With the participation in ReCast we knew we wanted to continue to offer a resource for our region to help strengthen downtowns. Spark Downtown builds on the success of ReCast, but is allowing us to customize our curriculum for our region,” said Blaine Parker, director of entrepreneurship and small business support for Radius Indiana. “We know that to attract new residents to our region and to keep our existing residents, we must make sure that our cities and towns have a high quality of life.”
The organization realized during the last year that its communities often lack the necessary funding to take on projects they would like to complete to help revitalize blighted areas of their downtowns.
To learn more about the Spark Downtown Facade Loan or apply, please contact the Radius Indiana office at 812-277-9778.
