Lt. Gov. Crouch, OCRA Announce Grant Opportunity for Indiana Main Street Communities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Feb. 20, 2023

Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs today announced the Taking Care of Main Street grant program is now open for applications. This Indiana Main Street grant program will award a total of $150,000 in grants to eligible Main Street communities. “The Indiana Main Street program has such a positive impact on communities across our state,” said Lt. Gov. Crouch, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “These additional grants will help maintain this success and fuel even greater economic development for our Main Street communities.” The Taking Care of Main Street program aims to support Indiana Main Street organizations as they transition to the new accreditation standards, implemented by Main Street America. By providing this one-time financial assistance, Main Street organizations will be able to provide direct assistance to the economic development growth in their community, including business retention and recruitment, organizational growth, transformation strategy implementation, and more. “Our Indiana Accredited and Nationally Accredited Main Streets have some of the strongest downtown business districts in the state,” said OCRA Executive Director Denny Spinner. “This program will help communities to increase capacity and ensure the continued success of their main street and downtown districts.” Through a competitive process, 37 programs will be eligible to apply for funds ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 with a 50/50 match requirement. Indiana Main Street, administered through OCRA, works with Indiana communities to build relevant and economically thriving places where people want to live, work and grow. OCRA works with local, state, and national partners, including Main Street America, to provide resources and technical assistance to aid communities in shaping and achieving their vision for the community and economic development. Eligible expenses could include salaries, administrative or consultant fees, space and equipment rental, or staff development and training. For more program information, visit in.gov/ocra/mainstreet/taking-care-of-main-street.

Under the leadership of Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch, who also serves as the Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs’ (OCRA) mission is to work with local, state, and national partners to provide resources and technical assistance to assist communities in shaping and achieving their vision for community and economic development.

For more information, visit ocra.in.gov.
Media Contact: Lydia Kirschner
Office of Community and Rural Affairs
lkirschner@ocra.in.gov
(317) 727-7682
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