South Bend – Elkhart Regional Development Authority will be accepting applications through March 12, 2021.
SOUTH BEND – ELKHART, Ind. (Feb. 23, 2021) – The South Bend – Elkhart Regional Development Authority (RDA) is now accepting quality of place project applications for the final $862,000 of Regional Cities Initiative (RCI) grant funding available for Elkhart, Marshall, and St. Joseph counties.
Projects interested in being considered for this new round of regional cities funding should complete the application via this online form by March 12, 2021. These quality of place focused projects should address one of the following major areas: Arts, Culture, and Trails or Athletics and Wellness.
“I have a strong bias that our arts/culture/trails and our athletics/wellness projects have been the most impactful in our community, said Kristin Pruitt, Secretary-Treasurer for the Regional Development Authority and EVP, Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel for Lake City Bank. “Those are the projects that would have experienced more difficulty in securing other economic development funding. As I reflect on the original purpose behind Regional Cities, I believe these projects are the sweet spot.”
The RDA will accept applications for new projects or projects that were allocated RCI funds during the Round Two allocation process in 2017 (See Round Two Project List). Projects that were allocated RCI funds during the Round One allocation process in 2016 (See Round One Project List) are not eligible to apply for additional funds.
In 2016, the (RDA allocated Regional Cities funding to a portfolio of projects as part of the region’s Smart Connected Communities Plan. The Smart Connected Communities Plan was awarded $42 million in state grant funding to support brick and mortar quality of life enhancement projects within Elkhart, Marshall, and St. Joseph counties. Totaling nearly $400 million in quality of place investments, 18 of the projects are complete, six are currently under construction, and two are on hold.
The RDA will review applications and identify the project(s) most aligned with the program goals between March 15 – 26, 2021 and will then submit the approved projects to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) for evaluation.
For more information and to view the project application, click here.
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About Regional Cities Initiative in North Central Indiana
Regional Cities projects are recommended for funding by the South Bend – Elkhart Regional Development Authority (RDA) and will advance the region’s Smart Connected Communities Plan, which was selected to receive $42 million of state grant funding that is currently being deployed in 26 regional development projects in three counties totaling over $400 million in quality of place investments.
North Central Indiana (South Bend – Elkhart Region) was one of three Indiana regions selected to receive state funding through the Indiana Regional Cities Initiative, which allocated a total of $126 million toward 100 quality of place projects totaling more than $2 billion in combined state, local and private investment in order to retain and attract top talent to the Hoosier state.
About South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership
The South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership is a collaboration of the economic development partners from 47 smart connected communities in northern Indiana and southwest Michigan. The Regional Partnership focuses on a long-term systemic approach to advance the region’s economy by aligning the efforts of various stakeholders around five key areas: Educating a world-class WORKFORCE, Recruiting and retaining great TALENT, Attracting and growing new economy companies in complement to our remarkably strong manufacturing INDUSTRIES, Promoting INCLUSION and sparking opportunities for minorities and Helping ENTREPRENEURS thrive. The Regional Partnership seeks to unify and collaborate so that together, the communities across the region to work together to achieve what cannot be done individually. For more information about the Regional Partnership, visit SouthBendElkhart.org.
Media Contact
Regina Emberton
South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership
remberton@southbendelkhart.org
574.344.4686
