ELKHART, Ind. (Dec. 16, 2022) — The South Bend – Elkhart Regional Development Authority (RDA) awarded $6.4 million in Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) grant funds to 11 programmatic projects during its meeting at the ETHOS Innovation Center in Elkhart. The $6.4 million was in addition to $40 million in READI funds awarded in September to Quality of Place projects. With the awarding of the programming funds, the South Bend – Elkhart region has allocated all of its READI dollars.
“It was an honor to select the recipients of the READI grant funds,” said Dallas Bergl, RDA Vice Chair and President and CEO of INOVA Federal Credit Union. “The quality of READI grant projects and programs stemming from our region was phenomenal. These programs will leave an indelible mark on the lives and livelihoods of participants throughout the region. We look forward to watching the impact of these funds unfold.”
The program awards fell into four major areas: Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Talent Attraction, and Talent Development. The programs selected for funding fall in line with the “Smart Connected Communities 2030 Plan,” which serves as an outline for the strategies of the South Bend – Elkhart region. The plan was designed to increase talent attraction and retention, improve overall quality of place and quality of life, and amplify the impact of the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and innovation economy.
The projects receiving READI funding in each category are:
Talent Development – $3,176,370
- enFocus Fellowship Expansion
- Engineering Your Future
- Experiential Learning Coordinator, Saint Joseph – District 7 Career Hub
- Next Path Training
- Regional Higher Education Talent Pipeline and Partnership Consortium
- South Bend – Elkhart Regional Internship Program (Intern SBE)
Innovation – $1,380,000
- South Bend – Elkhart READI Manufacturing Readiness Accelerator
Entrepreneurship – $1,161,065
- Digital Storefront Project
- enFocus Entrepreneurship Expansion Support
- Talent for Tomorrow
Talent Attraction – $700,000
- WE+YOU Talent Attraction and Retention Campaign
“The fact that the largest pool of READI programming funds was awarded to talent development programs does not go unnoticed,” said Taryn MacFarlane, Vice President, Regional Initiatives at the South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership. “Our region is using these funds to support and build homegrown talent. We know the work ethic and grit of those living and working in our region. These funds will help expand skills and prepare residents for future opportunities.”
The RDA worked with the South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership on the project submission and award process. For the program award process, the Regional Partnership – working through its established committee structure – used a letter of inquiry process and collaborative meetings to support development of proposals by organizations.
During its September meeting, the RDA set aside $7 million for program funding, with the expectation that after program awards, a portion of those funds could potentially be used for Quality of Place projects. The RDA chose to allocate the remaining $582,565 to Momentum SBE Entrepreneurship Hub in St. Joseph County, which was previously awarded $550,000. This brings the total for Momentum to $1,132,565.
Launched by Gov. Holcomb and led by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), READI encourages regional collaboration and data-driven, long-term planning that will attract and retain talent in Indiana. The $500 million READI fund was passed by legislation during the 2021 session. Through READI, 17 regions across the state, that represent all 92 counties, are moving forward with projects and programs designed to enhance Indiana’s regions for current and future generations of Hoosiers. Collectively, the state’s $500 million investment is expected to yield an additional $9.86 billion public, private and nonprofit dollars invested (19.72:1 investment leverage ratio) in enhancing Indiana’s quality of life, quality of place and quality of opportunity. The IEDC awarded the maximum grant amount of $50 million each to five of the regions, including the South Bend – Elkhart region. Awards for the other regions ranged from $5 to $30 million.
For more information about the South Bend – Elkhart region’s READI grant, click here.
To learn more about the READI grant program, click here.
###
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 South Bend – Elkhart 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 South Bend – Elkhart 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.
About the South Bend – Elkhart Regional Development Authority (RDA)
The South Bend – Elkhart Regional Development Authority (RDA) was formed in 2015 to focus on the long-term prosperity of the region and raising per capita income of residents in Elkhart, Marshall, and St. Joseph counties. The RDA was instrumental in administering a $42 million Regional Cities Initiative grant to spur investment in quality-of-life projects across the region and played a catalytic role in developing the Regional Economic Development Strategy (REDS Plan) aligning the region’s economic development efforts.
Media Contact
Sarah Niespodziany
South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership
sniespodziany@southbendelkhart.org