Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs Announces Downtown Enhancement Grant Application Availability

Indianapolis – The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) announces they are now accepting applications for the second round of Downtown Enhancement Grants (DEG) as part of the Indiana Main Street (IMS) program.

Through their designation as an IMS, a community gains access to grant opportunities, trainings and conferences, and high-quality technical assistance. OCRA has invested nearly $352 million into Hoosier communities via the Indiana Main Street program.

DEG offers any OCRA designated IMS community the opportunity to apply for project funding through a competitive application process. The goal of the program is to improve the quality of life, spur economic development and advance avenues for increasing private investment and employment in downtown areas.

“The Downtown Enhancement Grant provides the funding to enrich our Main Street communities by rewarding their efforts with the ability to move projects forward in a way that not only enhances the appearance of their community but has an impact on their quality of life,” said OCRA Executive Director Bill Konyha.

Through the DEG program, OCRA has funded more than 30 projects within defined IMS downtowns.  Those IMS projects were designed to support and promote community-based initiatives which further enhanced economic development in their downtown areas.

This grant program encourages the Main Street organization within each IMS community to create or maintain partnerships with other entities.  However, the Main Street group must be the lead applicant.

For more information about the Indiana Main Street Program and Downtown Enhancement Grants, contact your regionally based OCRA Community Liaison with questions or visit the IMS webpage.