(Indianapolis, IN) – The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) has announced $1.05 million in grant awards to accelerate entrepreneurial activity and resources statewide through its new Community Collaboration Fund (CCF).
The agency says this investment will help power 32 community-led projects focused on entrepreneurial education, connection and acceleration across Indiana, with a particular focus on underrepresented founders and underserved markets.
The program provides matching grants to support new community collaborations, services and programming that will benefit Indiana’s entrepreneurial ecosystem with a focus on education, connection and acceleration. After an initial pilot of the program, the IEDC received more than 80 applications for its 2024 CCF grants. From the submissions, 32 projects were chosen based on their ability to fill gaps across the entrepreneurial ecosystem, support non-traditional markets and collaborate across boundaries.
The projects being funded will initiate a wide variety of programming and resources for entrepreneurs and small businesses, including pitch competitions, one-on-one mentorship, accelerators and student-focused entrepreneurial education.
Area entities receiving grants are:
Brookville Entrepreneurship Incubator (BEI) | Town of Brookville ($40,000 award)
The Town of Brookville will host a three-part incubator to support new business starts in the community. Entrepreneurs will begin by participating in an eight-week program with Indiana SBDC then pitch in a Shark Tank style competition with new businesses competing for subsidized office space in Brookville’s downtown.
Emerge: Young Innovators Summit | Ripley County Community Foundation ($38,000 award)
The Ripley County Community Foundation, along with 13 other community partners, will host Emerge – a one-day intensive entrepreneurship summit for high school students in a five-county area in Southeastern Indiana. By the end of the summit, students will have created a business model canvas, engaged with inspiring entrepreneurs from their community, and connected with business support resources such the Indiana Small Business Development Center and The STARTedUP Foundation.
