The Office of Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) announced that a new round of the Rural Empowerment and Development program (RED) has been made available. The program is a capacity-building and planning initiative created in partnership with Ball State University’s Indiana Communities Institute.
RED is designed to enhance community engagement and assist in the implementation of actionable projects. Each participating local team will undergo a four- to six-month program tailored to each community’s specific needs.
RED begins with an intensive multi-day learning experience and continues over several months with coaching from the Indiana Communities Institute. Throughout the process, the community develops and refines a vision and community engagement plan. The team will work with the Indiana Communities Institute to analyze data about its community, review existing plans, and take steps to identify issues, opportunities, and solutions.
Each applicant should be made up of a local team of community members and leaders. These local teams should be led by either a county-wide nonprofit or a county government.
Additionally, local teams should include two or more incorporated local units of government within the county boundary. Any municipality included must have a population under 50,000 to participate, and applicants must not already be involved in the Stellar Pathways or PreservINg Main Street programs.
Two local teams will be selected to participate in this round of RED, with staggered start dates in 2025.
Applications are now open and will close on Wednesday, July 2nd, at 12 PM ET.
For more information on RED, the program timeline, and the application process, visit in.gov/ocra/red.
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