MUNCIE − Trevor Friedeberg, president and CEO of the East Central Indiana Regional Partnership, was focused between Christmas and New Year's Day as he doggedly works toward a Feb. 23 application deadline.
On that day, he will have carried the sizable hopes, dreams and many would say needs of East Central Indiana to Indianapolis, in what could be the right combination to unlock as much as $75 million in state READI 2.0 funds
READI stands for Regional Economic Acceleration and Development program by which a half-billion dollars will be spread across 17 regions in Indiana. The Indiana Economic Development Corp. is expected to announce the winners in April.
Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour told the Muncie Redevelopment Commission in December that $75 million is the limit on prizes for each READI region."I would expect $30, $40 or $50 million," he said.
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The mayor anticipates that the nine-county area that makes up East Central Indiana's district should be able to do better than last time. In December 2021 the Partnership garnered $15 million in READI Grant funding while other districts around the state won $50 million or $30 million amounts. Smaller regions also received $15 million and a single-county entrant was awarded $5 million.
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