Funding hub assists Hoosier communities applying for federal climate and resilience grants

A year after passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and nearly two years after the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act became law, billions of dollars for climate and resilience projects are being awarded to communities, businesses, and nonprofits across the US. 

To help smaller Indiana communities compete for these funds, Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute and Center for Rural Engagement launched a joint program earlier this year called the Indiana Resilience Funding Hub. Made possible by the Rural Climate Partnership and the Energy Foundation, the hub provides free resources targeted at communities with fewer than 50,000 residents as they identify, prepare, and submit grant applications. 

“It doesn’t matter how much money is available if communities don’t have the resources or expertise to apply for grants,” said ERI Assistant Director for Strategy and Engagement Bill Brown, who leads the hub. “In our conversations with communities and entities across Indiana, it’s clear that smaller cities and rural towns are invested in the sustainability and resilience of their communities. Through the hub, we’ve been able to channel that energy into competitive grant proposals that may not have been submitted otherwise.” 

During an active summer, the hub team selected the first four partners to receive intensive support, with projects spanning community walkability, transportation safety, and public outreach related to watershed management. In addition, the hub provided information and assistance to dozens of other Hoosier entities, primarily nonprofits and local governments. 

Through the Indiana Resilience Funding Hub, the Town of Holland, a community of around 700 residents in the southwestern part of the state, applied for a planning grant to create a pedestrian corridor that promotes social connectedness, public safety, and environmental resilience. The project would boost the accessibility of community assets, such as the town’s park, elementary school, and medical center, while supporting alternative modes of transportation. 

Holland native and Cass Township board member Lee Bilderback, who contributed to the grant application process, said Holland typically relies on volunteers to write and submit grants. Partnering with the hub “made the process more feasible and less stressful,” he said. 

“The hub's representatives were patient and willing to guide us every step of the way.”

Critical to the hub’s early success has been a quartet of McKinney Climate Fellows, IU graduate and undergraduate students interested in sustainability career experiences, who provided technical support to partners in the form of grant summaries, data collection, letters of support, geospatial mapping, and more. 

As part of her fellowship, Homa Taheri, a PhD candidate in economics at IU Bloomington, created an introduction to the Biden administration’s Justice40 initiative to help hub partners better understand how equity and environmental justice can enhance their grant competitiveness. After consulting the report, the City of Richmond decided to pivot its initial proposal for LED streetlights from a park to a nearby disadvantaged neighborhood. 

“That kind of insight is what made our collaboration with the hub team so valuable and hopefully raises our application to the level where we can make progress on some of the city’s sustainability goals,” said Grayson Hart, the City of Richmond’s geographic information system coordinator.” 

Other communities supported by the Indiana Resilience Funding Hub in its first six months include Rushville, Zionsville, New Albany, West Lafayette, and Columbus. In addition to supporting smaller communities, the hub is also looking to engage up to a dozen larger communities in resource-sharing, planning, and discussion. 

“The federal investment being made right now is a critical opportunity for Hoosier communities to imagine what a thriving, resilient future looks like,” Brown said. “We want to ensure that rural communities have the capacity to pursue the funding they need.”

About the Environmental Resilience Institute 

Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute brings together a broad coalition of government, business, nonprofit, and community leaders to help Indiana and the Midwest better prepare for the challenges of environmental change. By integrating research, education, and community, ERI is working to create a more sustainable, equitable, and prosperous future. Learn more at eri.iu.edu.