INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) announced Thursday that $1.05 million in grant awards to accelerate entrepreneurial activity and resources statewide through its new Community Collaboration Fund (CCF). 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.
“Indiana already ranks number two in the nation for starting a business, and these unique and collaborative projects are set to propel our entrepreneurial ecosystem to even greater heights,” said Secretary of Commerce David Rosenberg.
CCF, launched in October 2023, is designed to foster Indiana’s strong entrepreneurial ecosystem. Under the leadership of Governor Eric J. Holcomb, Indiana ranks No. 2 in the U.S. for starting a business by Forbes, boasts one of the most active VC markets in the world, and has been recognized as a top-15 emerging North American destination for entrepreneurship by Startup Genome.
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. 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 funded projects will initiate several programming and resources for entrepreneurs and small businesses, including pitch competitions, one-on-one mentorship, accelerators, and student-focused entrepreneurial education.
In southcentral Indiana, grants were awarded to:
- Launch Johnson County | Greater Franklin Chamber of Commerce ($35,000 award) will reach out to the smallest towns in Johnson County to expand access to resources for entrepreneurs in the southern part of the county. The goal is to unify the sporadic entrepreneur-focused initiatives in the county and support both emerging and existing entrepreneurs with one-on-one mentorship and workshops.
- Catalyzing Community and Connection | Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce ($11,850 award) will serve the growing ecosystem of entrepreneurs in Bartholomew County to prevent founders from becoming siloed by the type of venture they are building. This program will feature a fall 2024 founder meet-up series, a spring 2025 founder meet-up series, and a culminating awards showcase for 13 meetups in total.
- SPARK Jackson County – FUEL | Jackson County Chamber ($40,000 award) will run a series of micro projects in the Jackson County Community to expand the SPARK program initially funded by the CCF pilot. These projects include a corporate-entrepreneur pitch competition, a middle school entrepreneurship program, and an expansion of the TIME program into the Jackson County Community in partnership with the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce.
