GREENSBURG/SHELBYVILLE, Ind. – The Accelerate Rural Indiana Regional Development Authority (ARI RDA) is the first region in Indiana to have spent 65% of its total READI 1.0 funding allocation. The ARI region, also known as the I-74 Southeast Corridor Region, is now approved to access READI 2.0 funding, enabling it to start moving forward with even more quality of place, quality of life, and quality of opportunity projects for residents.
In 2021, Governor Eric J. Holcomb launched the Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI), allocating $500 million to 17 regions representing all of Indiana’s 92 counties. The ARI region, composed of Rush, Shelby, Decatur counties, and the city of Batesville, was awarded $20 million in READI funds, the highest per-capita READI award in the State of Indiana.
Due to the demand for continued quality of place investments, READI 2.0, part of the governor’s 2023 Next Level Agenda, allocated another $500 million to expand the initiative. Following a similar application process, the ARI region was awarded $30 million, a $10 million increase from READI 1.0 and once again the highest per-capita award.
On Monday, the ARI announced its first READI 2.0 project, allocating $1 million to the Shelby County Non-Profit Center. The I-74 region is collaborating with the state to get additional READI 2.0 projects approved and the money flowing to the projects.
Before the creation of the RDA board in February 2023, the Decatur County Community Foundation served as the authorizing agent for funding allocations and aided in bringing many of these projects to fruition. Bryan Robbins, the Accelerate Rural Indiana RDA Chair, notes that “without the hard work of the Decatur County Community Foundation and the ARI RDA board, we would have never been able to get these projects funded as quickly as we did.”
