EVANSVILLE, IN (May 13, 2020) – Southwest Indiana communities received $950,000 in competitive grant funding through the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs to help local small businesses with 25 employees or less to continue operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. This grant funding is designed for businesses in high-risk categories including food and beverage, personal care, professional services, and retail sectors. Other businesses may apply if they believe they meet the criteria of employing 51% or more low-to-moderate income (LMI) persons.
Grant funds can be used for working capital, continued operation expenses, or to support remote work expenses. The funds must be expended within a three-month period. Businesses can receive a grant up to $10,000 with no local match. The Southwest Indiana communities that received funding are:
         The City of Oakland City was awarded $100,000
         The Town of Poseyville was awarded $150,000
            The city of Princeton was awarded $250,000
         The Town of Newburgh was awarded $200,000
Warrick County was awarded $250,000 (Businesses located within Newburgh Corporate boundaries should apply for the Newburgh grant)
The funding is administered by each individual community along with the Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana. Businesses interested are encouraged to review all program guidelines as the grant is broken into a two-step process. The first step is to complete the appropriate online application based on the physical location of the business. Grant applications will open on Friday,
May 15th at 12:00 pm CDT and will close on Friday, May 22nd at 4:00 pm CDT. Only online applications will be accepted.
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About the Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana
The Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana acts as the marketing arm as well as the regional economic development and community development organization for Gibson, Posey, Vanderburgh, and Warrick Counties in Southwest Indiana. The Coalition works with its local county economic development organization partners to facilitate the attraction and business retention activities along with supporting efforts to enhance the business climate through regional capacity building. Since its formation in 2006, the Coalition has helped secure more than $3 billion in new investments and 3,568 new jobs.
