There are a variety of public agencies that
may potentially have a role in the administrative approval and/or
funding of a gateway project. While no specific program to fund gateways
exists, many of the design elements and features of a gateway could
potentially be funded with existing Federal, State, and local programs.
However, it must be emphasized that such sources are intended to provide
assistance, and private leverage will be key. Below is a brief
description and information for further reference.
|
| Arts Council of
Indianapolis |
| In 2001, the Arts Council of Indianapolis, in partnership with the
Indianapolis Convention & Visitor’s Association, Indianapolis Downtown
Inc., and the Mayor’s Office, announced a five-year, $10 million
Cultural Development Initiative. Public Art Indianapolis is one program
of the Initiative managed by the Arts Council. This program provides
information and resources regarding best practices in selecting and
commissioning artists as well as guidance in the development,
fabrication, and installation of public art projects. The Arts Council’s
Public Art Coordinator can assist in the incorporation of art and
artists into a Gateway project.
In addition, 2005 marked the launch of the Visual Art Database. This
resource is both a physical library located in the Arts Council’s office
as well as an on-line database that houses information about and images
of work by visual artists in Marion and the seven surrounding counties.
For more information, contact the Arts Council at 317-631-3301 or visit
www.indyarts.org. For more
information on the Cultural Development Initiative visit
www.culturalindy.com.
|
| Brownfields Grant Program |
- Grant, based on matching funds (50/50), is to be used for the
assessment and/or remediation of a brownfield or contaminated site.
Maximum award is $20,000.
- Eligible entities include non-profit organizations. For-profit
businesses may apply in conjunction with a neighborhood non-profit
organization to obtain the grant. Possible multiple rounds of
applications may occur. Contact Brownfields Coordinator or visit
website for additional application dates.
- Loans are also available both to for-profit and non-profit
entities. No match is required (similar to above process).
- Information online at:
http://www.indygov.org/dmdplan/brownfields/
• Brownfields Toolbox available online at:
http://www6.indygov.org/dmdplan/brownfields/toolbox.html
- Contact: Brownfields Coordinator, (317) 327-5845 or call Local
Initiatives Support Corporation at (317) 396-0588 to inquire about
LISC’s brownfields program.
|
| Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) |
| CICF utilizes charitable giving to make central Indiana a better place
to live now and in the future. CICF provides grants from a variety of
funds to other effective non-profits. CICF also provides leadership on community issues such as cultural
development, building strong families and neighborhoods, and youth
development. More information about CICF is available online at:
http://www.cicf.org/
|
| Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) |
- CDBG funds are used to supply decent housing, secure a suitable
living environment, and to expand economic opportunities for
individuals earning 80% or less of the area median family income.
- Applications are available in June, and decisions are announced
in mid-October of the same year. Projects may begin the following
January.
- Information is online at:
http://www.indygov.org/cdfs . Contact the Department of
Metropolitan Development, Division of Community Development and
Financial Services, (317) 327-5899.
|
| Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) |
The Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program is a
federally funded program focused on transportation improvements designed
to improve air quality and mitigate congestion. The CMAQ Program was
created in 1997 as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation
Efficiency Act (ISTEA). Continuation of the program with increased
funding was authorized by the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st
Century (TEA-21), signed into law in June 1998. Congress is currently
considering reauthorization of the CMAQ Program as part of the larger
Transportation Bill. For more information, contact MPO staff at
327-5155. Additional information is available online at:
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/cmaq99gd.pdf.
|
| Cultural Funding |
A National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) online resource of Federal
funding available for arts initiatives through national, state and local
funding programs is available online at:
http://www.nea.gov/federal.html.
|
| Facade Improvement Grant Program |
- Business owners may apply for a rebate of up to 50% of the total
cost (rebate not to exceed $10,000) for construction and other work
done to improve the façade (front of building/area facing street) of
the business. Design assistance may be requested at the time of
application.
- The application is a simple one-page document that may be
requested from the contact below. Required attachments to the
application are: 1) Photo of current condition, 2) Itemized estimate
of cost, 3) Proof of financial ability, 4) List of all property
owners’ names.
- Additional information is available online at
http://www.indygov.org/eGov/City/DMD/Community/Grants/facade.htm
or contact: Facades Coordinator, Department of Metropolitan
Development, (317) 327-5852.
|
| Foundation Center |
Lists information about funders, allows users to search for grants and
funding opportunities, and provides guidance and training for
grant-seekers. More information is available online at:
http://fdncenter.org/funders/
|
| Fundsnet Online Services |
This is a comprehensive website dedicated to providing nonprofit
organizations, colleges, and universities with information on financial
resources available on the Internet. Includes an extensive list of arts
funders. The website is located at:
http://www.fundsnetservices.com/
|
| Historic Preservation (Brick Roads/Building Restoration), Natural
Environment |
The Efroymson Fund is a donor-advised fund of Central Indiana Community
Foundation (CICF). The fund continues a long legacy of charitable
commitment by the Efroymson family in central Indiana. For more
information see the fund’s website at:
http://www.cicf.org/NFPResources/PDF/EfroymsonFund.pdf.
|
| Indiana Arts Commission |
The Indiana Arts Commission (IAC), an agency of state government, is a
public catalyst, partner, and investor in the arts, and serves the
citizens of Indiana by funding, encouraging, promoting and expanding the
arts. For more information, see their website at:
http://www.in.gov/arts.
|
| Indiana Economic Development Council—Economic Development Program
Profiles |
This is a directory of state-funded programs for economic development.
Some of these programs may be suitable for certain types of gateway
projects. Information is also online at:
http://www.iedc.in.gov/Grants/index.asp
|
| Indianapolis Parks Foundation |
The Indianapolis Parks Foundation is a non-profit, privately-funded
organization with the mission to enhance the recreational, educational,
and cultural life of the Indianapolis community by encouraging and
soliciting support for parks and greenspace in Marion County. More
information is available at:
http://www.indyparksfoundation.org.
|
| Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (KIB) |
KIB provides financial resources, manpower through volunteer
recruitment, and expertise in planning and executing projects outside
Downtown. KIB partners with neighborhoods, schools, businesses,
non-profits, and the City of Indianapolis to join together on community
improvement projects. Private contributions enable KIB to secure
discounted project supplies like tools, equipment, paint, trash bags,
trees, flowers, etc. that are essential to community improvement
projects. Many low-income neighborhoods lack resources for improvement
projects and therefore seek assistance from KIB. Keep Indianapolis
Beautiful’s major initiatives meet community needs for neighborhood
improvements and beautification. See more about Keep Indianapolis
Beautiful at: http://www.kibi.org/.
|
| National Endowment for the Arts Applications and Grants Forms |
A listing of guidelines and applications for NEA grants programs are
available online at:
http://www.nea.gov/grants/index.html. The website includes a
listing of upcoming deadlines.
|
| Neighborhood Action Grant |
- Marion County community-based organizations may apply for a
grant between $500-5,000 to go towards the improvement of the
neighborhood. Project categories are: cultural, security,
beautification, recreation, and family and youth issues.
- Applications are typically due 1/15, 3/15, 6/15, and 9/15 of
each year, with awards announced approximately two months after each
deadline. Only one proposal/organization/quarter is accepted.
- Information online at:
http://www.thegipc.org/CEF.htm.
- Contact: the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee,
317-327-3744.
|
| Neighborhood Assistance Program |
Provides tax credits for non-profit organizations that assist residents
in their low- to moderate-income community. The tax credit is equal to
50% of the investment made by the organization. Eligible projects
include housing, counseling, and downtown and commercial rehabilitation.
Eligible costs include administrative salaries or construction.
Information is also online at:
http://indianacommerce.com/Grants/uploads/NeigborhoodAssistanceProgram.pdf
|
| Other Private Funding |
Opportunities for private funding may be available in the form of public
and private organizations, businesses, and so forth that are located in
proximity to a potential gateway project. It may be that a potential
gateway project in their area would directly benefit them. Some of these
entities may be interested in providing input regarding the concept and
scale of the gateway as well financial support.
|
| Rotary International - Indianapolis Chapter |
Rotary International will celebrate its centennial year in 2005. All
Rotary clubs in all countries have been asked to do projects of lasting
significance and scale for their communities and citizens to commemorate
the centennial milestone. The Indianapolis chapter was founded in 1913,
and with a current membership of more than 500, is one of the largest
and oldest clubs within Rotary International. Quality of life,
education, health, environment, culture, arts, tourism and
beautification have been priorities in Indianapolis Rotary Club downtown
for many years. The Indianapolis chapter has a desire to work with
interested organizations in the development of one or more gateway
projects. For further information, please contact the Rotary’s
Environment and Beautification Committee. The Rotary website is located
at www.indyrotary.org.
|
| Scenic Or Historic Highway Programs (Including The Provision Of
Tourist And Welcome Centers) |
Scenic or historic highway programs are eligible Transportation
Enhancement Activities. For more information see:
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/te/guidance.htm#scenic.
|
| Surface Transportation Program (STP Grant) |
Under the last Transportation Bill (TEA-21), the Indianapolis Urbanized
Area received roughly $19 million dollars for each year of the Bill for
use in programming surface transportation related projects. TEA-21 has
expired and Congress is currently in the process of developing a new
Transportation Bill, under which the Indianapolis Urbanized Area expects
to receive approximately $22.5 million for programming each year. This
is contingent on the final version of the Transportation Bill, so funds
available may differ. Any LPA that is a member of the Indianapolis
Regional Transportation Council (IRTC) may submit applications for STP
funding for traditional road projects as well as multi-modal projects.
The MPO, along with the IRTC, plays an active role in project selection,
approval, and programming of projects; responsibilities for
administration and disbursement of funds are under the purview of INDOT.
For more information, contact MPO staff at 327-5155.
|
| The Indianapolis Foundation |
See online information about the Community Endowment Fund at:
http://www.cicf.org/NFPResources/PDF/IndplsFdn.pdf.
|
| Transportation Enhancement (TE) |
| This program, administered by the Indiana Department of Transportation,
(website:
http://www.in.gov/dot/modetrans/tea/index.html) is funded through a
percentage set-aside of transportation dollars. The program gives local
government agencies, often in cooperation with neighborhood
organizations, funds to support the cultural, aesthetic, and
environmental aspects of intermodal transportation projects including
but not limited to safe bicycle and pedestrian trails/facilities,
landscaping and scenic enhancements, historic building restoration, and
transportation museums. Twelve categories exist within this statewide
competitive funding process. Applications for the next year are
generally available on the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)
website,
http://www.indygov.org/indympo, around November 1st and are
due to the pertinent local government agency to be signed and, if
needed, prioritized, prior to receipt by the MPO in mid-December. This
allows time for review and coordination. The Indianapolis MPO is not involved in the decision-making process
of granting these funds. Rather, the MPO reviews all applications
submitted from within the Metropolitan Planning Area, and offers advice
to the applicants. In January, applications from across the State of
Indiana are forwarded to the Indiana Department of Transportation, where
they are reviewed and prioritized. INDOT reviewers present their funding
recommendations to the Indiana Governor’s Office; with the announcements
of the winning projects usually being made the following Fall. Each
jurisdiction is limited to $1 million in funding should an application
be awarded, and must provide a 20% local match. It is essential for the
agency or organization submitting the application to coordinate with the
Local Public Agency (Department of Public Works or Department of Parks
and Recreation) prior to initiating an application to assure that
everything is in place should the application be successful.
Applications from within Marion County are prioritized by the Mayor of
Indianapolis, as must be done by any jurisdiction that submits more than
one TE application. For more information, contact MPO staff at 327-5155. |
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| Supplemental Resources and Information The online resource library at:
http://imaps.indygov.org/ed/ contains in-depth information
resources and manuals (mostly downloadable online) for community
development practitioners and those interested in urban economic
development. You will find considerably more information on the website,
such as:
- Sample Joint Ventures documents between For-Profit and
Non-profit Organizations
- Market Studies and Neighborhood Plans
- Neighborhood and Township Descriptions
- Pertinent maps:
- Community Development Districts and Organizations
- Enterprise and Empowerment Zones
- Historic Districts
- Pertinent City Documents:
- Land Use Plans and the City code
- Needs Assessments
- Transportation Plans
- Marion County Comprehensive Plan and other plans
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| |
| Other Resources Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI) Solution
Center - Established with a $1.7 million grant from the Lilly Endowment,
the IUPUI Solution Center serves as a coordinating unit with broad
institutional responsibilities for collaborating with industry and
economic development leaders on behalf of all schools. It will provide a
single point of access for business and community organizations to
overcome the size and complexity of IUPUI - especially for small or
entrepreneurial enterprises. In addition to serving as a broker between
the community and the campus, the Solution Center will also use funds
from the Lilly Endowment as “venture capital” to invest (as matching
money) in worthy projects that may not have sufficient money. The
Solution Center is designed to develop talent, encourage degree
completion of IUPUI students, retain graduates in Indiana and apply the
expertise, skills and knowledge of faculty, staff and students to
economic development opportunities. For more information, see the IUPUI
Solution Center website at
http://solutioncenter.iupui.edu.
Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis is a wholesale bank with over
$40 billion in assets that provides capital and grants for community
revitalization projects. The members of FHLBI are typically financial
institutions and banks that have community development financing
departments and/or include the lending institutions more familiar with
financing urban projects. See
http://www.fhlbi.com for more information and for a list of the
members.
See the website of Local Initiatives Support Corporation:
http://www.liscnet.org/indianapolis for a list of other state and
national resources.
Toolbox Guide to Development Funds - A list of grants, loans, and other
types of funding available to communities and businesses in Indiana (not
specific to Marion County); descriptions of programs and detailed
contact information. Created through Ball State’s Center for Economic
and Community Development. Guide is available online at:
http://web.bsu.edu/ieda/current_issue.asp.
Imagining America: Artists and Scholars in Public Life is a national
consortium of colleges, universities, and cultural institutions
dedicated to supporting the civic work of university artists, humanists,
and designers based at the University of Michigan. Their website,
http://www.ia.umich.edu, provides
useful tools for gateway projects.
Under a relatively new federal program called the New Markets Tax
Credit, which provides low cost financing to certain eligible projects.
This national program provides investors, banks, insurance companies,
corporations and individuals with credits against federal income tax in
return for new investments in eligible businesses. It is a flexible tool
that can be applied to a wide range of qualified business activities,
from small business lending to financial counseling to real estate
development. Applications for financing through the New Markets Tax
Credit program can be found online or by contacting Local Initiatives
Support Corporation.
Indiana Association for Community Economic Development-
http://www.iaced.org/. |
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