West central region gets $400K for economic recovery plan
WEST CENTRAL INDIANA (Inside INdiana Business) – The West Central Indiana Economic Development District (WCIEDD) has been awarded a $400,000 CARES Act Recovery Assistance Grant. The organization says funds will be used to help local business sectors recover from the effects of the pandemic while supporting the needs of the region’s workforce.
The WCIEDD says it will use the grant to develop short- and long-term economic recovery and resilience plans for the region, assist key stakeholder groups with additional funding opportunities and develop new and existing staff to better assist community members with pandemic response activities.
“We are thrilled to have been awarded this opportunity to help our communities through these challenging times,” states Ryan Keller, executive director of the WCIEDD. “This work will provide a collaborative, comprehensive approach to overcoming the devastating effects of COVID-19 on our communities and allow our region the opportunity to increase resiliency against future pandemics or disasters.”
The WCIEDD will host more than a dozen community events for engagement with stakeholders across the public, private and nonprofit sectors. The input gathered from these events will serve as the basis for its regional recovery and resilience strategies for the counties it serves, which include Clay, Parke, Putnam, Sullivan, Vermillion and Vigo counties.
The funding is part of $3.6 million in CARES Act grants awarded to nine U.S. Economic Development Administration organizations across Indiana.