Lt. Gov. Crouch, OCRA Announce 80 COVID-19 Response Grant Phase 3 Recipients

In April of 2020, OCRA began addressing COVID-19 impact on Indiana communities.

(Indianapolis, Ind.) - Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs today announced that an additional 80 Hoosier communities will receive more than $18.6 million in federal grant funding through OCRA's COVID-19 Response Grant Program.

“This grant program has already provided support to more than 600,000 Hoosiers across our state,” Crouch said. “This round we expanded the COVID-19 Response Grant Program so we can continue helping Hoosiers, their families and their businesses recover from the pandemic.”

Click here for audio from Lt. Gov. Crouch

In April of 2020, OCRA began addressing COVID-19 impact on Indiana communities. Last year, 112 grants were awarded to 96 communities, totaling more than $20.9 million.

"Based on additional research and community feedback, OCRA was able to open this round to municipalities of all sizes and expanded eligible activities," said Denny Spinner, Executive Director of OCRA. "With a focus on assisting small businesses, expanding food bank and pantry services, and providing essential mental health services, these grants will impact Hoosiers and communities that are on the road to recovery."

For this round, eligible applicants include non-entitlement and entitlement local units of government could apply for up to $250,000. Eligible activities include mental health services, childcare services, public WiFi locations, food pantry or bank services, subsidence payment programs, or grants or loans to businesses to retain low-to-moderate income (LMI) jobs.

Funding for the COVID-19 Response Phase 3 funding is derived from Indiana’s CARES Act allocation.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed by Congress and signed into law on March 27, 2020.

Locally the following areas were awarded:

• Jennings County is awarded $250,000 to provide grants up to $10,000 to eligible for-profit businesses to assist with job retention.
• The City of Madison is awarded $250,000 to continue the successful Small Business Assistance Grant program initiated in 2020 to provide businesses with grants between the amounts of $5,000 and $10,000.
• Ripley County is awarded $250,000 to provide $10,000 grants to assist any eligible business located with the county with less than 100 employees that have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses located on the Franklin County portion of Batesville are also eligible to apply.
• Scott County is awarded $250,000 to assist small businesses in Scott County that have been economically impacted by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The City of Scottsburg is awarded $250,000 to grant up to $10,000 to small businesses that have been most severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.