Nineteen community and regional leaders were accepted into the new Indiana Uplands Grant Writing Fellowship

BLOOMINGTON – Regional Opportunity Initiatives (ROI) has announced that its new Grant Writing Fellowship program is launching in July with 19 community and regional leaders selected from a competitive application process.

“It was clear from the quality of applications we received that people in the Indiana Uplands are eager for this type of fellowship program,” said Lisa Abbott, ROI Vice President of Economic and Community Development. “We are thrilled to welcome this talented group and look forward to the different perspectives they will bring as we work collectively to enhance grant writing skills and positively impact lives in the Indiana Uplands.”

In the 10-month program, participants will learn to effectively develop compelling grant applications by gathering data, developing budgets, and finding funding opportunities. In addition, fellows will receive professional development on a variety of related topics and form a network of fellow grant writers. Upon completing the program, fellows will each receive $1,000 stipends, plus up to $1,000 in matching dollars for successful grant applications fellows submit and win using their new skills.

ROI Grant Writing Fellows, 2021-2022
First NameLast NameOrganizationPositionCounties
JesseBelcherCrawford County Economic Development CorporationProject SpecialistCrawford
TimberBrowningBoys & Girls Club of Lawrence CountyResource Development & Marketing DirectorLawrence
EmilyCookGreene County FoundationCommunity Relations CoordinatorGreene
MicheleEvansOwen County Chamber of Commerce and Economic DevelopmentGrant WriterOwen
KathyGoadLinton-Stockton School CorporationSuperintendentGreene
CherylHamiltonLinton-Stockton Chamber of CommerceExecutive DirectorGreene
JenniferJonesLawrence County Economic Growth CouncilMarketing ManagerLawrence
AprylKiddCOSMOSDirector of InitiativesLawrence
JillKingBoston International Import Export, Inc.Human Resources ManagerOrange
ValerieMoonFirst Chance CenterDirector of DevelopmentOrange
DanielleMurphyMartin County Community CorrectionsCommunity Corrections DirectorMartin
KristalPainterOrange County Economic Development PartnershipExecutive DirectorOrange
ErinRaperBloomfield ElementaryTeacherGreene
StacySedoryMonroe County Community School CorporationOutreach & Innovation CoordinatorMonroe
KatieStoutGreene County FoundationProgram ManagerGreene
KatelynThomasWhite River Valley School DistrictMath Teacher/Wolverine Enterprise Program DirectorGreene
LindseyWade-SwiftWashington County Community FoundationProgram and Finance ManagerWashington
KristenWeidaBloomington Board of RealtorsAssociation ExecutiveMonroe
AndrewWoodardIndiana University/Uplands Maker MobileMaker Education SpecialistMonroe

ROI’s Grant Writing Fellowship was developed to help seek and secure grant funding for projects and programs that can strengthen communities in the 11-county Uplands region. Fellows applied for the program in May and commit to providing grant writing services to their community through their organizations for a minimum of two years.

“We’re grateful and excited to partner with a variety of organizations with this new grant writing fellowship,” added Abbott. “Participating fellows will learn and gain insights from Purdue Extension, Indiana University, Indiana Office of Community & Rural Affairs, Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority, Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Indiana Philanthropy Alliance, as well as many entities and nonprofits that have successfully secured grant funding. We look forward to more collaborations as our program continues. We can’t wait to get started!”

Read more about ROI’s Grant Writing Fellowship Program:
https://regionalopportunityinc.org/grant-writing-fellowship/

About Regional Opportunity Initiatives

Regional Opportunity Initiatives (ROI) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to advance economic and community prosperity in the 11 counties of the Indiana Uplands (Brown, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Owen, and Washington counties). ROI is growing potential and possibility through a focus on advanced industry sectors, regionalism, transformative school and workforce redesign, and placemaking strategies. To learn more about ROI’s programs, visit https://regionalopportunityinc.org/.