Stellar Communities Program

Funder: Collaboration of Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, Office of Community and Rural Affairs, Indiana Department of Transportation, and 11 supporting agencies

Geographic Scope: Indiana statewide; smaller Hoosier communities (cities and towns)

Overview:
Stellar Communities is a statewide initiative involving funding and resources for projects designed to improve quality of life in smaller Indiana communities. The program provides "transformative" support to help communities plan, leverage existing assets, foster regional investments, and stimulate long-term growth.

Program Goals:

• Help cities and towns plan strategically
• Leverage existing community assets
• Foster regional investments
• Stimulate long-term economic growth
• Improve quality of life

Support Provided:

• Planning grants for selected finalists
• Technical assistance and expertise from 11 agencies
• Resources to launch or bolster strategic plans
• Connection to potential funding partnerships

Community Categories:

• Division 1: Communities with populations between 6,000 and 50,000
• Division 2: Communities with populations of 5,999 or fewer residents

Selection Process:

• Competitive application process
• Finalists announced annually
• Lieutenant Governor visits each finalist
• One winner selected from each division annually

Past Winners:

• 2011: North Vernon and Greencastle
• 2012: Princeton and Delphi
• 2013: Richmond and Bedford
• 2014: Huntingburg and Wabash
• 2015: Crawfordsville and North Liberty

Rush County Status:

• City of Rushville named finalist for 2016 Stellar Communities Program (Division 1)

Supporting Agencies (11 total):

• Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority
• Office of Community and Rural Affairs
• Indiana Department of Transportation
• Plus 8 additional agencies providing technical expertise