Community Impact
We Love Central Indiana
We Love Central Indiana
At MIBOR REALTOR® Association we place high importance upon our continued involvement with economic and community development efforts because we know it directly impacts the strength of our communities and the sustainability of the real estate industry. By leveraging our relationships with elected officials, economic developers, civic leaders and other organizations across central Indiana, we are involved in our communities’ most important conversations and initiatives.
We love living and working in central Indiana and want to ensure it continues to be a great place for years to come. This is why we continuously strive to enhance each community in our region through impactful initiatives that support a talented workforce, quality jobs, a diverse housing stock, quality of place, accessibility and many other components that make central Indiana an attractive place to live, work, play and invest.
Learn more about how we can work together through our Community Resource Guide.
Economic and Community Development
Economic and Community Development
Does your organization have a project or initiative that will build and maintain inclusive and vibrant communities or work towards the attraction and retention of quality jobs for central Indiana? Apply for the MIBOR Community Impact Initiative Grant to be considered for funding!
Each year, MIBOR’S Community Impact Council awards dozens of grants for local projects throughout central Indiana aimed at job attraction/retention and expansion, workforce development, placemaking, quality of life, affordable housing, tourism and regional collaboration.
To qualify for investment consideration, please confirm you meet the eligibility requirements below and submit an application for your organization.
- Have current tax-exempt status as nonprofit/not for profit or be a government entity.
- Serve communities within the MIBOR REALTOR® Association service area, which includes Boone, Brown, Decatur, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Montgomery, Morgan, Parke, Putnam and Shelby counties.
- Serve communities inclusively, without discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, national origin, socioeconomic status, political affiliation, or other qualities by which we may define ourselves.
- Demonstrate measurable impact with a method to track and report program outcomes and results.
- Align with the MIBOR Economic and Community Development mission and vision:
- Mission – To support organizations and initiatives that build and maintain inclusive and vibrant communities, attract, develop, and retain a skilled regional workforce and work towards the attraction and retention of quality jobs for central Indiana.
- Vision – Through collaboration and shared commitment, central Indiana will become the best region in the country for people to live, work, play and invest.
If you have questions about the application process or are interested in additional information on the MIBOR Community Impact Initiative, email us or call 317-956-1912.
Round 1 MIBOR Community Impact Initiative
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- Application Opens: January 1, 2026
- Application Due: March 6, 2026
- Application Review by MIBOR Community Impact Council: March 26, 2026
- Investment Announcements: Week of March 30, 2026
Round 2 MIBOR Community Impact Initiative
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- Application Opens: March 9, 2026
- Application Due: August 7, 2026
- Application Review by MIBOR Community Impact Council: August 27, 2026
- Investment Announcements: Week of August 31, 2026
Large Grant Request
Large Grant Requests
Large grant requests are defined as applications requesting over $10,000 for a single project in any year. Applicants who wish to submit a large grant application must contact MIBOR staff to discuss the project and receive the application no later than one week prior to the application deadline. Applications for a large grant request will only be considered if the request meets one of the following criteria, along with all other guidelines of the grant:
- Does the project have a regional impact?
- Is the project scalable?
- Is the project replicable?
- Is the project a catalyst?
- Is the project a major initiative in the region?
Current Investment Partners
Current Investment Partners
Once your project funded by the MIBOR Community Impact Initiative is complete or you have spent the funding awarded, submit an impact report in our online grant system.
Once your project funded by the MIBOR Community Impact Initiative is complete or you have spent the funding awarded, submit an impact report in our online grant system.
Past Investments
MIBOR has invested over $720,000 into over 209 projects throughout the MIBOR region. For more information on each project, click below!
2025 Investments
- All 2025 Projects
- Beech Grove Community Parks Foundation – Summer Concert Series
- Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site – 2025 Juneteenth Foodways Festival
- Big Car Collaborative – 2025 Levitt VIBE Indianapolis Music Series
- Bloom Madison County – Community in Bloom
- Blue River Community Foundation – Blue River Trail Enhancements Life
- Blue River Community Foundation – Shelby County Audubon Mural
- Brown County Christkindl Market
- Brown County Playhouse Management – Community Theater at Brown County Playhouse
- City of Carmel – Community Chip-In Mosaic Butterflies
- City of Westfield – The Rolling Canvas
- Conner Praire – Free and Reduced Admission Programs
- Decatur County Parks and Recreation – Youth Sports Complex Dugout Benches
- DREAM Alive – Middle School Career Development Trips
- Greenfield Main Street, INC. – Riley Arts Trail Artwork
- Greenwood Parks and Recreation – Art of the Trail
- Hamilton County Parks and Recreation – Playground Communication Boards
- Harrison Center for the Arts – Greatriarch Calendars
- Health by Design – 2025 Walk and Bike Summit
- Hendricks County International Festival
- Holliday Park Foundation – Holliday Park Playground Rennovation
- Indianapolis Art Center – ARTSPARK Trails
- Indianapolis Cultural Trail – Welcome Center
- Indy Black Chamber of Commerce – Wealth Building Pitch Night
- INRC – 4th Annual Jubilee
- Leadership Johnson County – Economic Development Day
- Madam Walker – Madam Walker Rooftop
- Main Street Plainfield – Music on Main
- Near North Development Corporation – Rebuilding Together-Near North
- Restore Old Town Greenwood – Alley Activation
- South Madison Community Foundation – Pendleton Porch Music Festival
- The Internation Center – Festival Funds
- The Parks Alliance of Indianapolis – Indy Parks and Recreation Lifeguard Training
- Town of Cumberland – History Murals
- Town of Edinburgh – Downtown Plaza
- Town of McCordsville – McCordsville Live at the Square
2024 Investments
- All 2024 Projects
- Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, Juneteenth Foodways Festival
- Boone County Economic Development Corporation, Digital Upgrade Program
- Boys and Girls Club of Morgan County, Feasibility Study
- City of Beech Grove Parks Department, Summer Concert Series
- City of Greencastle, Community Resource Park
- Discover Boone County, Event Impact Calculator
- Friends of Garfield Park, Fountains Campaign
- Friends of Sugar Creek, Montgomery County Adopt a Storm Drain
- Friends of the White River, General Program Support
- Friends of Troop 27 Indianapolis
- Greenwood Parks and Recreation, Oktoberfest – Free Fall Concert Series
- Hamilton County Tourism, White Riverway Hammock Connections
- Indiana Latino Expo, General Support
- Indianapolis Cultural Trail, Welcome Center
- Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center, 3rd Annual Jubilee Awards
- Indy Arts Council, Etheridge Knight Community Programming
- Indy Gateway Inc, Affordable Housing Low Moderate Income Builds
- Invest Hamilton County, Childcare Action and Investment Plan
- John Boner Neighborhood Center, 2024 Small Business Week Celebration
- Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, 2024 Project GreenSpace
- Land Stewards of Indianapolis, Planting Seeds, Growing Community
- Local Economic Development Organizations, General Support
- Mass Ave Culteral Arts District Inc, Wayfinding Sign Replacement on Mass Ave
- Monrovia Parks and Recreation, Completion of Park Entrance
- Mooresville Parks and Recreation, Old Town Park Inclusion Enhancement
- Morgantown Park Board, Addition of Park Assets in Morgantown
- Morgantown Parks and Recreation, Morgantown Town Park Walking Path
- Near North Development Corporation, General Support
- Nickel Plate Heritage Railroad, Nickel Plate Heritage Railroad Interpretive Depot Exhibits
- Pendleton Artists Society, Pendleton Placemaking Mural Project
- Shelby County Development Corporation, New Website
- Shelbyville Parks, Music in the Park 2025
- The Parks Alliance of Indianapolis, Indy Urban Acres General Support
- Town of New Ross, Beautify New Ross
- Town of Zionsville, Pop-Up Igloos in the Park
- Westfield Washington Chamber of Commerce, Young Professionals Leadership Summit
- Zionsville Cultural District, Barnes Building Mural
2023 Investments
- All 2023 Projects
- 10th Street Beautification
- Affordable & Quality Housing on the Far Eastside
- Artistic Benches
- Asphalt Art Initiative
- Bicentennial Legends Mural Program: Etheridge Knight Mural
- Blinds for Affordable Housing Units
- Bloombox Festival
- Brown County Bicycle Signage
- Chapel Rock Trailhead
- Community Theater at Brown County Playhouse
- Decatur County Park Playground Upgrade
- Discover (Our) White River Advocacy Initiative
- DREAM Alive Career Pathway Development
- Economic Development Day for Signature Program
- Economic Development Organizations
- Enhancing Recreational Spaces in the Town of Ingalls
- Gardens of Vernon Township
- Garfield Park Art & Music Festival
- Green Space for Youth & Teen Mental Health & Physical Activity
- Hamilton County 2030 Workforce Vision Plan
- Hancock County Economic Development Website Update
- Hendricks County International Festival
- Junior Achievement BizTown
- Meet Indy Networking Sessions
- Mid-North Affordable Housing
- Morgan Co Economic Development Corporation Website Update
- Morgan County Historic Log Cabin Renovation
- Morgan County Veterans Memorial Upgrades
- Morristown Park All-Inclusive Playground
- Multilingual Family Support Center
- Music in the Park Free Concert Series Shelbyville
- Music in the Park Summer Concert Series
- P30 Art Garden
- Planting Veggies, Growing Community
- Pollinator Patio at Ellenberger Park
- Porter Park Storybook Trail
- Promise Indiana Morgan County
- Udell Street Vibrancy Project
- Wes Montgomery Park and Arlington Heights Community Garden
2022 Investments
- A and A Township Volunteer Fire Department Bleachers
- Achieve! Financial Literacy & Workforce Development
- Affordable Housing in Mid-North Indianapolis
- Artist & Public Life Residency
- Beckenholdt Park Interactive Bird Sign
- Boone County Community Gardens
- Boone EDC Small Business Co. Lab
- Brown County Community Theater
- Cicero Community Park Upgrades
- Decatur County Inclusion Park
- Decatur County North Park Picnic Tables
- Eminence Pathways Project
- Explore Indy
- Greenfield Parks and Recreation Nature Center
- Greensburg Bicentennial Alleyway
- Hancock County Children’s Choir
- Hancock County Innovation & Education Center
- HAND Plum Prairie Rehab
- Identification, Location, and Safety Signage for Hancock County Trails
- Indianapolis Cultural Trail Expansion
- JA 4E Fair for Central Indiana High School Students
- Kephart Park Splash Pad
- Land Stewards of Indianapolis Community Garden
- Leadership Johnson County Economic Development Day
- Local Economic Development Organizations
- Mt. Comfort Development Summit
- Music in the Park
- Near East Soccer Alliance
- Near West Business Retention Initiative
- Neighbor Power Indy 2023
- Porch Party Indy
- Project Azul Workforce Development Training
- Project GreenSpace
- Shelby County Players Live Theatre Outreach
- Shelbyville & Shelby County Community Promotion
- SkillFit Hamilton County
- Target Parcels to Encourage Home Ownership
- Welcome to Downtown Anderson Mural
- Young Grow Getters
2021 Investments
- Boone EDC Day of Service
- Watch Video
- Broad Ripple RiverWalk
- Camp IndyHub
- Wayfinding Crawfordsville Project Description
- General LEDO Support
- Harrison Center Greatriarch Gatherings
- Indy Gateway General Support
- Kayak and Canoe Ramp at Edgewater Park
- Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Project GreenSpace
- Porter Park Storybook Trail
- Transit Education
- Twin Aire Skilled Trades Accelerator Feasibility Study
- West Indianapolis Development Corporation Homeownership
- White River Vision Plan
- Watch Video
Economic and Community Development Priorities
Economic and Community Development Priorities
MIBOR focuses on four key priorities when deciding where to focus our efforts to make the biggest economic development impact in central Indiana.
- Housing: Ensuring that central Indiana has an appropriate housing inventory and affordable housing options are critical components in our economic development strategy.
- Regional collaboration: Local and regional leaders working together is essential to making central Indiana the best region in the country to live, work, play and invest.
- Quality of Life: Quality of life focuses on the wellbeing of people in our communities, including improving the community through parks and trails upgrades, beautification efforts, art initiatives, community gardens, community networking opportunities, community events and more that help attract and retain people in the region.
- Regional Workforce: Attracting, developing and retaining a skilled regional workforce is essential in advancing the economy in our region. We support and provide data to organizations that work to bring new companies to Indiana, aiding in workforce development initiatives around the region and talent attraction efforts.

