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Economic & Community Development

Economic & Community Development

Dating back to the early 1900's, MIBOR REALTOR® Association has been essential to economic and community development efforts in central Indiana and has consistently been a leader in economic development compared to our peer Associations across the country. MIBOR's involvement first began in 1991, when MIBOR helped Indianapolis secure the United Airlines Maintenance Center, bringing investment, jobs and people to central Indiana. 

We, like the National Association of REALTORS®, place high importance upon our continued involvement with economic and community development because we know it directly impacts the strength of our communities and the sustainability of the real estate industry. When we look at impactful initiatives, we look at things like a talented workforce, quality jobs, a diverse housing stock, quality of place, accessibility and many other components to what makes an area an attractive place to live, work, play and invest.

By leveraging our relationships with elected officials, economic developers, civic leaders and other organizations across central Indiana, we are at the table for our communities most important conversations. This involvement also significantly increases REALTOR® relevancy and the importance of having the real estate industry plugged in to support economic and community development success.

MIBOR'S COMMUNITY IMPACT INITIATIVE

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 to 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. We know thriving communities are critical to a thriving real estate market, which is why REALTORS® invest and engage in economic and community development.

Each year, MIBOR'S Economic and Community Development Council reviews and approves dozens of grants for local projects throughout central Indiana. MIBOR’s Community Impact Initiative supports organizations and initiatives aimed at job attraction/retention and expansion, workforce development, placemaking, quality of life, affordable housing, tourism and regional collaboration.

HOW TO APPLY 

To apply for a grant, you will need to submit an application for your organization. Please confirm you are eligible for a grant before applying. Applicants must have current tax-exempt status as nonprofit/ not for profit or be a government entity. Applicants may include but are not limited to economic development organizations, community development corporations, parks and recreation departments, Mainstreet organizations, housing partners, community foundations, MIBOR Divisions, civic entities and non-profit organizations. Funding support eligibility is limited to organizations and communities in the MIBOR service area. The MIBOR service area includes Boone, Brown, Decatur, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Montgomery, Morgan and Shelby counties.

If you have questions or want to discuss how your project or initiative might fit within MIBOR’s Community Impact Initiative, please reach out to Maddie Love at maddielove@mibor.com or 317-965-5261. If you are interested in receiving email updates about the MIBOR Community Impact Initiative please email Maddie Love at maddielove@mibor.com.

To learn more about what we look for in applicants, check out our MIBOR ECDC Grant Preferences.

APPLICATION FOR INVESTMENT

Deadlines to submit your application for investment are below.

  • Round 2:
    • Due: August 1, 2025, by 12pm 
    • Reviewed by the MIBOR Community Impact Council: August 28, 2025
    • Round 2 Application: https://smr.to/p101289 

*If your application is requesting over $10,000 in investment, you will need to fill out a large grant request application. 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 1 week prior to the application deadline. The process for consideration of requests exceeding $10,000 will be determining if the project/program 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 GRANTEES

If you have completed your project or have spent funding awarded by MIBOR for economic or community initiatives in your community through the Economic and Community Development Council or the MIBOR Community Impact Initiative, you must submit an impact report in our online grant system. Click here to submit your report. 

PAST INVESTMENTS

MIBOR REALTOR® Association has invested over $570,000 into over 170 projects all over the MIBOR region. For more information on past investment and the impact they have made on the region, click below!

2024 Investments

2023 Investments

2022 Investments

2021 Investments 

ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES

MIBOR has identified four key priorities that we value when deciding where to focus our efforts to make the biggest economic development impact in central Indiana.

  • Housing: Housing is a critical component in our economic development strategy. Ensuring that central Indiana has appropriate housing inventory and affordable housing options are two key factors we focus on.
  • Regional collaboration: A regional approach to economic development is crucial to the success of the region. 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: Economic development efforts must focus on improving the quality of life in the region. Quality of life focuses on the wellbeing of people in our communities. Specifically, 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 region. We support this by providing information and data to organizations who assist companies who are interested in locating in central Indiana, supporting workforce development initiatives around the region and aiding in talent attraction efforts.