The Lilly Endowment Inc. is helping fund Indiana Economic Development Corporation‘s (IEDC) Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) projects across the state of Indiana.
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s (IEDC) READI Program focuses on bringing opportunities to Indiana communities to accelerate economic growth, resilience, and strategies to grow and maintain local business development. The READI Program builds off existing frameworks and proven methods developed by the Indiana Regional Cities Initiative and the 21st Century Talent Initiative, which encourages regional collaborative activities and vision alignment that improve the quality of life and places in Indiana communities.
On September 25, 2025, the Indiana Economic Development Corp. approved seventeen (17) new blight redevelopment projects, a $131 million dollar investment. Over a hundred million dollars remain from the Lilly Endowments total investment of $250 million dollars to support READI projects. These projects will take vacant and blighted properties and turn them into meaningful assets like, housing, community hubs, and more! According to IEDC, the newly announced projects were selected based on their potential for economic impact, community benefit, local match, scale, and creativity. Also, noting that future projects will continue to include diverse uses such as infill housing, brownfield redevelopment, office-to-residential conversions, and district creation for both rural and urban communities.
Sources:
Lilly Helps with Local, Statewide READI Blight Redevelopment Projects – WRBI Radio
READI News and Updates » Regional Opportunity Initiatives
READI – Evansville Regional Economic Partnership
READI 2.0 Investments Take off in Southern Indiana, Fostering Quality of Place Assets
IEDC approves projects • Northwest Indiana Business Magazine