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Regional Opportunity Initiatives Inc

Annual Giving
$4.0M
Grant Range
$5K - $0.1M
Decision Time
3mo

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: Approximately $3-5 million annually (varies by program cycle)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: 2-4 months (varies by program)
  • Grant Range: $5,000 - $100,000+ (varies by program)
  • Geographic Focus: Indiana Uplands region (11 counties)

Contact Details

Address: 100 S. College Avenue, Suite 240, Bloomington, IN 47404

Phone: (812) 287-8116

Email: info@regionalopportunityinc.org

Website: www.regionalopportunityinc.org

Grants Management Specialist: Josie Smith (josie@regionalopportunityinc.org)

Overview

Regional Opportunity Initiatives, Inc. (ROI) was established in 2016 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and supporting organization of the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County. Through an initial $25.9 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., ROI advances economic and community prosperity across the 11-county Indiana Uplands region (Brown, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Owen, and Washington counties). The organization focuses on advanced industry sectors, regionalism, transformative school and workforce redesign, and placemaking strategies. ROI has successfully administered over $60 million in READI (Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative) state funding and multiple competitive grant programs. In 2024, ROI was awarded a three-year $9.5 million Department of Defense contract for microelectronics workforce development, potentially extending to a five-year, $15 million initiative.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Ready Communities Grants (Past program - check current availability)

  • Planning Grants: $50,000 per county
  • Implementation Grants: Up to $3 million total pool
  • Individual grants varied; Round III awarded 6 grants totaling over $1 million
  • Application: Two-stage process (Letter of Intent, then Full Application)
  • Focus: Quality of place, workforce attraction, community aesthetics, connectivity, and cohesion

Digital Towns Grants

  • Grant Range: $5,000 - $100,000
  • 2023: Four Digital Towns 1.0 grants awarded
  • 2024: Six Digital Towns 2.0 grants totaling $208,000
  • Focus: Digital equity and inclusion, broadband connectivity, device access, digital literacy

Out-of-School STEM Learning Grants (2017 program)

  • $25,000 to each of 11 Indiana Uplands community foundations ($275,000 total)
  • Delivered through local community foundations
  • Focus: Before/after school and summer STEM programs for K-12 youth

READI Program Administration

  • ROI serves as regional coordinator for $60 million in READI 1.0 and 2.0 state funds
  • Awards range from small community projects to multi-million dollar economic development initiatives
  • Focus: Quality of life, quality of place, and quality of opportunity investments
  • 27 READI 1.0 projects funded; ongoing READI 2.0 implementation

Microelectronics Workforce Development (MOMENTUM Program)

  • Funded through $9.5 million DoD contract (not a traditional grant program)
  • Provides training, education, and workforce development in microelectronics
  • Serves K-12, postsecondary, and industry partners

Priority Areas

  • Economic Development: Advanced industry sectors, particularly microelectronics, biopharmaceuticals, and manufacturing
  • Workforce Development: Education and workforce alignment, youth apprenticeships, career-connected learning
  • Quality of Place: Community aesthetics, connectivity infrastructure, placemaking
  • Digital Inclusion: Broadband access, digital literacy, device availability
  • STEM Education: K-12 STEM programming, hands-on learning, career exploration
  • Regional Collaboration: Projects that serve multiple counties or demonstrate regional impact

What They Don't Fund

  • Organizations outside the 11-county Indiana Uplands region
  • Projects that do not align with regional strategic priorities
  • General operating support (varies by program)
  • Non-501(c)(3) organizations may face enhanced due diligence requirements

Governance and Leadership

Board of Directors

ROI is led by a regional board representing major employers, educational institutions, and community stakeholders:

  • Dan Peterson - Cook Group
  • Patrick Adams - Simtra BioPharma Solutions
  • Jim Allen - SAIC
  • Julia Buckley - Reliable MicroSystems
  • Erik Coyne - Ivy Tech Community College
  • Elisha Huddleston - General Motors
  • Chuck Johnson - Vincennes University
  • David B. Johnson - Indiana University
  • Bill Kaiser - Dentons
  • Doug Kellams - Tri-County Builders
  • Pam Loughmiller - Loughmiller Machine, Tool & Design
  • Mark Murphy - PRD, Inc.
  • Tina Peterson - ROI & Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County
  • Jeff Quyle - Radius Indiana
  • Brenda Reetz - Greene County General Hospital
  • Moriah Sowders - Boston Scientific
  • Brian Tretter - Seufert Construction
  • Matt Weinzapfel - Jasper Engines

Leadership

Tina Peterson serves as President & CEO of both ROI and the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County. She has led the organization since its founding, stating: "At Regional Opportunity Initiatives, we are inspired and humbled by the innovative and transformative projects that are occurring across the Uplands. The grants we are funding through the Ready Communities initiative will set in motion strategies that will catalyze progress in our region."

Key Staff:

  • Michi McClaine - Vice President of Talent Development
  • Julie Halbig - Vice President for Economic & Community Development
  • Josie Smith - Grants Management Specialist
  • Betsy Trotzke - Communications and Marketing Director

The organization employs 19 staff members across programs including STEM education, microelectronics workforce development, career-connected learning, and grants management.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Application processes vary significantly by program. ROI uses different mechanisms depending on the funding source:

For Competitive Grant Programs (such as Ready Communities, Digital Towns):

  1. Monitor ROI's website at www.regionalopportunityinc.org/grant-portal/ for announcements
  2. Submit Letter of Intent (typically 2 pages maximum) through online grant portal
  3. Selected applicants invited to submit full applications
  4. Finalists may be invited for presentations to evaluation committees

For READI Funding:

  • ROI serves as regional coordinator but does not operate an open application process
  • Projects identified through regional strategic planning and collaboration
  • Contact ROI staff for information about regional priorities and opportunities

Current Status: As of recent website updates, ROI's grant portal states "Check back soon for grant opportunities from ROI!" indicating grant cycles are episodic rather than continuous.

Eligibility Requirements

Geographic: Organizations must serve one or more of the 11 Indiana Uplands counties (Brown, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Owen, Washington)

Organizational: 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations and public charities described in IRC section 170(b)(1)(A) are preferred. Other tax-exempt organizations (501(c)(4), 501(c)(6)) may be eligible with enhanced due diligence and expenditure responsibility to ensure charitable use of funds.

Decision Timeline

Timelines vary by program:

  • Ready Communities: Approximately 3-4 months from Letter of Intent to award notification
  • Digital Towns: Similar competitive timeline with committee review
  • READI: Project-specific timelines coordinated with state funding releases

Success Rates

Success rates are not publicly disclosed. Ready Communities awarded 18 implementation grants across three rounds from a pool that included all 11 counties and numerous organizational applicants, suggesting a moderately competitive process.

Reapplication Policy

ROI has demonstrated willingness to fund multi-round grant programs, with Ready Communities running three distinct rounds and Digital Towns operating 1.0 and 2.0 iterations. Organizations that received funding in earlier rounds were not automatically excluded from subsequent rounds, though specific reapplication policies are not published.

Application Success Factors

Alignment with Regional Priorities

ROI emphasizes regional collaboration and impact. CEO Tina Peterson noted that funded organizations "can aptly be characterized as cornerstones of the region's success," suggesting ROI values applicants with established regional presence and capacity.

Focus on Strategic Outcomes

Successful projects align with one or more of ROI's strategic pillars:

  • Advanced industry sectors (particularly microelectronics, biopharmaceuticals)
  • Transformative education and workforce redesign
  • Quality of place and placemaking
  • Regional collaboration across county boundaries

Demonstrated Community Support

Ready Communities grants required counties to complete $50,000 planning grants before becoming eligible for implementation funding, demonstrating ROI's preference for well-planned, community-vetted projects.

Digital Inclusion Criteria

For Digital Towns grants, applicants were asked to align with three "Digital Town Readiness dimensions":

  • Digital Citizen: Helping households connect, access devices, build digital competence
  • Digital Business: Maximizing digital economy opportunities
  • Digital Public Services: Collaborations between government, nonprofits, healthcare

Partnership and Leverage

Many successful projects demonstrate partnerships across sectors (education, business, government, nonprofit) and leverage additional funding sources beyond ROI grants.

Examples of Funded Projects

  • CDFI Friendly Bloomington (Ready Communities grant, 2019)
  • The Commons facility in Washington, Daviess County ($3.1 million)
  • Launching Center project with Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence County
  • Six digital inclusion projects in Owen, Orange, Martin, Crawford, and Greene counties (Digital Towns 2.0, 2024)
  • WiFi hotspot and digital literacy classes in Owen County

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Geographic eligibility is strict: Must serve the 11-county Indiana Uplands region; organizations outside this footprint are ineligible
  • Grant cycles are episodic, not continuous: Monitor the grant portal regularly and sign up for ROI communications; programs launch in rounds rather than accepting applications year-round
  • Regional collaboration is highly valued: Projects that cross county boundaries or demonstrate regional impact align strongly with ROI's mission
  • Planning precedes implementation: ROI has demonstrated preference for phased approaches (planning grants followed by implementation)
  • Strong industry partnerships matter: Board composition reflects major regional employers; workforce-connected projects align with strategic priorities
  • Contact grants staff early: Josie Smith (josie@regionalopportunityinc.org) serves as Grants Management Specialist and can provide guidance on upcoming opportunities
  • Alignment with state/federal priorities: ROI successfully coordinates major state (READI) and federal (DoD, Lilly Endowment) funding; projects that complement these larger initiatives may find support

References

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