In Indiana, the city of Gary’s Blight Elimination and Reinvestment Project has received approval for $15 million in Lilly funds, bringing the total with matching funds and other investments to $64 million.
Lilly Endowment Inc. (LEI), a philanthropic organization founded by the Eli Lilly family in 1937, operates independently of the corporation and supports causes primarily in Indiana in community development, education and religion.
In January 2024, LEI granted $250 million to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) 2.0. READI’s focus is three-pronged: quality of place, which deals with physical assets such as housing and walkways; quality of life, which includes healthcare and childcare; and quality of opportunity, which supports job creation and training.
The first wave of LEI funds dispersed $131 million to 17 projects in September. These projects will transform blighted and vacant properties into housing, commercial spaces, and community hubs, leveraging more than $1.6 billion in total investment across 12 regions of Indiana. The Gary project is part of this initial round of funding.
The Gary initiative was designated a regional priority for blight and remediation and represents one of the most comprehensive urban revitalization efforts within READI 2.0. The project totals more than $64 million when combined with approximately $49.5 million in matching funds from private, local, federal, and additional state sources. It focuses on Going Vertical Development, a public-private partnership to spur new downtown investment, and restoration of the historic Hudson Campbell building into city office space and an economic activity hub. It also targets demolition and redevelopment in the Holy Angels neighborhood, with pedestrian infrastructure upgrades and a new outdoor environment linking the baseball stadium to the former Genesis Center.
The project builds on completed master plans and extensive community engagement during Gary’s comprehensive plan and Downtown Vision and Action Plan processes. The common thread between the Gary project and other READI 2.0 projects is that creating better housing, public spaces, infrastructure and amenities makes communities more attractive both to current residents and newcomers.
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