Southern Indiana Business Report
INDIANAPOLIS – Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs today announced the launch of the Stellar Pathways program. Stellar Pathways is based around the Stellar Communities program, which was paused in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Overseen by Lt. Gov. Crouch, the Stellar Pathways program is a multi-year, multi-million-dollar initiative led by OCRA. The program works with communities in a self-determined region on a shared vision for community and economic development, promotes local and regional partnerships, and assists in implementing sustainable solutions to challenges Indiana’s rural communities face.
“The Stellar program was transformational for participating Hoosier communities in the past,” said Lt. Gov. Crouch, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “This reimagined Stellar Pathways program is going to improve quality of life for our communities on a regional level, and I look forward to seeing its impact across Indiana.”
The Stellar Pathways program is now accepting communities’ letters of intent online at ocra.in.gov/stellar.
“Known previously as the Stellar Communities program, Stellar Pathways builds off the program and takes it a step further through increased community collaboration,” said OCRA Executive Director Duke Bennett. “We are encouraging regional partnerships between local non-profits, county governments and municipalities so communities are set up for success and can create even more impactful projects.”
Eligible participants include a county government or a county-wide non-profit in partnership with at least one municipality. Those considered a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development entitlement community are not eligible.
All regions must submit the required documentation to be eligible for the program. Letters of intent are due by 4 p.m. ET on May 1, 2024.
Interested applicants can visit ocra.in.gov/stellar for program details and the letter of intent submission process. For additional questions, please email [email protected].
Two cities in the Radius Indiana region – Huntingburg in 2014 and Bedford in 2013 – were designated as Stellar Communities.