Zionsville’s new grant writing effort has honed in on thousands of dollars in potential funding for the town.
In January, Mayor John Stehr requested approval to hire a part-time grant writer to identify grant opportunities across all departments and bring in extra funding for different programs and projects.
In February, the council appropriated $60,000 from the food and beverage tax fund for a one-year contract grant writer position, with plans to review the progress of the program in six months. That position was filled by Amy Connelly.
Stehr gave an update on Connelly’s workload to members of the Zionsville Town Council Aug. 19. He said grant funds received so far total just more than $15,000, but applications have been completed for thousands of additional dollars.
“To date, we have submitted requests for funding totaling $502,239,” Stehr said. “Additional requests in progress and due in the short-term increases that amount by $35,000. What we have secured — money in the door so far — is $15,563 for two separate projects for parks and recreation. Also, there are several major grant funds being requested right now, including an aid to firefighter grant which will benefit the fire department at almost $280,000; an Indiana recycling marketing development program grant at $56,717; and a state homeland security program grant to benefit our police department at just under $150,000.”
Stehr said a representative of the State Office of Community and Rural Affairs visited Zionsville to assess local needs. He said following that visit, Connelly is creating a database for projects related to the creation of Carpenter Nature Preserve.
The town will not know the results of several grant funding applications until fall. Stehr said the grant writing application process generally involves several ongoing projects at a time.
“Building that database and becoming more familiar with grants that are available takes a lot of work on the front end, and the payoff comes down the road,” Stehr said. “Beyond the grant applications, the relationships and contacts that (Connelly) has made will be a huge net positive for the town.”
Stehr recommended the council reconsider allowing a grant writer contract each year, with annual reviews. The original appropriation extends until next spring.
“Food and beverage money (where the grant writer allocation comes from) are supposed to be for economic development, and I think this has clear economic development applications,” he said.
