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June 1, 2023
Media Inquiries: Steven Meyer, Prosperity Indiana Board President |smeyer@IntendIndiana.org |317-417-7976
Prosperity Indiana Welcomes Aspen Clemons as its next Executive Director
INDIANAPOLIS – Prosperity Indiana today announced that its Board of Directors has selected Aspen Clemons as the organization’s next Executive Director. She will begin her new role on June 15, 2023.
Clemons’ background uniquely positions her to assume the Executive Director role, bringing with her more than 10 years of professional experience in policy, strategy, evaluation, and programs in the areas of affordable housing, social justice, poverty, and diversity. Clemons is well-suited to strategically guide the organization forward into this next phase.
“Prosperity Indiana serves as a critical engine for increasing equity, economic mobility, and access to opportunity,” said Ms. Clemons. “I am humbled to partner with our staff, members, and Board of Directors to support community and economic development efforts throughout Indiana. I am excited about returning home to help make Indiana a place where everyone who calls it home is afforded an opportunity to thrive.”
“Ms. Clemons’ vision, passion, and approach impressed the search committee,” said Steven Meyer, Prosperity Indiana Board President. “The Board is confident that Aspen will be an inspiring leader for Prosperity Indiana members and our community partners across the state.”
Ms. Clemons holds a B.A. in Economics from Spelman College and an M.S. in Social Policy from the University of Pennsylvania. Additionally, she has an Executive Leadership Certificate from the University of Chicago. Clemons’ resume includes administrative posts working for several universities, Indiana United Ways, and the Indiana Commission for Women.
The announcement follows a search and selection process undertaken after the previous Executive Director, Jessica Love, stepped down after five years in the position.
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ABOUT PROSPERITY INDIANA
Prosperity Indiana is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization formed in 1986 as the Indiana Association for Community Economic Development. PI is a network of approximately 200 organizations and individual members committed to advancing community economic development through our values of eliminating barriers, ensuring everyone has better opportunities to pursue the American Dream and prosperity for all.
Visit the Prosperity Indiana website and follow @INCommDev on Twitter.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 17, 2023
CONTACT: Rita O'Donohue| (317) 222-1221 x405| rodonohue@prosperityindiana.org
INDIANAPOLIS – Prosperity Indiana is pleased to announce that Maya Painter has joined the team as the new Communications & Fundraising Coordinator. In this role, Painter will strategically message Prosperity Indiana’s mission, vision, values, programs, and benefits of membership. She will help tell the story of impact for PI and its member organizations, as well as critically support the fundraising infrastructure and delivery of convening events that marry knowledge sharing and relationship building.
Prior to joining Prosperity Indiana, Painter served as the Development Coordinator to the American Lung Association in Indiana where she crafted strategic messaging for two annual fundraising events. In this role, she worked to deepen relationships and secure investment with both corporate sponsors and the community. Painter has additionally spent time with the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs’ Marketing Office; Representative Sean Casten in Washington, D.C.; the Monroe County Community School Corporation’s Community Transitions program; and more.
Originally from Lafayette, Painter traded her black and gold for cream and crimson. She earned her Bachelor of Public Affairs with a major of Nonprofit Management and Leadership and a minor of Law & Public Policy from the Indiana University O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs in Bloomington.
Painter said, “I am passionate about strengthening Indiana’s communities and improving the lives of those around us. I eagerly look forward to assisting PI in building an Indiana where there is equitable access to social and economic opportunity for all.”
Prosperity Indiana is excited to welcome Painter as a “Piece of the PI.”
February 7, 2023
Contact: Rita O’Donohue | (317) 222-1221 x405 | rodonohue@prosperityindiana.org
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Prosperity Indiana announced the winners of its annual leadership and program awards at the 2023 Prosperity Indiana Summit on February 1. The Summit Awards Ceremony was an occasion to celebrate the leaders and innovators in the community economic development field. Winners were nominated by a nominating committee and chosen by a selection committee based on criteria established for each award.
"I couldn't imagine a room full of more passionate and driven people who make it their business every day to strengthen our communities. The nominees for this year's Prosperity Indiana awards were incredibly impressive," said Jessica Love, Executive Director for Prosperity Indiana. "While many individuals and programs are worthy of recognition, we are proud to celebrate a few of the top leaders and innovators in our field."
Award winners include George Guy, Bo Beaulieu, Anthony Bridgeman, and the Master It Series for Inmates at Lacasa, Inc.
The Michael Carroll Community Economic Development Leadership Award, sponsored by First Financial Bank and co-presented with the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, distinguishes an individual who has consistently provided excellent leadership, advocacy, support, and innovation in community economic development for many years.
Presented to: George Guy, Fort Wayne Housing Authority
Having spent the past 25 years developing solutions to improve the quality of life for families in underserved communities, George Guy oversees a portfolio of over 4,000 public housing units, vouchers, and affordable housing units and has remained steadfast in his commitment to building programs that will lift families from poverty.
Guy has helped residents overcome barriers to self-sufficiency by creating a transportation readiness employment and training program to overcome his city's public transportation limitations, developed partnerships with local school districts to offer tutoring and resources that will ensure children in the community are reading at grade level, and provided critical support for families dealing with unique needs, such as AIDS, aging out of foster care, homelessness, and victims of domestic violence.
Under Guy's innovative leadership, the housing authority partnered on a new affordable housing development, Posterity Scholar House. This development is an energy-efficient and technologically innovative, multi-family development that features an ecological and comprehensive education center of community-based programs and services for low-income and underserved single-parent families. He is also working to grow the next generation of housing leaders and activists through the creation of a Leadership Academy.
Other Michael Carroll Community Economic Development Leadership Award nominees include:
Angela Graf, Hope Southern Indiana
The John Niederman Rural Development Leadership Award, sponsored by Fifth Third Bank, is designed to celebrate outstanding leaders in the field of rural community economic development.
Presented to: Bo Beaulieu, Purdue University
A sociologist focused on low-income and minority populations by trade, Bo Beaulieu has spent more than 40 years developing and implementing capacity building programming in rural Indiana through Purdue Extension and Purdue Center for Regional Development.
Beaulieu created the Hometown Collaboration Initiative and has worked with Auburn and Corydon to establish key stakeholder groups within each community to work exclusively with a site coach to support growth opportunities. As a result of these growth opportunities, these communities were able to build on the strengths of their key stakeholder group to implement programs and projects to improve their rural community.
Beaulieu also created the Rural Opportunity Zone Initiative (ROZI), allowing rural communities to partner with Purdue to leverage funding to create a plan to attract private investment. Washington, Newton, and DeKalb Counties all had an economic development prospectus developed for them through ROZI to attract investment in housing, small business, and industrial sites in their communities.
Other Rural Development Leadership Award nominees include:
Michael Pavey, City of Rushville
The Robert O. Zdenek Staff Member of the Year Award, sponsored by Brightpoint, recognizes the outstanding professional leadership and commitment of a staff person working for a community economic development organization.
Presented to: Anthony Bridgeman, PNC Bank
Anthony Bridgeman is passionate about real estate finance, urban planning, government relations, and event management. His career includes roles in large neighborhood improvement projects, convening coalitions, community outreach, case management, educational support services, and post-secondary education scholarships.
Having previously been a Multifamily Housing Tax Credit Analyst at IHCDA and a Loan Specialist at Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership, Bridgeman's current role is said to require “patience, unique insights and understanding of a broad range of community development tools like HOME, CDBG, New Market Tax Credits, Opportunity Zones, and more to serve client’s needs.”
Bridgeman serves on a variety of boards and speaks regularly on an array of topics thanks to vast expertise related to education, community development, and human services. Additionally, he was instrumental in building momentum to highlight an unsung Black American in his community, Marshall "Major" Taylor.
Other Staff Member of the Year nominees include:
Adam Johnson, Elevate Indianapolis
The Key Award for Supportive Services Program of the Year, sponsored by Merchants Bank of Indiana, honors excellence and innovation in a service-oriented community development initiative.
Presented to: Master It Series for Inmates, Lacasa, Inc.
Through partnerships with local agencies and employers, the Master It Series for Inmates connects Lacasa with people who would normally have been out of the organization's reach. The program involved collaboration between more than 25 partners to benefit nearly 200 participants over the past year. Volunteers include bankers, loan originators, realtors, and other housing and financial industry professionals.
The program provides financial education courses paired with low-barrier banking and credit-building opportunities, including free checking and savings accounts as well as credit builder loans for those who complete the coursework. While originally adapted to educate inmates in the men's ward of the local jail, three of the courses have been modified and are being taught to female inmates as well.
Other Key Award nominees include:
Garvin Lofts, ECHO Housing Corporation
HomePower, Intend Indiana
Triumph Senior Care
Special Olympics, Hamilton County
Brown Faces Green Spaces, Gary Community Partnership Corporation
Level Up Program, United Way Northwest Indiana
Housing Hub Initiative, Horizon House
About Prosperity Indiana
The Indiana Association for Community Economic Development d/b/a Prosperity Indiana builds a better future for our communities by providing advocacy, leveraging resources, and engaging an empowered network of members to create inclusive opportunities that build assets and improve lives. Since its founding in 1986, Prosperity Indiana’s network has grown to nearly 200 organizations, representing thousands of practitioners statewide from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
Contact: Jessica Love | 317-222-1221 | jlove@prosperityindiana.org
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Prosperity Indiana is pleased to announce that First Financial Bank awarded the organization a $45,000 grant to expand the capacity and the impact of the Indiana Assets & Opportunity Network. This financial support will allow Prosperity Indiana to implement the goals of the A&O Network’s strategic plan, including advancing the community economic development field by delivering programming, training, and peer-to-peer networking for asset-building practitioners.
The Indiana A&O Network aims to improve connectivity between cross-sector and asset-building professionals; increase knowledge and use of best practices through participation in professional training; advance equity by prioritizing strategies that affect Indiana’s most vulnerable populations; and support partners in alleviating barriers to wealth through education, workforce development, and other asset-building strategies.
The Asset Funders Network defines asset building as “how individuals, families, and communities gather the resources that will move them towards economic well-being, for now and for years to come.”
The Indiana A&O Network, staffed by Prosperity Indiana’s new coalition coordinator, is working with a steering committee to provide responsive leadership to a segment of the field serving low- and moderate-income households, and especially households of color, that have been significantly impacted by the economic downturn.
“Our support for Prosperity Indiana adds to our work to help our clients and communities thrive, especially in low-to-moderate income neighborhoods,” said Roddell McCullough, chief corporate responsibility officer for First Financial Bank. “This funding will make a positive impact in areas such as affordable housing, financial empowerment and access to bank services, each of which is key as we focus on improving financial well-being in our communities.”
First Financial Bank and the First Financial Foundation take a strong leadership role in the community and made donations of more than $4 million in 2021 alone.
“At Prosperity Indiana, we have seen firsthand the commitments that First Financial Bank and the First Financial Foundation have made to improve the quality of life for the people and places they serve,” said Jessica Love, Prosperity Indiana’s executive director. “First Financial’s support in advancing the efforts of PI and the A&O Network to provide equitable access to social and economic opportunity are critical to supporting families looking to move up the economic ladder.”
About First Financial Bancorp.
First Financial Bancorp. is a Cincinnati, Ohio based bank holding company. As of June 30, 2022, the Company had $16.2 billion in assets, $9.4 billion in loans, $12.3 billion in deposits and $2.1 billion in shareholders’ equity. The Company’s subsidiary, First Financial Bank, founded in 1863, provides banking and financial services products through its six lines of business: Commercial, Retail Banking, Investment Commercial Real Estate, Mortgage Banking, Commercial Finance and Wealth Management. These business units provide traditional banking services to business and retail clients. Wealth Management provides wealth planning, portfolio management, trust and estate, brokerage and retirement plan services and had approximately $3.0 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2022. The Company operated 135 full service banking centers as of June 30, 2022, primarily in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois, while the Commercial Finance business lends into targeted industry verticals on a nationwide basis. Additional information about the Company, including its products, services and banking locations, is available at www.bankatfirst.com.
About the Indiana Assets & Opportunity Network
The Network creates learning opportunities for community leaders, advocates on policies that affect low-to-moderate income families, and builds capacity for organizations aimed to increase financial stability. It is co-led by Prosperity Indiana which is a member organization skilled at building vibrant communities and resilient families; and the Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute (ICAPI) which is a program of the Indiana Community Action Association, skilled in research, policy analysis, and advocacy. The Network is directed by a diverse steering committee to help establish program and policy focus. They meet bi-monthly to help identify funding sources, opportunities, and coalition partners.
May 25, 2022
CONTACT: Jessica Love | (317) 222-1221 x402| jlove@prosperityindiana.org
Prior to joining Prosperity Indiana, Crumley had experience in program management, economic inclusion research, and consulting in the public and nonprofit sectors including with CDFI Friendly Bloomington, Downtown Bloomington Inc., and the City of South Bend. She earned her Bachelor of Public Affairs with a major of Nonprofit Management and Leadership and her Master of Public Affairs with a concentration in Community and Economic Development, both from the Indiana University O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs in Bloomington.
Crumley said, “My professional background and passion lies in people-oriented community building and the importance of racial and economic equity. I am greatly looking forward to serving Prosperity Indiana members as a resource connector, convener of people, active listener, transparent communicator, best practices educator, and advocate for all Hoosiers.”
Prosperity Indiana is excited to welcome Crumley as a “Piece of the PI.”
February 28, 2022
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Prosperity Indiana announced the winners of its annual leadership and program awards at the 2022 Prosperity Indiana Summit on February 17. The Summit Awards Ceremony was an occasion to celebrate the leaders and innovators in the community economic development field. Winners were nominated by their peers and chosen by a judging committee, based on criteria established for each award.
“Such critical work is being done by Prosperity Indiana members and partner organizations across the state to strengthen our communities. As a result, the list of nominees for this year's Prosperity Indiana awards was extremely impressive," said Jessica Love, Executive Director for Prosperity Indiana. "It is an absolute honor to lift up the work of the four 2022 Prosperity Indiana Award recipients. The communities served by the winners, who are based in Bartholomew, Lake, Marion, and Miami Counties, are no doubt forever changed by the work of these individuals and programs.”
Award winners include Janine Betsey, Eric A. Frey, II, Anna Schoon, and Prevent Pricks with ShipHappens.
The Michael Carroll Community Economic Development Leadership Award, sponsored by First Financial Bank and co-presented with the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, distinguishes an individual who has exhibited exceptional advocacy to further support the community economic development industry.
Presented to: Janine Betsey, Gene B. Glick Company
Described as a visionary leader who has convened multidimensional partnerships and led redevelopment efforts, Janine Betsey has been a stalwart leader in serving disadvantaged communities, developing dynamic affordable housing projects, and implementing economic development initiatives that have transformed neighborhoods and improved residents’ quality of life.
Known for inspiring female developers and developers of color, her motto that “There is no crying in community development” has pushed others in the field to navigate difficult projects and other career challenges to improve their trajectory going forward.
In her new role as the Director of Tax Credit Operations for Gene B. Glick Company, Betsey is working for an organization with thousands of affordable housing units in areas of high opportunity, like those her own family sought out for her as a child. In her new role managing Glick’s affordable housing efforts, she has a key opportunity to preserve and enhance these units, so that they may serve generations to come.
Kyle Bach, The Annex Group
Stephen Camilleri, Center for the Homeless
Moira Carlstedt, Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership
Robin Hilber, City of Columbus - Department of Community Development
Denise Koebcke, The Caring Place
Marco J. Mariani, South Bend Heritage Foundation
Matt Meyers, Bartholomew County Sheriff
Richard Proctor III, Indy Gateway
Presented to: Eric A. Frey, II, Southern Indiana Housing and Community Development Corporation
With more than 28 years of experience in the acquisition and administration of federal, state, and private grant programs in rural communities, Eric Frey knows the ins and outs of Community Development Block Grant program administration and how to lead industrial and economic development, housing rehabilitation, and capital improvements projects, and commercial, industrial and microenterprise lending programs.
Described as someone who is always finding creative ways to reach the end goal, Frey is said to have helping people at the heart of his leadership. And while he tries to stay in the shadows, as executive director of Southern Indiana Housing and Community Development Corporation and Administrative Resources association in Columbus, Frey is known for orchestrating the right people at the right time to reach the goal at hand.
Bo Beaulieu, Purdue University
G. Dean Byers, Habitat for Humanity of Marshall County
Anna Schoon, Northwest Indiana Community Action
Presented to: Anna Schoon, Northwest Indiana Community Action
Anna Schoon is an expert in Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, a Certified Community Action Professional, a Results Oriented Management and Accountability trainer, a leader of poverty simulations, creator and organizer for the Reimagine Conference focused on ACEs, and the lead staff person for a variety of programs at the Northwest Indiana Community Action agency, or NWICA. Through her role as VP of Planning & Business Development, she is known for actively planning, collaborating, and developing opportunities across NWICA’s multi-county service territory to better lives for those in the most populated and most rural areas within Indiana.
Schoon has spent more than 20 years “working with low-income and socially diverse populations to help them develop economic stability via opportunities for housing and employment. And she weaves advocacy in all of her actions, and it is her actions that make the impact,” according to her nomination.
Erin Emerson, Perry County Development Corporation
Rob Evans, Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership
Nicholas Hunot, Renew Indianapolis
Pablo Malavenda, Lafayette Urban Ministry
Natalie Powell, Hoosier Uplands EDC
Aaron Roberts, Ivy Tech-Indianapolis/Noblesville
The Key Award for Supportive Services Program of the Year, sponsored by Merchants Bank of Indiana, honors excellence and innovation in a service-oriented (non-construction) community development initiative.
Presented to: Prevent Pricks with ShipHappens
A volunteer-led, community-based initiative, the winning program increases health and safety while reducing stigma and discrimination. It raises public awareness and acceptance of evidence-based harm reduction principles, policies, and programs among public health and health care systems, local government, and the general public.
Prevent Pricks is designed to be equitable and inclusive of all syringe-using residents: meaning people with chronic diseases, those in need of hormone or vitamin deficiency injections, and people who use drugs.
Since launching the syringe disposal pilot program in October 2020, the program has eliminated accidental needle pricks of City and County Street Department workers in Miami County and Peru, Indiana, saving the $500-$4000 it costs to treat a single needlestick injury, and the program has seen a 29 percent decrease in improper syringe disposal calls to the Peru Police Department.
Embedded Police Social Worker Program with the Bloomington Police Department
Eviction Prevention Program with the Homeless Coalition of Southern Indiana
Fort Wayne Cares-Emergency Rental Assistance Program with the City of Fort Wayne, Indiana Legal Services, Just Neighbors, Brightpoint, Catholic Charities, and Lutheran Social Services
Permanent Supportive Housing with Horizon House
December 8, 2021
Announcing Candidates for Prosperity Indiana’s 2022 Annual Awards!
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Top community development leaders and programs across Indiana have been nominated for the prestigious Prosperity Indiana Awards. Winners have not been named and will be announced at the annual Prosperity Indiana Summit on February 17, 2022.
The Michael Carroll Community Economic Development Leadership Award, sponsored by First Financial Bank, and co-presented by Prosperity Indiana and the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, distinguishes an individual who has exhibited exceptional advocacy to further support the community economic development industry.
Candidates:
Janine Betsey, Gene B. Glick Company
Stephen Camilleri, The Center for the Homeless
The John Niederman Rural Development Leadership Award, presented by Fifth Third Bank, is designed to celebrate outstanding leaders in the field of rural community economic development.
Eric A. Frey, II, Southern Indiana Housing and Community Development Corporation (SIHCDC)
The Robert O. Zdenek Staff Member of the Year Award, presented by Brightpoint, recognizes the outstanding professional leadership and commitment of a staff person working for a community economic development organization.
The Key Award for Supportive Services Program of the Year, presented by Merchants Bank of Indiana, honors excellence and innovation in a service-oriented (non-construction) community development initiative.
Permanent Support Housing with Horizon House
Prevent Pricks with ShipHappens
The 2022 Prosperity Indiana Summit is open to the public and centered on building relationships and an equitable economy through policy, programs, performance, and philanthropic investments. If you would like to attend the virtual event on February 17, 2022, please register at prosperityindiana.org/summit.
The Indiana Association for Community Economic Development d/b/a Prosperity Indiana builds a better future for our communities by providing advocacy, leveraging resources, and engaging an empowered network of members to create inclusive opportunities that build assets and improve lives. Since its founding in 1986, Prosperity Indiana’s network has grown to nearly 200 organizations, representing more than 1,000 practitioners statewide from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
August 26, 2021
Contact: Jessica Love, Executive Director, executivedirector@prosperityindiana.org
Prosperity Indiana Receives Grant to Strengthen Emergency Rental Assistance Programs in Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS – Prosperity Indiana is pleased to announce an award totaling $80,000 from National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) to support and strengthen emergency rental assistance programs in Indiana. Prosperity Indiana joins 27 state and local organizations selected for the NLIHC Ending Rental Arrears to Stop Evictions (ERASE) grantee cohort. The cohort will work to influence state and local emergency rental assistance (ERA) programs and ensure that ERA funds quickly reach the lowest-income and most marginalized people. The ERASE program seeks to ensure housing stability for the lowest-income renters in the short-term while building the framework for long-term sustainability.
“This opportunity to bolster efforts to get emergency rental assistance out the door and to those who need it most comes at a critical time,” said Jessica Love, executive director for Prosperity Indiana. “The temporary extension of the CDC eviction moratorium gives us a brief window to help assess where the ERA programs are experiencing challenges. Then we can come alongside these programs to share best practices to target outreach, get landlords paid, keep people housed, and prevent evictions, even after the moratorium has been lifted.”
Building off NLIHC’s ERASE call to action, grantees will work to:
Prosperity Indiana’s grant will add capacity for the Hoosier Housing Needs Coalition to support and strengthen Indiana’s seven ERA programs. Specifically, the grant will support Prosperity Indiana’s work to implement the framework of the White House Eviction Prevention Summit’s Indianapolis working group to ensure equitable implementation of emergency rental assistance that can serve as a model to scale statewide. The participants in this working group will engage community stakeholders, including housing providers, public officials, low-income tenants, and Black, indigenous, and other people of color to implement a checklist to strengthen equitable marketing and targeting of ERA and other recovery programs to ensure outreach to the hardest hit communities. The group has prioritized reducing barriers for tenants and landlords to apply for and receive the maximum allowed amount of ERA funds in the shortest possible amount of time. The framework also includes actions to strengthen connections and coordination between court-based eviction diversion activities and the Emergency Rental Assistance program, exploring adding ERA program access points in courts during eviction proceedings to increase awareness and fast-track applications. Prosperity Indiana plans to use outcome data to ensure that the communities most at need are being served and the local effort in Indianapolis can be scaled to other ERA programs and courts statewide to help ensure no one is left out of a stronger and more equitable recovery for all Hoosiers.
Love said, “A lot is at stake here. Not only do we want to see communities maximize the short-term assistance being made available to respond to the crisis, but we also want to help state and local policymakers reimagine the policy infrastructure that is driving our broader response to housing needs. If we can help strengthen partnerships among community partners through this process, we’ll be better prepared to address any other current or future challenges our state might face.”
In addition to Prosperity Indiana, the ERASE grantees are:
Since its founding in 1986, Prosperity Indiana has used its broad membership base to help Hoosiers meet their basic needs, preserve and expand affordable housing, and connect individuals and families to education, employment, and economic opportunity. The organization is known for its role as a convener and advocacy voice in Indiana’s community development landscape and has established its presence as an authority on housing and community development policy.
The Indiana Association for Community Economic Development d/b/a Prosperity Indiana builds a better future for our communities by providing advocacy, leveraging resources, and engaging an empowered network of members to create inclusive opportunities that build assets and improve lives. Since its founding in 1986, Prosperity Indiana has grown to nearly 200 members from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
About the National Low Income Housing Coalition
Founded in 1974, National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) educates, organizes and advocates to ensure decent, affordable housing for everyone. NLIHC’s goals are to preserve existing federally assisted homes and housing resources, expand the supply of low income housing, and establish housing stability as the primary purpose of federal low income housing policy.
July 20, 2021
Contact: Andrew Bradley, Prosperity Indiana, (317) 222-1221 x403, abradley@prosperityindiana.org; Nia Bolden, Center for Community Progress, (877) 542-4842 x153, nbolden@communityprogress.org
National Land Bank Leader Selects Prosperity Indiana to Join First Cohort of Scholarship Winners
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – The Center for Community Progress (Community Progress) announced today the first cohort of competitively selected scholarship winners, including Prosperity Indiana, through their new Land Bank Incubator Scholarship Program.
The program, made possible by generous support from Arnold Ventures, provides free technical assistance, valued at up to $75,000, to local and state leaders who seek to create new land banks and pilot innovative land bank practices in the face of emerging challenges to our communities and neighborhoods triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Great Recession proved that land banks are an innovative, impactful tool for virtually any community and can play a central role in repairing our neighborhoods through equitable, inclusive development that uplifts all people,” said Dr. Akilah Watkins, President and CEO for Community Progress.
These scholarships will help grow land banks across the country, ensuring that more communities are prepared to respond to and eliminate vacancy resulting from both historic challenges and the unprecedented pandemic. “We are excited to begin our partnership with Prosperity Indiana, working with local and state leaders that support our shared goal of utilizing land banks to advance an equitable recovery for all,” said Watkins.
“We’re fortunate in Indiana that we already have land bank enabling legislation, but our law needs some work for communities to maximize the benefits of this vital redevelopment tool. In light of the economic implications of COVID-19, we simply cannot afford to wait any longer to address the limitations in our state code,” said Jessica Love, executive director for Prosperity Indiana.
The national experts from Community Progress will work with Prosperity Indiana and stakeholders from across the state to identify and develop legislative reforms to optimize existing, but limiting, state-enabling land bank legislation so land banks can become a powerful tool to support equitable recovery efforts in communities across the great state of Indiana. The scholarship provides up to 200 hours of expert, technical support at no cost to Prosperity Indiana, as well as a small local grant for inclusive community engagement. The work will begin in July 2021 and continue through the first quarter of 2022.
“Thanks to the opportune timing of Community Progress’ technical assistance program, we’re looking forward to having recommended language ready before the General Assembly reconvenes in 2022 to address our land banking law’s various impediments,” said Love.
Prosperity Indiana has already formed a diverse and inclusive coalition of local, regional, and state leaders to ensure the proposed improvements meet the needs of urban, suburban, and rural communities across the state, one of the key reasons why the organization’s scholarship application was so competitive.
In addition to Prosperity Indiana, the first cohort of scholarship winners also includes the following:
The Growing Land Bank Need in the Face of COVID-19
Since 2010, approximately 200 land banks have launched across the United States, largely as a response to the Great Recession’s destabilizing impacts to neighborhoods all across this country, which brings the total of land banks in operation across the country to nearly 250. Land banks are special entities, created by state legislation, that are granted unique legal powers to effectively tackle vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties consistent with community priorities. These governmental entities—operating across diverse geographies like Toledo, OH, Omaha, NE, Houston, TX, Huntington, WV, and rural counties in NY—have proven to be effective tools for communities facing widespread vacancy stemming from economic crises, natural disasters, or other disruptive events.
Today, another national crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, is not only threatening public health, but also disrupting real estate markets, household security, and neighborhood vitality—and doing so with a disproportionate impact on communities of color. Over the next few years, it is expected that state and local leaders will again turn to land banks to help minimize the harms of vacant, distressed properties and to assist in an equitable recovery.
The Land Bank Incubator Scholarship Program is a proactive effort to fill a critical need at a critical time.
As America’s leading organization helping communities address systemic vacancy, abandonment, and deterioration, Community Progress has led a number of initiatives to further one of the fastest growing community development tools, land banks. Those efforts include producing the seminal publications on land banks for the field of practice, collaborating to garner support for the National Land Bank Network Act, and helping develop land bank enabling legislation in 15 states.
About the Scholarships: Helping High-Need, Limited Resource Communities
The new Land Bank Incubator Scholarship Program supports growing the number of land banks across the country, driving transformative and innovative land bank practices in the face of emerging challenges to our communities and neighborhoods triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. A national, competitive program open to eligible applicants from all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico, the initiative’s three primary objectives are to:
Communities interested in launching new land banks or seeking to advance optimal statewide land bank legislation are invited to learn more at https://www.communityprogress.net/land-bank-incubator-scholarship-pages-594.php.
For interviews or more information on the Land Bank Incubator Scholarships, email info@communityprogress.org or call (877) 542-4842.
About the Center for Community Progress
Founded in 2010, the Center for Community Progress is the national leader for building strong, equitable communities where vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties are transformed into assets for neighbors and neighborhoods. Today, Community Progress has affected change in more than 48 states and 300 communities through leadership education and advancing local and state reforms to systems, policies, and practices with a focus on racial equity. Simply, we work to transform “Vacant Spaces into Vibrant Places.” For more information, visit www.communityprogress.org.
About Arnold Ventures
Arnold Ventures is a philanthropy dedicated to tackling some of the most pressing problems in the United States. We invest in sustainable change, building it from the ground up based on research, deep thinking, and a strong foundation of evidence. We drive public conversation, craft policy, and inspire action through education and advocacy.
We are a team of more than 90 subject-matter experts headquartered in Houston with offices in New York and Washington, D.C. We work in four key issue areas: Criminal Justice, Education, Health, and Public Finance. Our work is guided by Evidence-Based Policy, Research, and Advocacy. For more information, visit www.arnoldventures.org.
Indiana Association for Community Economic Development d/b/a Prosperity Indiana builds a better future for our communities by providing advocacy, leveraging resources and engaging an empowered network of members to create inclusive opportunities that build assets and improve lives. Since its founding in 1986, Prosperity Indiana has grown to nearly 200 members from the public, private and nonprofit sectors.
May 17, 2021
Contact: Jessica Love | (317) 222-1221 x402 | jlove@prosperityindiana.org
Prosperity Indiana Receives $50k from First Financial for Capacity Building
INDIANAPOLIS – Prosperity Indiana is pleased to leverage a $50,000 grant from the First Financial Foundation and First Financial Bank (Nasdaq: FFBC) to support community-based organizations seeking to expand affordable housing and services across the Hoosier state. The grant will specifically underwrite Prosperity Indiana’s capacity building work with community economic development practitioners throughout Indiana.
“Working through Prosperity Indiana gives us a channel to invest in Indiana neighborhoods in a way that will give more individuals equal access to resources and opportunity,” said Roddell McCullough, director of community development for First Financial Bank. “First Financial exists to be woven into the communities we serve, so we look forward to the impact this funding will make in those communities throughout the state.”
As Indiana’s only cross-sector network for community development organizations, Prosperity Indiana builds capacity through cutting-edge training and consulting projects that nurture problem-solving, collaboration, and innovation skills. Through grant activities, Prosperity Indiana will strengthen the capacity of a wide variety of stakeholders dedicated to improving quality of life for the people and in the places that most need it. The ultimate goal of the program is to create economic resiliency for low- to moderate-income individuals. As Indiana communities rebuild post-pandemic, Prosperity Indiana has resolved to fortify the field’s ability to provide services and affordable housing with racial equity at the core of the work. Now is the time to consider new ways to bring about true organizational resilience that will lead to improved opportunities for the individuals and communities looking to rebuild in transformative ways in 2021 and beyond.
“Resources for nonprofit capacity building are so limited, it’s always significant when we can secure funding to make training and consulting more accessible to our members and partners. But in light of the pandemic and its impact on the level of need to provide affordable housing and family resiliency services, an award of this size from First Financial feels momentous,” said Jessica Love, executive director of Prosperity Indiana.
Grant funds are currently supporting the Changing4Good webinar series, Prosperity Indiana’s first major training installment of the year. The Changing4Good series will empower individuals to develop adaptive and technical solutions to meet post-pandemic challenges facing their organization and community. With support from First Financial, Prosperity Indiana is now able to make the Changing4Good webinar series free to anyone wishing to attend. Registration is now open. The First Financial grant will also support the upcoming Prosperity Indiana Real Estate Development Academy and other training and consulting related to industry-specific technical and adaptive challenges and expertise.
“With support from leaders in the Hoosier state such as First Financial, we look forward to continuing and expanding our support to the individuals, organizations and communities doing the hard work of strengthening our communities in equitable ways.”
First Financial Bancorp. is a Cincinnati, Ohio based bank holding company. As of March 31, 2021, the Company had $16.2 billion in assets, $9.9 billion in loans, $12.6 billion in deposits and $2.3 billion in shareholders' equity. The Company's subsidiary, First Financial Bank, founded in 1863, provides banking and financial services products through its six lines of business: Commercial, Retail Banking, Investment Commercial Real Estate, Mortgage Banking, Commercial Finance and Wealth Management. These business units provide traditional banking services to business and retail clients. Wealth Management provides wealth planning, portfolio management, trust and estate, brokerage and retirement plan services and had approximately $3.1 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2021. The Company operated 143 full service banking centers as of March 31, 2021, primarily in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois, while the Commercial Finance business lends into targeted industry verticals on a nationwide basis. Additional information about the Company, including its products, services and banking locations, is available at www.bankatfirst.com.
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