Hardin to receive $75,000 in RISE grant funds
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By Carissa Sitki
The Village of Hardin was recently selected as a grant recipient to receive $74,998 through the State of Illinois to promote and accelerate long-term economic recovery.
Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced, Tuesday, Sept. 13, that 42 communities were selected to receive funds through the Research in Illinois to Spur Economic Recovery (RISE) program. These state-provided grants are intended to help local governments and economic development organizations (EDOs) to create or update economic plans to promote economic recovery.
“Cities, regions, towns and villages across Illinois understand the opportunities and needs of their own communities and the RISE program empowers them to collaborate and plan for improvements,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “These grants will help communities craft economic development plans that reflect the specific impact of the pandemic on their region, with the opportunity to apply for funding to put the plans into action in the future.”
The RISE funds total around $3.5 million dollars and will be divided among the recipients, with grant awards ranging from $25,000 to $150,000.
“The RISE program helps communities create meaningful plans that include tangible next steps tailored to their unique needs and opportunities,” said DCEO Director Sylvia I. Garcia. “These plans will help cities, towns and regions be competitive for additional funding to support projects outlined in the plans that will improve quality of life and economic development across Illinois.”
The RISE grants will reimburse awardees for costs associated with developing or updating an economic recovery plan, including salaries or contractual costs, research, outreach, and public meetings as well as expenses associated with administering the grant.
After plans are completed, grantees will have the opportunity to apply for grants to fund specific initiatives or investments outlined in their economic plans. To be eligible, applicants were required to provide letters of support from the local municipality or counties impacted by the plan.
According to Hardin Village Clerk Danielle Hurley, the village hired Jen Fanning to write for the grant and “she was instrumental.”
“We can’t thank her enough for all she did to help us secure these funds,” said Hurley.
Hardin Mayor David Hurley shared some of the village’s plans for the money, which includes a redevelopment plan focused on supporting and attracting businesses and commercial corridors into the area.
“The village of Hardin was notified yesterday, [Sept. 14], that we would be receiving Rise Grand funding in the amount of $74,998. The funding will be used to create a Redevelopment Plan for the Village of Hardin, which will be a road map to improving current infrastructure, enticing new business growth and promote tourism in Hardin after [the] major flood in 2019, followed by the COVID pandemic in 2020,” said Mayor Hurley.
