Small Business

Gallery On & Off Main brought artists into Zionsville Main Street shops on Oct. 24, 2026, Current Publishing says

Gallery On & Off Main placed artists in locally owned businesses along Zionsville’s Main Street on Oct. 24, 2026, the linked Current Publishing report says; Main Street Zionsville’s events page also lists the event that day.

INDOT awards road grants to Hancock County and Greenfield for state FY2027

Correction (Oct. 31): Indiana’s FY2027 Community Crossings award list confirms $319,805 for Hancock County and $364,847.50 for the City of Greenfield. The Indiana Department of Transportation says the awards were announced Oct. 28. Community Crossings supplies matching funds for eligible local road and bridge preservation; the listed amounts are grants, not total project costs. INDOT’s award list does not name the specific roads, construction contracts or completion dates for these recipients. An earlier version described a Cranberry Lake Estates project and 2027 construction schedule without a direct public project record; those details have been removed. The grants provide funding for future local infrastructure work, while project execution remains to be documented. INDOT’s award PDF is available from its Community Crossings page linked in Sources.

CenterPoint grant supports Evansville neighborhood lead-screening project

Dream Center Evansville has received a $50,000 CenterPoint Energy Foundation grant for a planned lead-detection project, according to an Oct. 27 report by WFIE that cites the grant announcement. The project, called The Dream Lab, focuses on the Jacobsville neighborhood and the wider Evansville area. WFIE reported separately on Oct. 29 that the group intends to use lead-detection technology in homes and community spaces. Dream Center describes itself as a nonprofit serving Jacobsville children and families. The grant funds a planned environmental-health effort; the available reports do not establish that neighborhood testing has begun or how many properties will be screened.

Boone County storefront grant applications close Nov. 2; 15 shops eligible for design help

Boone County's storefront design grant applications close Nov. 2, according to the Boone Economic Development Corporation's program page, checked Oct. 29. The program was announced July 20; it was not launched this week.

High-school entrepreneurship program helps students build businesses, Towne Post reports

The Towne Post Network — Indiana reports a high-school program launched to help teenagers start businesses has grown since its initial cohort, generated student revenue, awarded prizes in 2026 and plans additional prize funding for 2027, with participants in multiple states including a Center Grove High School student.

IU and Pillar Arts plan Bloomington business workshop for artists

Indiana artists can apply for a three-day business workshop scheduled in Bloomington for April 19–21, 2027. Indiana University’s Center for Rural Engagement said Oct. 26 that it and Pillar Arts will host the southern Indiana session of the state Arts Commission’s On-Ramp program. Participants will work on building a sustainable creative practice and may later seek up to $2,000 to put a business plan into action. The application deadline is Jan. 15 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern. An information webinar is set for Nov. 10 at 6 p.m. The announced opportunity is training and eligibility to apply for funding; the release does not identify grant recipients.

Restorative Justice Collaborative Hub marks opening of Colfax Cultural Center office in South Bend

The linked WNDU report says the Restorative Justice Collaborative Hub held a ribbon-cutting Oct. 28, 2026, for its first office at the Colfax Cultural Center on Lincolnway West in South Bend. The Hub’s website says the space was created with recent Accelerator funds and coaching; WNDU reports a $130,000 state accelerator grant helped fund the move.

Paco’s Taqueria profile: founder’s story and four Indianapolis locations anchored at 4390 N. Keystone Ave.

Indiana Minority Business Magazine’s 'Minority business highlight' (published 2026-10-28) says Paco’s Taqueria began as Paco’s Tacos in 2014 and now operates four brick-and-mortar locations in Indianapolis, anchored at 4390 N. Keystone Ave.; the profile and the restaurant’s website list menu items, services and hours and give pacostaquerias.com for more information.

Boundless Recreation starts Bristol RV production, with 115 jobs planned by 2028

Boundless Recreation began producing recreational vehicles in Bristol this month and plans to grow its workforce to as many as 115 by the end of 2028, according to an Oct. 28 announcement by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. The company has hired 45 people so far. It says it is investing $2 million to equip a 104,000-square-foot manufacturing site for fifth-wheel trailers, with travel trailers planned later. The state expects the new positions to pay an average of 125% of the Elkhart County average wage. Those positions are a hiring target, not jobs already filled. The startup adds a producer to northern Indiana’s established RV manufacturing base.

Indiana honors Jeffersonville candy shop’s longtime owners for tourism leadership

Gov. Mike Braun honored Jill and Warren Schimpff, longtime stewards of Schimpff’s Confectionery in Jeffersonville, with the 2026 Will Koch Indiana Tourism Leadership Award on Oct. 27 at the Statehouse, the governor’s office announced. The award recognizes tourism leadership, entrepreneurship and community service.

State announces Keep IN program to help Indiana small businesses plan ownership transitions

A state announcement posted 2026-05-06 says Gov. Mike Braun launched the Keep IN initiative, led by the new Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, to give Indiana small-business owners planning tools, pilot digital resources and free workshops intended to reduce preventable closures. A related one-hour webinar is listed for 2026-11-02, a local report says.

Indiana Chamber to host free webinar on small‑business succession planning Nov. 2

The Indiana Chamber is hosting a free virtual webinar on small‑business succession planning on Nov. 2 as part of the Keep IN: Keeping Businesses in Indiana Initiative, the linked WISH‑TV report and the Chamber announcement say.

AEP, Amazon and X‑energy to study 960 MW Xe‑100 SMR at Sullivan County brownfield

PR Newswire and X‑energy say American Electric Power, Amazon and X‑energy on 2026-10-25 signed agreements to advance feasibility work on a 12‑unit Xe‑100 small modular reactor (12×80 MW = 960 MW) near the retired Breed Generating Station in Sullivan County, Indiana; BusinessIndy characterizes the activity as feasibility work, not a finished plant.

Congressman Yakym helps secure $2.88 million to strengthen rail infrastructure in northern Indiana

The Federal Railroad Administration selected a Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad project for up to $2,880,000 through the CRISI program to rehabilitate tracks in northern Indiana and northeastern Illinois, including ties, switches and four at‑grade crossings.

Indianapolis Cultural Trail pilots wayfinding signs along Washington Street

The Indianapolis Cultural Trail installed new wayfinding signs along the Washington Street segment from West to Alabama Streets as a pilot and is asking visitors to test them and complete a survey open through Dec. 15, 2026; the trial used about $50,000 of READI 2.0 grant money and officials plan up to $500,000 to add signs systemwide after feedback, WFYI reported.

ACMI awards $3M to five startups at IU pitch; winners to join southern Indiana manufacturing hub

The American Center for Manufacturing and Innovation on Oct. 22, 2026 announced it awarded $3 million in non-dilutive funds to five manufacturing startups after a one-day fast-pitch competition at Indiana University’s Bloomington campus. ACMI said the winners will become tenants at its National Security Industrial Hub and Munitions Campus in southern Indiana.

Indiana American Water-backed $25,000 STEM grant funds Girls Inc. of Shelbyville Outdoor Learning Lab

Indiana American Water said the American Water Charitable Foundation awarded Girls Inc. of Shelbyville a $25,000 STEM Education Grant to create an Outdoor Learning Lab with a pollinator sensory garden and hands-on learning spaces, the company announced Oct. 20, 2026.

FDA clears SimBioSys’ TumorSight Risk AI to predict 5- and 10-year breast cancer recurrence

SimBioSys announced on 2026-10-15 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted 510(k) clearance for TumorSight Risk, a cloud-based AI that generates a 0–100 recurrence score and categorical risk to prognose five- and ten-year recurrence-free survival for adult women with HR-positive, HER2-negative Stage I–IIIA breast cancer, the company said.

Gov. Braun highlights new businesses, financing and workforce efforts in southern Indiana at Bloomington event

At a Bloomington event on 2026-10-19, Gov. Mike Braun said the 10-county Indiana Uplands region has secured $71.7 million in capital for entrepreneurs and small businesses and has added more than 50 businesses since Jan. 2025; he also cited $60 million in state READI funding and other support, WISH-TV reported.

Indianapolis Indians Charities awarded $50,000 SYPI grant to expand youth baseball and support services

Indianapolis Indians Charities announced on 2026-10-19 that the Indiana Youth Institute awarded it a $50,000 Strengthening Youth Programs in Indiana (SYPI) grant to expand access to baseball, softball and related wraparound supports across central Indiana.

Braun, Ivy Tech Bloomington launch pilot to help Main Street small businesses in Orange and Martin counties

On Oct. 12, 2026, Gov. Mike Braun and Ivy Tech Bloomington’s Gayle & Bill Cook Center for Entrepreneurship announced a pilot to provide business valuation support and practical follow-up assistance for small businesses in Orange and Martin counties, with activities expected through the end of 2026.

Westfield Education Foundation funds 85 teacher grants, directing local philanthropy into classrooms

The Reporter (submitted by Westfield Washington Schools) reported Oct. 12, 2026 that the Westfield Education Foundation funded all 85 Teacher-Led Grant applications in its fall cycle. WEF had $53,671.75 available and used about $18,000 of a $28,000 Advancing Westfield Foundation grant to support additional elementary classroom grants; educators requested more than $72,000.

Shelby, Hancock County prosecutors receive grants to fight sexual and domestic violence

Giant FM reported on 2026-10-11 that the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute announced more than $8.5 million in grants to 69 organizations statewide, including $3.9 million in STOP funds awarded to 49 organizations, and identified Shelby and Hancock county prosecutors as grant recipients to fight sexual and domestic violence.

Woman dies, man hospitalized after three-vehicle crash in Grant County