Solar eclipse grant application opens to support arts, cultural activities in rural Indiana communities

View larger Graphic designed by Jeni Waters

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Organizations in rural communities with a population under 50,000 can now apply for micro-grants to support arts and cultural activities connected to the 2024 solar eclipse.  

The Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement will support rural community activities that focus on arts and culture and unite residents around the historic astronomical event. This initiative is supported with funding from the Simons Foundation, and Regional Opportunity Initiatives is serving as the fiscal agent for the grant program. 

The path of totality of the April 8 solar eclipse will cover a segment of the U.S., Mexico and Canada, including a large part of Indiana, in complete darkness for up to four minutes as the moon shadows the sun. The next time Indiana will fall in the path of totality of a solar eclipse will be 2099.  

The Center for Rural Engagement invites community organizations located within the path of totality to apply for a micro-grant up to $2,000 for eclipse-related events and activities leading up to April 8 that include visual, public or performing arts; placemaking and design; and cultural heritage using the ROI grant portal. The priority deadline for applications is September 1.  

The center will host virtual office hours to assist applicants on a drop-in basis from 2-3 p.m. EDT on Wednesdays in August. Applicants can sign in for office hours at rural.indiana.edu/events. For micro-grant guidelines and more information about the initiative, visit rural.indiana.edu or contact Hannah Jones at hanejone@iu.edu. 

Media contact:
Kyla Cox Deckard, IU Center for Rural Engagement
(812) 855-4992 office; (812) 219-9993 cell
knblanke@indiana.edu

Find resources and support for arts and cultural activities that unite residents around this historic astronomical event.

Get ready for the 2024 solar eclipse
The IU Center for Rural Engagement improves the lives of Hoosiers through collaborative initiatives that discover and deploy scalable and flexible solutions to common challenges facing rural communities. Working in full-spectrum community innovation through research, community-engaged teaching and student service, the center builds vision, harnesses assets and cultivates sustainable leadership structures within the communities with which it engages to ensure long-term success.

The Simons Foundation’s mission is to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic sciences. Co-founded in 1994 in New York City by Jim and Marilyn Simons, the foundation exists to support basic — or discovery-driven — scientific research undertaken in the pursuit of understanding the phenomena of our world. The Simons Foundation’s Science, Society and Culture division seeks to provide opportunities for people to forge a connection to science — whether for the first time or a lifetime. Through our initiatives, we work to inspire a feeling of awe and wonder, foster connections between people and science, and support environments that provide a sense of belonging. 

The mission of Regional Opportunity Initiatives is to advance economic and community prosperity in the 11 counties of the Indiana Uplands (Brown, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Owen, and Washington counties). ROI is growing potential and possibility through a focus on advanced industry sectors, regionalism, transformative school and workforce redesign, and placemaking strategies.