• Two IMAGINE Awards Announced: June 30, 2008. IMAGINE awarded $4,000 to The Friends of IPS School 51 to engage students of that Martindale-Brightwood school with area neighbors in innovative ways, including naming the school's hallways after the streets of the neighborhood and recruiting interested neighbors to be stewards of yards signs that will notify the neighborhood of activities at IPS School 51.
  
  The Parent, Teacher, and Student Association of IPS School 2 was awarded $4,950 to engage students, neighbors, and neighborhood stakeholders together through a dynamic bicycle project involving neighbor-led bicycle tours of the community as a part of the students' Physical Education curriculum. Congratulations to these IMAGINE awarded projects!
   
• 2008 IMAGINE Deadlines Announced: First 2008 Deadline is Wednesday, February 27th: If you would like to attend special Technical Assistance sessions to help in the IMAGINE Application Process, or would like to know more about the IMAGINE Matching Grant opportunity in 2008, click on the link to the 2008 IMAGINE Application below to find out more information.
   
• IMAGINE Funded Project Descriptions: October 17, 2007.  To date The GINI IMAGINE Initiative has funded seven projects.  More Info
   
• Three IMAGINE Awards Announced: June 26, 2007. A photo workshop with youth designed to capture the spirit of the near North Side, a fall street festival on the East Side, and a plan to promote and ensure the safety of neighbors and reduce crime on the near North Side, are the first three IMAGINE projects to be funded by the Great Indy Neighborhoods Initiative (GINI). More Info

• Download the IMAGINE 2008 Application Pack (MS Word Format)

• Support and increase engagement of residents, associations and institutions.
• Support the development and implementation of neighborhood-driven improvements organized around the 11 principles of healthy neighborhoods.
• Involve neighborhood residents in the planning and implementation of the project.
• Encourage new and stronger relationships among resident-driven organizations and businesses.
• All Projects must build on the strengths and assets already existing in the community.

• Neighborhood-Based Organizations of residents or businesses in Marion County. Organizations that do not have 501(c)(3) status must collaborate with a fiscal agent to receive funds.
• Groups of Marion County residents who have gathered for the purpose of a specific project (i.e. task force, specialized committees, etc.).
• Faith-based organizations and religious organizations engaged in their neighborhoods.
• Schools and groups within schools engaged in their neighborhoods.
• Any collection/assembly of the above referenced groups.

Awards will not be made to Government agencies, political groups, citywide organizations, universities, hospitals, non-local organizations; applicants who have failed to successfully carry out projects funded in the two proceeding years; and GINI Demonstration neighborhoods.
 

• Requests can range from $500 to $5,000.
• Requests must be for a new project, or expansion of an existing project (not for operating or ongoing staff costs).
• There must be some plan to sustain the project over time.
• The total value of the match must equal or exceed the dollar amount requested from the Matching Fund. Match for funds can include community’s contribution of volunteer labor, donated materials, supplies, services or cash. At least 25% of the neighborhood's match must come from within the neighborhood, as opposed to matches from outside of the neighborhood’s boundaries like any resources donated by individuals who reside outside of the neighborhood, businesses outside of the neighborhood, volunteers who live outside of the neighborhood, etc. All volunteer labor is valued at $18.77 an hour and professional services are valued at the reasonable and customary retail value of the product or service.
• Projects may start counting matching funds as soon as the application is submitted and, if an award is made, continue documenting expended match throughout the contract period. All matches must be directly related to planning and implementation of the project.
• All projects must identify a Project Recorder and a Project Storyteller. These identified members of the community will be responsible for evaluating and documenting the proposed project throughout its process. The Project Recorder will be responsible for photographing and/or videotaping the project from inception to completion while the Project Storyteller will be responsible for providing written narration for the project. Training and detailed explanation of this process will be provided upon notification of receipt of IMAGINE funds.

• The first IMAGINE Deadline in 2008 is on February 27th. Please refer to Appendix C in the application packet for the other 2008 application deadlines, delivery methods and award amounts.
• The GINI Engagement Working Group Committee will review all applications and make award decisions. This committee consists of members from the GINI Steering Committee, representing Marion County Neighborhoods, as well as other representatives from the entire Marion County area. As soon as funding announcements are made, all funded and unfunded projects will receive a copy of the final scoring sheet with comments to aid in future applications. It is possible that applications receiving funding will be posted on the GINI website, in newsletters, etc.