The Town of Zionsville Community Development Corporation (CDC) has awarded grants to eight Zionsville businesses to help ease the burden of unplanned expenses and lost revenue incurred due to COVID-19. The total amount of grants awarded is $73,500.
The most recently approved grants are:
- Blooms by Dragonfly - $10,000 grant. Owner Wendi Louks will use the grant to assist with income loss from rented space on the second level and from cancelled weddings or weddings that are downsized. The grant will also be used to replace or maintain the business’s delivery vehicle.
- Casalini Portraits - $10,000. Owner Tom Casalini will use the grant to offset costs for lost revenue of commercial and corporate work and portraits, to replace printers utilized in the creation of portraits and to assist with social media efforts.
- CV Art and Frame - $10,000 grant. Owner Barbara Jennings will use the grant for marketing, to direct people to the website and to pay the salary of an employee assisting with social media efforts to drive people to the website.
- Frances+Parke - $6,000 grant. Owner Tracy Dull will use the grant to create a formal marketing plan, website updates, a partnership with Restored Creations out of Wheeler Mission to create gift tags and labels and to add advertisements in local publications.
- Hopwood Cellars - $10,000 grant. Owner Ron Hopwood will use the grant for marketing purposes and to update the website.
- Village Antique Mall - $7,500 grant. Mike Gogis said the grant money will be used to offset costs incurred during the shutdown, for various exterior enhancements and to create a website.
- zWorks - $10,000 grant. Executive Director Vickie Hall will use the grant to cover lost revenue due to membership being down, vacant startup office space and in-kind donations down.
Previously, local retailer Lesley Jane received a $10,000 grant from the CDC to update and enhance the business’s website.
To help local businesses impacted by COVID-19, earlier this summer the Town of Zionsville launched the CDC grant program. This funding option is available to businesses located in the 106th Street Tax Increment Finance District (area bounded by Poplar Street, Elm Street, 96th Street, Michigan Road and Zionsville Road).
“With the launch of this grant program this past summer, we have been taking action to support the economic sustainability of Zionsville’s local businesses,” said Mayor Emily Styron. “We are committed to helping lift up this vital sector of our local economy.”
Funding for businesses in this district remains available but is diminishing if to be disbursed in 2020. For more information on the CDC grant, contact communitydevelopment@zionsville-in.gov or call Wayne DeLong, Director of Planning & Economic Development, at 317-503-6170.
The Zionsville CDC is a 501(c)(4) service organization whose mission is to undertake activities that are for the “betterment of Zionsville.” Formed in 2016, the CDC contributes to the community in a variety of ways, including offering economic development incentives in the form of grants and loans to businesses in the 106th Street Tax Increment Finance District, as well as operating and maintaining the pathways, rain gardens and common areas in Creekside Corporate Park.