Overview

The READI grant will expand the enFocus Fellowships and internships program. Today, enFocus hires 30 Fellows and 30 interns per year in support of 75 projects with public, private and nonprofits organizations across the region. The READI grant will add catalytic funding to hire more Fellows and interns by at least 40% across the current enFocus civic, industry and new project focus areas including sustainability and entrepreneurship from the period of January 2023 and December 2026. READI support will leverage multi-year commitments from local granting organizations and grow highly demanded Fellow projects that are receiving more than $2.5M annual in project fee income annually across St. Joseph, Elkhart and Marshall Counties. We expect that projects will continue to grow and the READI award will enable enFocus to hire more Fellows and target key sectors of the economy for talent attraction, development and retention. The award will ensure the hiring of 325 total Fellows and interns by 2026, including 60% STEM and Master’s level graduates. We expect greater than 50% of Fellows and interns to be retained into high wage positions across the region. The award will bolster $16M in direct matching contributions and will generate an estimated $50 million in economic impact over the grant period. As a result, the enFocus READI award aligns strongly with the region’s 2030 goals for economic growth and development.