The state is looking for small towns in need of some rebranding to apply for the Hometown Collaboration Initiative, now in its third year.
The program tries to help communities of fewer than 25,000 residents revitalize their economies.
In their first two years, Hometown Collaboration coaches helped train local leaders and plan new amenities in 10 small towns and counties.
One of those was Perry County, in Southern Indiana. County development corporation program manager Erin Emerson says they're using HCI to develop a centralized community website to help locals find events and attract new talent.
In the long term, she hopes that'll help grow and sustain the county’s aging population. Emerson especially wants more Perry County natives to move home after college, like she did.
"Our hope is that that is a trend that will continue, especially with this project -- that we are better promoting ourselves and the things we have to offer," she says. "And we realize that those are the people that are much more likely to return here, if they have family or local ties."
The HCI is run out of Purdue's Center for Regional Development and the State Office of Community and Rural Affairs. Applications for the next round of funding are due by the end of July.