Rep. Hall: State funding awarded to support local small businesses

STATEHOUSE (July 14, 2026) – A state grant of $39,834 was recently awarded to The Builder's Room, a local community-led project from Amplify Bloomington and the Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, according to State Rep. Dave Hall (R-Norman).

The grant, awarded by the Indiana Economic Development Corp.'s Community Collaboration Fund (CCF), supports new community collaborations, services and programming focused on building and strengthening Indiana's small businesses.

"Our local business owners have the drive, and this grant will give them the tools to reach new heights," Hall said. "The skills developed through this program will boost our local economy and allow even more Hoosiers to build their businesses."

The Builder's Room equips local business owners with the skills to create real, custom digital tools for their operations using technology-assisted development. In six weeks, participants go from identifying a business problem to demonstrating a working solution.

Projects selected for 2026 CCF funding focus on helping entrepreneurs and small businesses start and scale more quickly and leverage technology and artificial intelligence. This round of funding brings the total of CCF grants for fiscal year 2026 to $757,000, which is expected to support more than 6,000 current and aspiring entrepreneurs and small businesses across the state. 

Indiana ranks in the top five nationally for small business survival and 12th for the rate of new entrepreneurs. In 2024, Forbes recognized Indiana as the No. 2 state in the country to start a business.

To learn more about resources available to Indiana entrepreneurs and small businesses, visit iedc.in.gov/entrepreneurship.

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State Rep. Dave Hall (R-Norman) represents House District 62,
which includes all of Brown County, and portions of Monroe and Jackson counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.