Portal to Promote ‘Opportunity Zone’ Investment

(image courtesy WTHR-TV)

The Opportunity Investment Consortium of Indiana has launched an online portal in hopes of attracting investors for the state’s Opportunity Zone neighborhoods. The Opportunity Zone initiative, part of the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, aims to spark private capital investment in low-income urban and rural communities.

Governor Eric Holcomb in April nominated 156 Indiana communities and neighborhoods to be Opportunity Zones. You can see the full list by clicking here. The state and community leaders came together to launch the Opportunity Investment Consortium of Indiana, which Holcomb says "will bring together all the right partners to ensure the success of Opportunity Zones."

Partners in the effort include the state of Indiana, Local Initiatives Support Corp., Cinnaire, the Indy Chamber, Indiana Bond Bank, Indiana Economic Development Corp. the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs and the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority.

LISC Indianapolis will house the online portal. Executive Director Todd Grain says projects in low-income or "distressed areas" are not easily promoted. "By joining together," Grain said in a release, "we provide timely technical support, key partner connectivity and early-stage assistance for deals to truly land successfully at the finish line."