Becoming a Main Street

Welcome to the Indiana Main Street Application Process. We are very excited that your community is considering Indiana Main Street as a resource to help revitalize your historic downtown commercial district!

Get started here:

• Review What is Indiana Main Street to gain an understanding of the program and its benefits.
• Contact your region’s Community Liaison (CL) from our Office of Community and Rural Affairs for an introduction to Indiana Main Street and an intent to apply (if applicable). The list of Community Liaisons can be found on this webpage.

2023 – 2024 Application Process

New communities interested in applying to become an Indiana Main Street (IMS) community will apply for the OCRA’s Downtown Affiliate Network (ODAN) level. This is the starting level for all new communities. Communities that may have been an IMS community in the past and are looking to return, will also apply for the ODAN level.

Existing ODAN communities can apply for the Aspiring IAMS 1-year Program if they’ve been an ODAN for at least one full year.

Existing Aspiring Indiana Main Street (Aspiring-IAMS) communities looking to graduate to Indiana Main Street (IAMS) communities will go through their accreditation visit in February 2024. Current Aspiring-IAMS are the only communities eligible.

Existing Indiana Accredited Main Street (IAMS) communities looking to graduate to Nationally Accredited Main Street (NAMS) will go through their accreditation visit in November 2023. Current IAMS that submitted their Main Street America self-assessment with their 2022 reporting are the only communities eligible.

ODAN Level Application Process:

Applicants interested in becoming a member of OCRA’s Downtown Affiliate Network (ODAN) are qualified as those working to build capacity to execute the Main Street Four Point Approach, or groups who prefer to specialize in event-related activities only. Members of ODAN may also be those who are working the Main Street Four Point Approach but do not meet the qualification for OCRA’s definition of Historic Preservation Ethic and/or Fabric.

• Click here for the ODAN Applicant Process 2023-2024.
• Click here for ODAN Foundational Requirements and Criterion.
• Click here for ODAN Sample Letter of Intent to Apply.
• Click here for sample documents that can assist in the application process (these documents should only be used as guides).

Aspiring IAMS 1-Year Program:

Applicants interested in participating in the Aspiring IAMS 1-year Program are qualified as those with capacity or working to build capacity to execute the Main Street Four Point Approach, Baseline Requirements and Indiana Accredited Main Street Standards. They must be a current member of OCRA’s Downtown Affiliate Network (ODAN).

• Click here for the Aspiring IAMS 1-year Program 2023-2024.
• Click here for the Aspiring IAMS Baseline Requirements, Accreditation standards, and Self-Assessment Tool.
• Click here for the Aspiring IAMS Letter of Intent to Apply.
• Click here for the Aspiring IAMS self-scoring worksheet.
• Click here for the Aspiring IAMS application.
• Click here for sample documents that can assist in the application process (these documents should only be used as guides).

Indiana Main Street Program:

Applicants interested in participating IAMS Program are qualified as those with capacity to execute the Main Street Four Point Approach, Baseline Requirements and Indiana Accredited Main Street Standards. They must be a current member of the Aspiring IAMS program.

• Click here for the IAMS Baseline Requirements, Accreditation standards, and Self-Assessment Tool.
• Click here for the IAMS self-scoring worksheet.

Nationally Accredited Main Street Program:

Applicants interested in participating NAMS Program are qualified as those with capacity to execute the Main Street Four Point Approach, Baseline Requirements and Nationally Accredited Main Street Standards. They must be a current IAMS program and have submitted their self-assessment with their 2022 annual reporting.

• Click here for the NAMS Accreditation standards.
• Click here for the NAMS Accreditation Self-Assessment Tool.

If you have any questions, please contact your Community Liaison.

Click here to view the Main Street 101 presentation.

Main Street Ready

This technical assistance program seeks to assist communities to set strategic priorities for downtown revitalization based on the community’s vision for downtown.

Prior to participating in Main Street Ready, the community must attend an Indiana Main Street 101 within 12 months of applying or be a current OCRA Downtown Affiliated Network community. ODAN communities must indicate a desire to level-up within the Indiana Main Street program in their annual reporting prior to applying to be eligible.

Main Street Ready is offered by OCRA community liaisons and Indiana Main Street staff.

Main Street Ready includes the following steps:

• Online Community Survey – Gather input from stakeholders about the state of your downtown.
• Document Review – Community will send information like downtown business list, planning documents and organizational documents to their Community Liaison and Indiana Main Street program manager.
• On-Site Community Visit – Indiana Main Street and your community liaison will do a walking assessment of the downtown and conduct interviews throughout the day with various community partners.
• Final Report – Four weeks after the visit, the community will receive a report with the survey results, community data and recommendations for the community as they pursue downtown improvement activities.

*Prior to requesting this technical assistance visit, a community would need to attend a Main Street 101 meeting.

To request Main Street Ready technical assistance, please reach out to your community liaison or email indianamainstreet@ocra.in.gov

Testimonials

"Discover Oxford found great value in the Main Street Ready program. The team from OCRA and IMS guided us through a process we do not have the capacity to facilitate ourselves. The data collection and public meetings were a great source of information, but the final Main Street Ready report is pure gold. Our Board and committees are excited to jump in this year with the recommended actions items, validated by data and the experience of Indiana Main Street."

- Ashley Brice, Board President, Discover Oxford

"Participation in the Ready program has been a transformative experience. Our Board emerged from the process with a clarity that we were unable to work toward without assistance. The talent residing within the OCRA and Indiana Main Street team delivered an immersion event tying together a community survey, leadership focus groups, a public meeting, and a broad demographic study in a way that was an energized experience for our town. The information provided in the summary report has strengthened our partnership building, deepened our ties to our local governance, enhanced our grant writing, and boosted the awareness and enthusiasm of our residents. The summary report, including specific demographics around which we could build specific goals, was the foundation for a highly productive public Annual Meeting resulting in action items that accelerated our work. The impact of Main Street Ready has been immediate and will inform future work for many cycles of improvement."

- Cynthia Keever, Vice President, Sheridan Main Street Inc.