Ohio River Commission Grant Program

The Ohio River Commission Grant Program is administered by the Ohio River Commission under the oversight of the Ohio Department of Development. The Commission works collaboratively with local, regional, and state stakeholders to strengthen the Ohio River as a connected and competitive economic corridor. This program reflects the state’s strategic interest in leveraging the Ohio River as a major economic asset by supporting communities within the 14 Ohio River counties. The initiative is designed to foster economic resilience, enhance workforce readiness, and promote tourism and recreation tied to the river system. The primary purpose of the grant program is to assist eligible entities in transforming local opportunities into measurable economic outcomes. The program emphasizes three major focus areas: river infrastructure and port readiness planning, maritime and river-based workforce development, and river tourism and recreation. Through these categories, the program seeks to support planning and pre-development activities, workforce pipeline development, and initiatives that improve access and visibility of riverfront assets. Projects are expected to contribute to long-term regional growth and provide tangible benefits to communities along the Ohio River. Funding is structured as a competitive grant program with approximately five hundred thousand dollars available in total. Individual applicants may request up to one hundred thousand dollars per project. The program does not allocate fixed funding amounts to specific categories, allowing flexibility for applicants to propose projects that may span multiple focus areas. Eligible uses of funds include planning activities such as infrastructure assessments, workforce training initiatives, tourism development strategies, and related preparatory work. The emphasis is on projects that are feasible, scalable, and capable of delivering sustainable outcomes beyond the grant period. Eligibility for the program is broad and includes local governments, schools, career centers, nonprofit organizations, ports, terminals, and economic development agencies located within the designated Ohio River counties. Applicants must demonstrate organizational capacity to complete the proposed project and provide evidence of prior relevant experience. The application process requires submission of a letter of interest, a detailed scope of work outlining project activities and timelines, and documentation of organizational capacity, including examples of past projects completed within the last five years. Applications are submitted through an online portal hosted by the Ohio Department of Development. The application window opens at 10 a.m. on August 12, 2026, and remains open for a period of thirty days. Applicants must ensure that all required materials are submitted within this timeframe. Following submission, all eligible applications are evaluated using a standardized scoring framework that considers strategic alignment with program goals, regional impact and visibility, feasibility and readiness, leveraging of partnerships and additional funding sources, and long-term sustainability of project outcomes. After the evaluation process is completed, awards are expected to be announced in early October 2026. The Director of the Ohio Department of Development, in coordination with the Ohio River Commission, retains limited discretion to ensure balanced geographic distribution of funds across the eligible counties. This ensures equitable access to funding opportunities and allows for adjustments based on regional needs. The program is positioned as a recurring opportunity to support ongoing development along the Ohio River, although explicit recurrence frequency is not formally stated. Overall, the program represents a strategic investment in strengthening economic, workforce, and tourism outcomes across Ohio’s river communities.

Align proposal with strategic priorities; demonstrate regional impact; provide clear timeline and partnerships; emphasize sustainability beyond grant period