Officials hope a new report can serve as a guide for communities to determine funding levels if considering joining the state’s Main Street Program.

The office of Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs released the Indiana Main Street 2022 Income and Salary Report, which contains current salaries, benefits, operational funding and staffing data of Indiana Main Street communities, as well as tools and resources. There are presently 118 Main Street organizations in Indiana.

“Main Street communities play a key role in downtown revitalization and economic development,” said Denny Spinner, OCRA executive director. “OCRA and our Indiana Main Street team hope this report will be insightful for current and future Main Streets and be a helpful resource for those engaging in the program.”

Information in the report is based on 63 survey responses from participating state Main Street programs. Additional comparison data to other nonprofits in Indiana was collected from Charitable Advisors 2021 Central Indiana Nonprofit Salary Survey.

The report also focuses on tools and resources to help staff, board members and local units of government of current and future Indiana Main Streets. This includes guidance for local Main Street organizations on how to advocate for themselves and engage local municipalities and other organizations for further funding or support.

For paid staff and board members of Main Street organizations, the report includes information on how to understand ideal compensation for staff and plan accordingly for raises, salary adjustments, providing benefits and additional staff. The state said the guide also seeks to help Main Street communities understand and evaluate current operating budgets at different Indiana Main Street levels and population sizes.

Indiana Main Street encourages community-driven revitalization of downtown areas in Indiana cities and towns.