Ruthie Caldwell serves as MI2’s Grants and Funding Consultant, where she will share funding opportunities and help partners develop competitive grant applications. This will help Kentucky become poised and ready to gain unprecedented amounts of federal grant dollars available for metals-related projects through federal legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act, Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, and CHIPS & Science Act. Ruthie owns Vision Granted, LLC, and works as a grant writer, project manager, facilitator, and bureaucracy navigator for organizations in Kentucky and Central Appalachia. She has a Master’s in Communication and is a certified Project Manager who has led many teams in strategic planning, project management, grant writing, and report development. Her primary interests include economic and workforce development, downtown revitalization, addiction recovery, healthcare, education, and the arts. Ruthie is a graduate of the 2019 BRIGHT Kentucky leadership program, a Regional Partner and Steering Committee member for What’s Next EKY?!, and a Fellow for AccelerateKY.