READY Grants to Grow is making $9 million available for projects that will build individual, organizational and/or community capacity to help the region’s most underserved areas and populations create positive change.
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) announced the launch of READY Grants to Grow, a new, $9 million funding opportunity that will award grants of up to $500,000 to organizations seeking to build individual, organizational and/or community capacity across Appalachia. Any organization that is eligible to apply for an ARC grant can apply for READY Grants to Grow, though certain requirements apply.
READY Grants to Grow is the latest offering from READY Appalachia, ARC’s capacity-building initiative offering no-cost training and funding access to nonprofits, local development districts (LDDs), local governments and community foundations serving the region. This new funding opportunity aims to make even more resources available to a wider range of community and economic development organizations.
“Many of our Appalachian communities do not have the staff to fully take advantage of valuable opportunities for growth,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. “Through the READY Grants to Grow initiative, ARC is working to help these communities to address these economic inequalities, so they can increase their grant success potential and create long-lasting, transformative change for their residents and the region.”
To be selected, organizations must propose projects that strengthen underserved communities and economies in the Appalachian Region, and/or demonstrate low capacity themselves. Proposed projects must address one or more of the following:
- Individual capacity building, including skill training for organization staff or professional development for leaders.
- Organizational capacity building, including hiring new staff for expanded services, developing internal strategic plans, or purchasing goods and services that will improve operation.
- Community capacity building, including creating and expanding partnership networks, hiring a contractor for a community economic development plan, or launching a community-led planning process.
Successful projects will draw a clear connection between their capacity building proposal and the broader community’s economic development and improved services to underserved populations and areas.
A pre-application webinar will be held on October 10, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. ET. Interested applicants must submit a letter of intent to apply by November 1, 2024 to access application portal. Grant applications are due February 14, 2025.
READY Appalachia was launched in July 2022 using Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds. To date, ARC has provided no-cost training to 75 nonprofits, 90 local government entities, 41 LDDs and 30 community foundations to help them build internal capacity and better serve their communities. Nearly $4 million in funding (no match required) was awarded through READY LDDs and more than $1.6 million was awarded through READY Nonprofits, with more awards on the horizon through READY Local Governments and READY Community Foundations.
Across all READY Appalachia opportunities, special emphasis is placed on serving Appalachia’s most underrepresented communities, including economically distressed areas, organizations located within the Rural Partners Network’s Community Networks, counties prioritized by the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities, and marginalized populations.
About READY Appalachia
READY Appalachia is an ARC initiative building individual, organizational and community capacity in the Appalachian Region. Offerings include no-cost, cohort-based training and funding access (no match required) for nonprofit organizations, Local Development Districts (LDDs), local governments and community foundations serving the Appalachian Region. Additionally, READY Grants to Grow offers capacity building grant awards of up to $500,000, available to entities that are currently eligible to apply for ARC grants. Across all READY Appalachia offerings, special emphasis is placed on helping the region’s most under resourced and economically distressed communities increase their ability to solve pressing issues and create lasting, positive change.
About the Appalachian Regional Commission
The Appalachian Regional Commission is an economic development entity of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 423 counties across the Appalachian Region. ARC’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia to help the region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation.