Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)

Our grantees are getting to the root of Appalachia’s forest products sector, and all its economic opportunities! Today, we awarded a $342K ARISE grant to Land of Sky Regional Council to fund a multi-state task force, the Southern Appalachian Forest Products Marketing and Supply Chain Analysis project. Together, they’ll uncover economic growth opportunities in the forest products sector, as well as ways to attract private investment. Learn more about this project, which will impact 63 counties across NC, SC and TN: https://bit.ly/4iUE8CA

Appalachia’s river ports are crucial hubs for transporting goods and connecting local economies to broader trade networks. Today, we’re excited to announce an investment in port infrastructure in Southern Appalachia. $10M in ARC funds will support improvements at two sites of the Yellow Creek State Inland Port Authority, the oldest port on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. The ports serve multiple modes of transit, including barge, rail and truck, for multiple industrial businesses in Appalachian Mississippi and Alabama. Learn more about the project: https://lnkd.in/earWy8GB

Maps + Appalachia = Mappalachia! Did you know we have lots of maps you can use to better understand the region, areas that are eligible for ARC funding and more? Check out a few below that you might not have seen before: 🏛️ The map of Appalachian counties lays out local boundaries of all counties served by ARC. https://lnkd.in/er2KW_pT 📊 The local development districts map provides more information about the 74 entities that facilitate multi-county economic development. https://lnkd.in/dg6bHnw8  📬 The zip code map can help you determine if your project is eligible for ARC funding. https://lnkd.in/eGSNxcTM    And see all our many maps here: https://www.arc.gov/map/  Happy perusing! 🤓

ARC is a federal-state-local partnership 🤝 and we're with partners from every level at the Development District Association of Appalachia conference! It's especially meaningful to be together for ARC's 60th anniversary. Together, we've helped cut the regional poverty rate in half and reduced the number of high-poverty counties by 60 percent. We're grateful for the role our state and local played in that success. Particularly, how they work alongside their fellow community members each day to target ARC funding to where it's needed most. There’s still much to do. And we look forward to continued collaborations that support regional economic growth. 

Calling all Appalachian organizations – we need your input! Please take this short, 10-minute survey to help us identify pressing organizational capacity needs to support economic growth across the region. Your insights will help shape our capacity building programming for the next five years! https://lnkd.in/gd6i568j

Today, Governors and representatives from Appalachia's 13 states met for ARC's annual quorum meeting. During the discussion, several governors shared updates on their work to expand economic opportunities in Appalachian communities, including success stories and investment goals for 2025. They also provided updates related to recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene in September 2024, and last week's flooding and storm damage. Thank you to all who participated! Learn more about how ARC collaborates with state governments across Appalachia: https://lnkd.in/eBekCqTk

Our thoughts are with the Appalachians who have been impacted by the recent flooding and ongoing storms. We stand ready to support our state partners as they assess ways to recover and rebuild. It’s been said before, but it’s worth repeating: the resilience, compassion and community care shown by Appalachians – especially in times of crisis – will help the region rise up stronger than before. We saw this during the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the 2022 Eastern Kentucky flooding, and are seeing it again now. Below we've listed some emergency resources and ways to support our neighbors in need. We’ll share more resources as they become available. Kentucky: Rapid Needs Assessment - https://bit.ly/4b9itmM Team Kentucky Storm Relief Fund - https://bit.ly/3CJNBwM Virginia: Virginia Department of Emergency Management's February 2025 Winter Weather and Flooding Resources - https://bit.ly/3ELsWZF West Virginia: West Virginia Emergency Management Division Resources - https://bit.ly/3XadCMF Volunteer Information and Contacts by County - https://bit.ly/4188lX6 Damage Assessment Survey - https://bit.ly/3vTbi23 Tennessee: Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Contacts by County - https://bit.ly/4k9FwlR Image: ABC News

We 💙 Appalachian nonprofits! They meet pressing local needs, but too often lack critical resources and capacity. That’s why we’re offering no-cost training through READY Nonprofits, which will help them strengthen operations, programming and fundraising. Applications are due on February 28, just two weeks from today! Learn more and watch the full pre-application webinar: https://lnkd.in/eJzzAziX

Do you have an economic development project to strengthen communities affected by substance use disorder? Check out our INSPIRE Initiative! You can watch the pre-application webinar now: https://bit.ly/3Sdxts4 Then, submit a letter of intent to apply for funding (LOI) by this Friday, February 14! Learn more: https://bit.ly/4aTR8VR

Elected by his fellow Appalachian governors, Maryland Governor Wes Moore is ARC's 2025 States' Co-Chair! Governor Moore will work alongside his fellow governors and ARC’s Federal Co-Chair to advance economic growth across the 13-state, 423-county Appalachian Region. Thank you to Tennessee Governor Bill Lee for his contributions while serving as 2024 States' Co-Chair. ARC invested over $364 million in 583 projects in fiscal year (FY) 2024, which attracted an additional $5 billion in private investments. Those investments are projected to create or retain 16,000+ jobs and prepare 39,600+ students and workers for new opportunities. We look forward to working alongside Governor Moore to continue strengthening Appalachia in the year ahead. Read our full announcement: https://bit.ly/3WOC59R