Appalachian Regional Commission: Key Grant Programs

Agency Description

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is an economic development partnership agency 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. Since 1965, ARC has invested with local, regional, and state partners to transform Appalachian communities, create jobs, and strengthen the regional economy.

ARC uses congressionally appropriated funds to invest in the Region’s economic and community development through grants. In Fiscal Year 2021, Congress appropriated a record $180 million for the Appalachian Regional Commission.

As part of a federal-state partnership, ARC’s grant application process begins at the state government level. All ARC grants align with the investment priorities outlined in their current Strategic Plan and reflect state plans and strategies.

All ARC grants need state concurrence, which is coordinated through the State Program Managers. Applicants to ARC grants will need to coordinate with their state program manager.

Discretionary Grant Programs

Below are brief descriptions of Appalachian Regional Commission grant programs.

For more information on these opportunities, follow the links in each description, which lead to individual grant program pages in the Grant Applicant Toolkit’s DOT Discretionary Grants Dashboard, where you can search federal grant opportunities at USDOT and other federal agencies that can aid communities in meeting their transportation infrastructure needs.

Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies

The Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies Grant (Arise) is a new ARC initiative that aims to drive large-scale, regional economic transformation through multi-state collaborative economic development projects across Appalachia. With the additional funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), ARC launched ARISE to strengthen Appalachian business and industry, and to grow and support the development of new opportunities across multiple states.

ARISE encourages the region’s 13 states to think beyond local and state lines and to spearhead initiatives that encourage states to work together as one, united Appalachia to advance ARC’s strategic investment priorities.

ARISE anticipates awarding approximately $73.5 million in funding per year.

For Planning Grants, individual awards are up to $500,000.

For Implementation Grants, individual awards are up to $10 million (ARC reserves the right to award grants in larger amounts on a case-by-case basis and when substantially compelling circumstances are present).

For questions about the ARISE Grant, contact ARISE@arc.gov.

Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization

The Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative funds economic development projects that help communities and regions that have been affected by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations, and coal-related supply chain industries due to the changing economics of America’s energy production.

ARC announced its largest POWER grant package to date in October 2022, awarding nearly $47 million for projects that will leverage entrepreneurship, workforce development, and infrastructure to bolster re-employment opportunities, create jobs in existing or new industries, and attract new sources of investment.

POWER anticipates awarding approximately $65 million in funds per year.

For Planning Grants, individual awards are up to $50,000.

For Implementation Grants, individual awards are between $400,000 and $1,500,000 (Broadband deployment projects are between $400,000 and $2,500,000).

For questions about the POWER Initiative, contact power@arc.gov.