Awards and training are offered through READY Appalachia, an initiative providing training and funding access to help participants build capacity to address economic needs in all 13 Appalachian states.  

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 5, 2025—Today, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) awarded capacity-building grants to 59 local governments and selected 75 nonprofits for no-cost capacity building training. The funding and training are made possible through READY Local Governments and READY Nonprofits, two tailored tracks under ARC’s capacity-building initiative, READY Appalachia. All READY programming is designed to help Appalachians build individual, organizational and community capacity to envision and enact positive economic change. 

The over $2.8 million awarded through READY Local Governments will help 59 local governments representing 12 Appalachian states to implement internal capacity-building projects to better address their communities’ economic development needs. Prior to receiving their awards, recipients completed a nine-week virtual course to improve skills in project identification and planning, community engagement in projects, federal grant application development, federal grant regulations and compliance, and more. 

The no-cost, virtual training offered through READY Nonprofits will help 75 nonprofit organizations representing 12 Appalachian states build internal capacity to better fulfill their missions and strengthen services to help Appalachian economies thrive. Participants will train for seven weeks on one of eight course options: board development, financial management, fundraising, human capital, marketing and communications, programs and operations, grant writing and management, and strategic planning. Upon successful completion, participating nonprofits will be eligible to apply for up to $25,000 in funding (no match required) to implement internal capacity-building projects. To date, ARC has awarded over $1.7 million to 69 Appalachian nonprofits through READY Nonprofits. 

“ARC’s local partners have always been integral to our on-the-ground economic development work across the Appalachian region,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. “ARC remains committed to these partnerships through our READY initiative, which is continuing to provide our Appalachian communities with the resources and support they need to build a prosperous future.” 

“This funding awarded through READY Appalachia demonstrates ARC’s ongoing commitment to capacity building and strengthening organizations that serve Appalachian communities,” said Maryland Governor and ARC 2025 States’ Co-Chair Wes Moore. “READY Appalachia‘s dual-track approach ensures access to the tools and support necessary to effectively serve communities and drive economic growth across the region.” 

Across all READY Appalachia learning tracks, ARC encourages applications from organizations that serve economically distressed counties, are lower capacity, are located in remote areas of the region, or that have not previously worked with ARC. 

To learn more about READY Appalachia, visit https://www.arc.gov/ready/ 

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. 

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 economically distressed communities increase their ability to solve pressing issues and create lasting, positive change.