READY Appalachia is an ARC initiative that helps Appalachian communities, organizations and individuals obtain the skills, knowledge and resources necessary to strengthen their local economies.
Offerings include training and funding access, with special emphasis on serving Appalachia’s most economically distressed counties.
READY Grants to Grow
READY Grants to Grow is an ARC funding opportunity that helps Appalachian organizations strengthen their local economies – now and into the future.
In December 2025, ARC awarded over $11.6 million to 47 Appalachian organizations to address economic challenges and better serve communities in 12 Appalachian states.
READY Community Foundations
READY Community Foundations helps participants strengthen operations, programming and fundraising to advance local economies.
In December 2025, ARC awarded nearly $564,000 to 23 community foundations serving 10 Appalachian states.
READY Local Governments
READY Local Governments helps local government officials better identify, secure, manage and implement federally funded economic development projects.
In 2025, ARC has awarded nearly $3.3 million to 69 local government entities serving 12 Appalachian states.
READY Nonprofits
READY Nonprofits helps nonprofit executives, staff and board members build skills to better fulfill organizational missions and uplift economies.
In June 2025, ARC selected 75 nonprofit organizations from 12 Appalachian states to take part in a seven-week training program.
READY LDDs
READY LDDs has awarded nearly $4 million to 41 Appalachian local development districts in 11 Appalachian states.
Awards were used to help LDDs enhance efficiencies to plan and implement economic and community development projects.
