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    HomeInvestments in Action

      	
				
	
	
	
	
	
	Investments in Action
  

Every year, ARC investments support hundreds of economic development projects benefiting Appalachia’s 423 counties. Projects align with one of five goals outlined in our current Strategic Plan. The resulting investments ultimately help Appalachian communities address economic disparity and advance prosperity.
Explore stories from ARC projects and partners across the Appalachian Region.States & Counties
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		Topics
			See AllClear all filtersKentucky
			Knott    
    Hindman, KY: Overcoming Challenges and Upgrading Water Services

          Using BIL funds, the City of Hindman was able to overcome cost barriers to critical water system upgrades.
    
    
    
          Coal-Impacted Communities
          Community Infrastructure
          COVID-19 ResponseKentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia    
    Central Appalachia: Increasing Capital Access in Coal Communities

          ARC’s POWER Initiative has invested millions in projects working to create jobs and new economic opportunities in coal-impacted communities. A barrier to the creation of opportunity, however, is capital access. Without the money and credit needed to start a business, the ideas of home-grown entrepreneurs cannot be put into...
    
    
    
          Coal-Impacted CommunitiesKentucky, Ohio    
    Shawnee State University: Building a Behavioral Health Workforce

          With support from ARC’s INSPIRE initiative, many Appalachian communities are addressing substance use disorder (SUD) by bolstering recovery-to-work programs and related support services. Portsmouth, Ohio and the surrounding area – which includes both Southern Ohio and several counties in north central Appalachian Kentucky – is no...
    
    
    
          Education and Training
          Substance Use DisorderKentucky
			Pike    
    Pikeville, KY: New Wastewater Technology Supports a Growth Mindset

          Building Appalachia’s infrastructure has been an ARC investment priority for 58 years, especially the development and maintenance of basic infrastructure systems for water, sewer, energy, and stormwater. ARC’s Area Development Program invested $66.8 million in water and sewer projects alone in Fiscal Year 2022.
    
    
    
          Coal-Impacted Communities
          Community InfrastructureKentucky    
    Dataseam: Growing the IT Workforce in Eastern Kentucky

          Like many coal-impacted areas in Appalachia, Eastern Kentucky is tackling economic transition head-on by diversifying its economic bases and creating new opportunities in communities. Emerging industries such as information technology (IT), computer science, and engineering have shown promise, but a shortage of IT talent was keeping the region from reaching...
    
    
    
          Coal-Impacted Communities
          Education and Training
          Training and OpportunitiesKentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia    
    Northern and Central Appalachia: Expanding Tourism Through Outdoor Recreation

          In KY, PA, VA, and WV, ARC partners are building trails and tourism experiences.
    
    
    
          Asset-Based Development
          Coal-Impacted Communities
          Tourism DevelopmentKentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia    
    Central Appalachia: Growing Opportunities Through Local Food

          Since 2015, ARC’s POWER Initiative has invested millions in projects working to create jobs, fuel new industries, and prepare workers and students for new opportunities in coal-impacted communities. The largest POWER funding package to date was awarded in October 2022, with particular momentum for one emerging sector: local food. ...
    
    
    
          Coal-Impacted Communities
          Entrepreneurship and Business Development
          Training and OpportunitiesKentucky
			Letcher, Perry    
    Fahe: Building a Recovery-Friendly Workforce

          In 1980, Fahe was founded to provide access to workforce training and financial resources for locally-rooted nonprofit organizations. Its founding members quickly learned they could “go further together,” and has since grown into a strong network of 50+ nonprofits from six states working toward a...
    
    
    
          Substance Use Disorder
          Training and OpportunitiesKentucky    
    The Kentucky Wildlands: Building a Recreation Destination

          The Kentucky Wildlands is driving economic development and regional tourism across 14,000-square-miles of “largely untamed wilderness.”...
    
    
    
          Tourism DevelopmentKentucky
			Whitley    
    Why Whitley: Designing a New Community Narrative

          UK Landscape Architecture rendering of River Fog Park (Image courtesy of Why Whitley Facebook) In 2018 in Whitley County, Kentucky, a group of passionate citizens held a dinner to discuss ways to change the narrative surrounding the community. There were so many things to be proud of within the county,...
    
    
    
          Leadership Development and Capacity BuildingKentucky    
    Pike County Health Department: Helping Workers Rebuild

          Through woodworking, men in recovery will learn skills and create for their communities.
    
    
    
          Substance Use DisorderKentucky
			Perry    
    Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky: Revitalizing, Redeveloping and Reinvesting in Communities

          This story is one of several “Stories of Change” highlighted in a new evaluation of ARC’s POWER Initiative.
    
    
    
          Economic Status
          Entrepreneurship and Business Development
          Tourism DevelopmentKentucky    
    Community Farm Alliance: Making Farmers Markets Stronger

          In Kentucky, Community Farm Alliance has worked for 36 years to help Kentucky communities, farmers markets, and producers reap those important benefits.
    
    
    
          Asset-Based Development
          Entrepreneurship and Business DevelopmentKentucky
			Knott, Perry    
    Kentucky River Community Care: Building Bridges to Long-Term Recovery

          At 39% participation, Eastern Kentucky has the lowest workforce participation rate among ages 18-24 in the nation. This area also finds itself at the epicenter of our nation’s substance abuse crisis, creating a unique challenge for both the health and economic capacity of communities. That’s why a number of organizations, like Kentucky River Community Care, Inc. (KRCC), work every day...
    
    
    
          Substance Use DisorderKentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, West Virginia
			
															
															Athens    
    Appalachian States Lead on COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts

          It’s been a full year since the nation’s first confirmed COVID-19 case. With federal plans to amp up vaccinations as soon as possible, it’s important to take a look at how Appalachian states are responding to, and in some cases leading, vaccination...
    
    
    
          COVID-19 Response Appalachian Regional Commission

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