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    HomeAppalachia Envisioned: ARC’s 2022-2026 Strategic Plan

        
      
Appalachia Envisioned: ARC’s 2022-2026 Strategic Plan
	
	
				
	
	
	Throughout 2021, ARC hosted community conversations, focus groups, and a public survey to gather input and affirm an investment framework to meet Appalachia’s economic needs. Approximately **2,000 participants** shared insights on the strengths, challenges, and opportunities facing communities, along with ideas to advance economic prosperity.

This feedback has been transformed into ARC’s new strategic plan, *Appalachia Envisioned: A New Era of Opportunity*, and will guide ARC’s work to innovate, partner, and invest in the Appalachian Region.

Strategic Plan VisionStrategic Plan MissionStrategic Plan Guiding Principles 1-6Strategic Plan Guiding Principles 7-12

Strategic Investment Goals and Objectives





	


  
Goal #1          
                      Building Appalachian Businesses
          
                      Strengthen and diversify the Region’s economy through inclusive economic development strategies and investments in entrepreneurship and business development.
          
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Goal #2          
                      Building Appalachia’s Workforce Ecosystem
          
                      Expand and strengthen community systems (education, healthcare, housing, childcare, and others) that help Appalachians obtain a job, stay on the job, and advance along a financially sustaining career pathway.
          
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Goal #3          
                      Building Appalachia’s Infrastructure
          
                      Ensure that the residents and businesses of Appalachia have access to reliable, affordable, resilient, and energy efficient utilities and infrastructure in order to successfully live and work in the Region.
          
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Goal #4          
                      Building Regional Culture and Tourism
          
                      Strengthen Appalachia’s community and economic development potential by preserving and investing in the Region’s local, cultural heritage, and natural assets.
          
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Goal #5          
                      Building Community Leaders and Capacity
          
                      Invest in the capacity of local leaders, organizations, and communities to address local challenges by providing technical assistance and support to access resources, engage partners, identify strategies and tactics, and conduct effective planning and project execution.
          
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ARC’s Roles

To successfully implement its strategic mission, ARC commits itself to the following roles.





    1. Catalyst

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1. Catalyst
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            ARC seeks to catalyze innovation in the Region by cultivating and supporting new and burgeoning ideas for projects and activities in local communities.
                                                                                                

2. Investor

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2. Investor
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            ARC invests and leverages its resources in projects and activities designed to transform the Region’s economy and its communities’ well-being.
                                                                                                

3. Capacity-Builder

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3. Capacity-Builder
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            ARC supports the development of community leaders and overall community capacity to successfully plan, propose and implement innovative projects and initiatives; develops and shares best practices, and conducts outreach and technical assistance to bring new and/or under-resourced groups to the planning table.
                                                                                                

4. Advocate

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4. Advocate
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            ARC advocates for Appalachia and develops co-investment partnerships with other organizations at all levels—local, regional, national, and global.
                                                                                                

5. Convener

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5. Convener
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            ARC convenes, or supports convening of, broad and inclusive groups of stakeholders to identify, plan, and implement innovative local solutions for local challenges.    ​
                                                                                                

6. Researcher

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6. Researcher
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            ARC conducts research that analyzes key economic, demographic, and quality-of-life factors that affect Appalachia’s future development prospects. Research informs best practices, helps ARC leadership and state and local partners target resources effectively, and provides valid data for outside researchers.
                                                                                                

7. Evaluator

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7. Evaluator
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            ARC evaluates grant implementation and outcomes to assess the extent to which funded projects contribute to ARC’s strategic goals, share and replicate best practices, and inform ongoing improvements to ARC programming.
                                                                                                

8. Equity Driver

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8. Equity Driver
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            ARC invests in and supports projects and activities that include intentional strategies to create a more equitable Appalachia.
                                                                                                

9. Coach

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9. Coach
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            ARC provides staff resources to support states and grantees with successful project implementation, including technical assistance, coaching, and problem solving to help overcome barriers to success. ​
                                                                                                

10. Navigator

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10. Navigator
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            ARC assists the Region with navigating the complex federal funding landscape to strategically access and leverage funding to support key projects and initiatives.







	

Highlighting Our Strategic Goals        From February 2022 through September 2023, ARC hit the road to highlight our new strategic goals, and how Appalachia’s 13 states are working to achieve them, in a five-part virtual series entitled Appalachia Envisioned Roadshow.
							
															Learn More





	



Related Content    
    
    Report      
      Appalachian Regional Commission Strategic Plan: Synthesis Report
																				
																	

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      About the Appalachian Region
																				
																	

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