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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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			See AllClear all filtersVirginia
			City of Martinsville, Henry, Patrick    
    Piedmont Community Services Board: Expanding Community Connection in Virginia

          Community Recovery Program’s Program Manager Lisa Smith with the Champions award for community collaboration. Across the Commonwealth of Virginia, Community Service Boards (CSBs) serve as joint partnerships between state and local governments to meet critical behavioral health needs in every county. Piedmont Regional Community Services Board has long served as one of...
    
    
    
          Substance Use DisorderOhio
			Lawrence    
    Ironton-Lawrence Community Action Organization: Expanding Recovery Ecosystems in OH, KY and WV

          The Ironton-Lawrence Community Action Organization (ILCAO) is dedicated to improving the well-being of residents of Lawrence County, Ohio by providing assistance for housing, homelessness, and nutrition, early childhood services, and job training opportunities. Together these services are having a critical impact in a county where economic distress is steadily increasing. Now, with a $500,000 grant from ARC’s INvestments Supporting Partnerships...
    
    
    
          Substance Use Disorder
          Training and OpportunitiesTennessee
			Hamblen    
    Helping Women Enter the Recovery-to-Work Ecosystem in Appalachian Tennessee

          Across Appalachia, developing a ready workforce must include helping workers re-enter and retain employment. Since 2017, the staff at the Helen Ross McNabb Center in Morristown, Tennessee, has been doing just that. The McNabb Center’s Jail to Work program gives women serving in county jails on drug offenses the...
    
    
    
          College and Career Readiness
          Education and Training
          Substance Use Disorder
          Training and OpportunitiesOhio
			Athens    
    Ohio University’s Innovation Center: Incubating Appalachia’s Biotech Startups

          Behind every thriving community is small business. Behind a lot of successful small businesses are incubators, which provide the support and resources startups need to succeed. For 38 years, Ohio University’s award-winning Innovation Center (IC) has offered much-needed space for Appalachian Ohio’s innovators, helping them bring...
    
    
    
          Entrepreneurship and Business DevelopmentGeorgia    
    Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs: Supporting Businesses of All Backgrounds

          For 20+ years, Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs has empowered entrepreneurs in Appalachian Georgia by lending to those who might be overlooked.
    
    
    
          Entrepreneurship and Business DevelopmentWest Virginia
			Boone, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Wayne, Wyoming    
    The Natural Capital Investment Fund: A Path To Success

          In 2016, the Natural Capital Investment Fund (NCIFund) partnered with the Hatfield McCoy Trail Authority and Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College (Southern) to drive recreational tourism development in the coalfields of southern West Virginia. Through ARC POWER funding, the partners launched a revolving loan...
    
    
    
          Entrepreneurship and Business Development
          Tourism DevelopmentKentucky, 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 ResponseWest Virginia
			Braxton, McDowell, Monongalia, Wayne    
    On the Road to Recovery with Reintegrate Appalachia

          Individuals overcoming substance use disorder (SUD) often face a series of overwhelming obstacles when reentering their communities. Workplace stigmas around addiction, a lack of transportation to services and unsupportive living situations can all stand in the way of successful long-term recovery. To help individuals navigate these types of barriers,...
    
    
    
          Substance Use Disorder
          Training and OpportunitiesNorth Carolina
			Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, McDowell, Macon, Madison, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania    
    Creating PPE for Nurses and School Officials in Western North Carolina

          STEMwork in western North Carolina (WNCSTEMwork) is a teacher professional development initiative of the Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology, and Science at North Carolina State University. With ARC support, this program supports six middle and high school teachers from ten counties as they develop their capacity to lead and...
    
    
    
          COVID-19 ResponseWest Virginia
			Calhoun, Fayette, Gilmer, Lincoln, Mingo, Wyoming    
    SWEEP: Training West Virginia’s Entrepreneurs

          “About 80% of West Virginia businesses have 20 or less employees,” said Alyssa Keedy, the Advanced Career Education Coordinator at the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE). Why is that the case? One reason is a disconnect between West Virginia workers and the skills needed by local employers. With many...
    
    
    
          College and Career Readiness
          Education and Training
          Entrepreneurship and Business Development
          Training and OpportunitiesNorth Carolina    
    EmPOWERing North Carolina’s Farmers and Small Businesses

          In October 2019, North Carolina State University (NCSU) received a $1.1 million grant from ARC’s POWER Initiative to launch EmPOWERing Mountain Food Systems. The project initially intended to strengthen a seven-county “foodshed” in Western North Carolina by helping current producers become more profitable and training new farmers to...
    
    
    
          COVID-19 Response
          Leadership Development and Capacity BuildingWest Virginia
			Fayette, Nicholas, Raleigh, Summers    
    Active Southern West Virginia: Getting Appalachians Moving

          With only one in three adults physically active, West Virginia has high rates of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. These health outcomes directly affect workforce readiness and productivity, economic development, and overall quality of life in communities. To get West Virginians moving – and health trends moving in the...Mississippi
			Oktibbeha    
    The Communiversity: Transforming Manufacturing in Mississippi

          The Communiversity at East Mississippi Community College (EMCC) Center for Manufacturing Technology Excellence 2.0, is a state-of-the-art workforce training center looking to produce trained workers for some of the world’s most technically advanced manufacturers. ARC has invested $10.7 million in the 135,000-square-foot facility that delivers training and education to support...
    
    
    
          College and Career Readiness
          Education and Training
          Training and OpportunitiesVirginia
			Montgomery    
    Appalachian Community Capital: Investing in the Investors

          In 2013, with seed money from ARC, Appalachian Community Capital was founded to increase business lending opportunities in the region.
    
    
    
          Asset-Based Development
          Distressed Counties Program
          Entrepreneurship and Business Development
          Opportunity ZonesKentucky    
    BRIGHT Kentucky: Leading the Region’s Future

          BRIGHT Kentucky is a free training program building developed by the Leadership Kentucky Foundation to expand capacity of next-generation economic development leaders in the state’s 54 Appalachian counties. Made possible through support from ARC, The Kentucky Department of Local Government, the Whitaker Foundation, Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR), and others,...
    
    
    
          Education and Training
          Leadership Development and Capacity Building Appalachian Regional Commission

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