READY Local Governments

READY Local Governments is one of four tracks offered by ARC’s READY Appalachia initiative.

Appalachia’s local governments are the backbone of economic and community development. With more federal funding available than ever, local governments need support to apply for these opportunities and leverage federal support to create lasting, positive change. 

READY Local Governments provides no-cost training to help local government officials better identify, secure, manage, and implement federally funded projects. 

Following completion of the training program, participants will be eligible for up to $50,000 in funding (no-match required) to implement internal capacity-building projects to help them better serve communities.

Latest News

ARC Announces 90 Participating Local Governments

In April 2024, ARC announced 90 local government entities in 12 Appalachian states to participate in this training program.

These participants will attend nine weeks of virtual, cohort-based learning to build critical skills around federal funding.

No-Cost Training

Expanding Skillsets

READY Local Governments participants will grow their skills in areas including: 

  • Project Identification, Research, and Planning
  • The Grant Lifecycle
  • Federal Grant Application Development 
  • Community Engagement 
  • Federal Grant Regulations and Compliance
  • Federal Grant Financial and Risk Management

Helping All Communities Access Resources

Any borough, city, county, municipality, parish, town, township, or federally-recognized Indian tribe in the Appalachian Region is eligible for READY Local Governments.

Municipalities serving the following groups and areas are strongly encouraged to participate:

  • Historically underserved and marginalized populations 

Contact Us

If you have questions about applications, please contact our team at ready@arc.gov.