Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies (ARISE) is ARC’s multi-state initiative that aims to drive large-scale, regional economic transformation through collaborative projects.
ARISE encourages initiatives that go beyond state borders and help the 13 Appalachian states advance ARC’s strategic investment priorities as one, united Appalachia. The multi-state projects supported by this initiative are strengthening Appalachian business and industry, and growing and supporting the development of new opportunities across multiple economic sectors.
ARISE’s Impact in Appalachia
Since January 2023, ARC has invested $188.6 million in 69 projects impacting all 13 Appalachian states through the ARISE Initiative. Together, these investments are projected to create or retain over 22,300 jobs, leverage more than $274.6 million in additional private investment into Appalachia’s economy, and prepare nearly 16,000 workers and students for opportunities in broadband development, workforce education and manufacturing across the region.
Investments in Action
ARISE Success Stories
Featured Resources
ARISE Program Evaluation
This report evaluates data collected from 57 ARISE projects between September 2024 and August 2025 to summarize progress, identify emerging challenges and successes for multi-state project implementation, and record early impacts of ARISE-funded projects.
Multi-State Collaboration Toolkit
This toolkit provides case studies on successful multi-state initiatives and offers more detailed information on building partnerships, operating grants, overcoming challenges and other best practices. It is ARC’s hope that this toolkit will provide information helpful to building and sustaining successful ARISE projects.
