ARISE Project Summaries

Since January 2023, ARC has awarded $136.3 million to 51 projects impacting all 13 Appalachian states through its ARISE initiative. These multi-state projects will expand broadband, educate workers in emerging sectors, and bolster green manufacturing in Appalachia. Learn more about these projects – organized by ARC’s investment priorities – below.

Building Appalachian Businesses

Appalachian Investors Alliance – $3.9 million – Launching Venture Funds and Appalachian Foundry
Catalyst Connection – $10 million – Manufacturing the New Energy Economy Project
DRIVE (Driving Real Innovation for a Vibrant Economy) – $189,720 – Entrepreneurship Incubation Network Project
Green Building Alliance – $500,000 – Establishing Regional Green Building Supply Chain
Grow Ohio Valley – $418,000 – Sustainable Food and Energy Project
Industrial Commons – $10 million – Accelerating the Green Textile Economy Project
Invest Appalachia – $496,500 – Appalachian Downtown Developers Initiative
NEXT, LLC (NextGEN) – $472,237 – Resources and Mentorships for Entrepreneurs
Steel Valley Authority – $500,000 – Appalachian Sustainable Finance Hub
Virginia Tech – $490,647 – Growing Forest Farming Businesses Project
Building Appalachia’s Workforce Ecosystems

American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) – $10 million – Cybersecurity Workforce Project
Appalachian Regional Healthcare, Inc. – $500,000 – Health Task Force and Mobile Healthcare Pilot Project
Appalachian Service Project – $10 million – Natural Disaster & Home Rebuild Recovery Project
Carnegie Mellon University – $500,000 – Data-Driven Job Skills Matching and Career Support Services Project
Community Education Group – $7.7 million – Community Health Workforce Development Project
East Tennessee State University – $255,165 – College and University Health Consortium Project
Education Alliance – $4.7 million – Career Acceleration, Readiness, and Employment Experiences Project
HealthPath Foundation of Ohio – $192,050 – Oral Health Workforce Development Project
Marshall University Research Corporation – $500,000 – Cybersecurity Training Project
Morehead State University – $3,980,996 – Aerospace Workforce Development Project
Mountain State Educational Services Cooperative – $7,030,989 – Workforce Simulation Model for Middle Schools Project
Mountain State Educational Services Cooperative – $416,959 – Student Career Readiness Project
Northeast Community College – $120,806 – Aviation Education Network
Northern Tier Regional Planning and Development Commission – $4.5 million – Career Education, Workforce, and Employment Project
Ohio University – $500,000 – Electric Aviation Transportation Project
Save the Children Federation, Inc. – $8 million – Growing Childcare and Early Education Workforce
Teach for America – $500,000 – Educator Recruitment and Retention Project
University of Kentucky Research Foundation – $429,761 – Water Infrastructure Workforce Project
University of Pittsburgh – $292,800 – Biotech Workforce Development Project
Upper Cumberland Development District – $265,607 – SUD Recovery-to-Work Project
Virginia Tech – $453,743 – Adapting to Changing Construction Industry in Appalachia
Washington Greene County Job Training Agency, Inc. – $500,000 – Apprenticeship Expansion Project
Building Appalachia’s Infrastructure
Beneficial Electrification League – $500,000 – Community-Owned Grid Resilient Infrastructure Plan
Beneficial Electrification League – $4.5 million – Community-Owned Grid Resilient Infrastructure Implementation
Carnegie Mellon University – $293,551 – OH-PA-WV Economic Revitalization Network
Connect Humanity – $6.2 million – Digital Equity Accelerator Projects
Tennessee Tech – $10 million – Smart Grid Deployment and Platform Expansion Project
Tennessee Tech – $500,000 – Quantum Network Project
Volunteer Energy Cooperative (VEC) – $10 million – Utility-Scale Batteries and Supply Chains Project
Building Regional Culture and Tourism
Appalachian Wildlife Foundation and Cumberland Trails Conference – $9,316,181 – Boone’s Ridge and Cumberland Trail Improvements
Conserving Carolina – $450,000 – Saluda Grade Trail Extension Project
Great Allegheny Passage Conservancy – $196,200 – Trail Maintenance and Sustainability Project
The Nature Conservancy – $400,000 – Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Assessment and Development Project
New River Conservancy – $500,000 – New River Water Trail Expansion
PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc. – $387,500 – Mobile Platform Development for Rural Tourism Economies
Pennsylvania Environmental Council – $72,219 – Multi-Use Trail Connectivity and Tourism Project
West Virginia University – $485,807 – Sustainable Rural Tourism Development Project
Building Community Capacity

Central Appalachian Network – $498,300 – New Era Planning Project
Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises (Fahe) – $326,000 – Affordable Housing Planning Project
Thrive Regional Partnership – $2,870,702 – Collaborative Capacity Building Program Expansion