Grant partner the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will use $50,000 in POWER funds tostudy the potential of an artisanal tannery industry on tribal lands. Seeking to draw on centuries of hunting, trapping and tanning traditions, EBCI hopes that the tannery will promote access to high quality food and entrepreneurship…

Asheville, North Carolina, serves as a successful model for economic revitalization in Appalachia. Tourists from far and wide seek out its rich cultural history, outdoor recreation opportunities, culinary scene and much more. As a result, entrepreneurship and business growth has helped diversify its economy and create numerous employment opportunities for…

ARC POWER partners are using millions to make financial resources accessible for coal-impacted communities.

Building Appalachia’s infrastructure has been an ARC investment priority for nearly 60 years, especially the development and maintenance of basic infrastructure systems, highway and utility access, expanding broadband, and developing sites to attract new businesses. ARC’s Area Development Program invested $92.1 million in community infrastructure Fiscal Year 2022. When…

For Philip Cooper, helping his community recover from substance use disorder is a personal, lifelong commitment.

ARC partners are expanding outdoor gear manufacturing sector.

Since 2016, Wilkes Recovery Revolution, Inc. (WRR) has worked to make recovery a reality in North Carolina. WRR was founded by Devin Lyall,  whose own experience in long-term recovery helps inform the nonprofit’s services, peer-driven structure and leadership – including a board of directors made up of over 50% individuals in recovery. WRR’s partnership with ARC began in 2019, when Lyall began…

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…

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…

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…

With ARC support, North Carolina’s Isothermal Community College (ICC) has raised community awareness of career opportunities available in the manufacturing sector, enhanced manufacturing-related curriculum and pathways at the secondary and post-secondary levels. In collaboration with Rutherford and Polk County Schools, ICC prepares students for technical…