A suite of new research reports and resources to support entrepreneurial development in Appalachia outline core elements necessary for a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem, analyze community case studies to provide insight into the unique challenges faced by communities in Appalachia, and offer recommendations to support future economic development across the Region. A companion website at www.arc.gov/ecosystems documents and compares entrepreneurial activity in each of Appalachia’s 420 counties, and includes a working inventory of over 1,000 support services available to entrepreneurs across the Region. Read More

$165 million for ARC is included in the Fiscal Year 2019 Energy and Water Appropriations Act which was signed into law by President Trump on September 21, 2018. This is the largest appropriation for ARC's nonhighway work in the agency's history. Read More

$165 million for ARC is included in the final Conference Report for the Fiscal Year 2019 Energy and Water Appropriations Act which passed both houses of Congress this week. This is the largest appropriation for ARC's nonhighway work in the agency's history. Read More

Three new resources released by ARC, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky offer a fresh approach to understanding health in Appalachia by focusing on community strengths and identifying local factors supporting a Culture of Health. The resources include case studies of ten “Bright Spot” counties, which have better-than-expected health outcomes; the performance-focused research methodology that helped identify these counties; and HealthinAppalachia.org, a website that explores extensive county-level health data for the Appalachian Region. Read More

Both bills provide $155 million for ARC’s nonhighway programs, including $50 million for the POWER Initiative to help Appalachian communities adversely impacted by changes in the coal industry and power sector. Read More

Each of the appropriations bills provides a total of $155 million for ARC’s nonhighway programs, including $50 million for the POWER Initiative to help Appalachian communities adversely impacted by changes in the coal industry and power sector. Read More

Sworn into the post on April 3, 2018, Thomas has more than 20 years’ experience working in Kentucky’s public and private sectors on infrastructure, workforce training, and regulatory issues. Read More

Signed by President Trump on March 23, the omnibus bill provides the highest level of funding for ARC’s nonhighway programs in the agency’s history. Read More

Developed by NORC at the University of Chicago and ARC, the Appalachian Overdose Mapping Tool integrates overdose mortality rates for Appalachia's 420 counties with data on socioeconomic factors including unemployment, poverty, disability, and others. Read More

In February 2018, ARC released a state-by-state overview of the Commission’s fiscal year 2017 economic development investments in the Appalachian Region. The overview includes 13 state investment fact sheets, as well as a companion fact sheet outlining ARC’s regional investments during the fiscal year. Read More

Signed by the president on February 9, the legislation continues agency funding, including ARC’s, at the FY 2017 level, minus a small across-the-board reduction. It also sets overall budget numbers to guide the congressional appropriations committees in drafting an omnibus appropriations bill for the rest of FY 2018. Read More

On February 1, ARC issued a request for proposals (RFP) for 2018 POWER Initiative funding to help Appalachia's coal-impacted communities create a more vibrant economic future. The Commission is making up to $20 million available through the RFP. Read More

The January 2018 research series An Economic Analysis of the Appalachian Coal Industry Ecosystem is the first comprehensive assessment of current and potential effects the changing coal industry can have on the Appalachian Region. The series' five reports explore some of the current and future economic effects of declining coal production on components of Appalachia’s coal industry ecosystem, including supply chain industries, electric power generation, and transportation, as well as funding implications for K–12 education. Read More

Signed January 23, the legislation continues ARC's funding at the FY 2017 level, minus a small across-the-board reduction. Commission programs and activities funded through the legislation are the same as those funded through the agency’s FY 2017 appropriation. Read More

Chosen by his fellow Appalachian governors to serve as the Commission's 2018 states' co-chair, Bryant will work directly with the ARC federal co-chair in this leadership role to continue the agency's commitment to economic growth in the 13-state Appalachian Region. Read More