This report is the first in a series of annual evaluation reports for ARC’s Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies (ARISE). ARISE is a multi-state initiative that aims to drive large-scale, regional economic transformation through collaborative projects.

Based on a combination of project-level inquiry with initiative-level analysis, key findings for ARISE’s first year include:

• ARISE grantees and partners report confidence they will be able to achieve project objectives and produce expected results within the period of performance.
• ARISE grantees are making progress on milestones and progress toward results.
• Grantees report more strengths than challenges.