Evaluation



ARISE Program Evaluation Annual Report 2024

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…
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Evaluation of ARC’s Business Development Grants Closed Between 2017-2021

This report presents findings from an evaluation of ARC’s business development projects that closed between 2017 and 2021, representing 220 grants and nearly $75 million of ARC investment. The evaluation found that ARC’s business development grants closed during that timeframe led to improvements for nearly 11,000 businesses and facilitated…
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Evaluation of ARC’s INSPIRE Initiative

The East Tennessee State University (ETSU) Center for Rural Health Research, in collaboration with the ETSU Addiction Science Center, conducted an evaluation of the INSPIRE Initiative on behalf of ARC in 2022-2023. The evaluation was designed to advance understanding of the accessibility of the application process, implementation successes and…
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POWER Initiative Evaluation: The Value of POWER

Since 2015, ARC has funded 564 projects under the Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative to empower Appalachian communities to expand or create new economic opportunities to drive growth. To understand successes, challenges, and lessons learned through implementation, as well as to examine results of…
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POWER Initiative Evaluation: The POWER of Change

Stories of Results for Individuals, Businesses and Communities ARC has worked with Chamberlin/Dunn (C/D) as a third-party evaluator since Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 to understand the successes and challenges POWER grantees have experienced in the implementation of their grants, as well as early impacts of the projects. In FY 2021,…
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Strengthening the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Grant Performance Measurement: A Roadmap and Recommendations

This evaluation was designed to help ARC learn about grant performance measurement practices at comparison organizations, assess ARC’s current grant performance measurement system, and provide recommendations for updating the current system. Full Report Strengthening the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Grant Performance Measurement: A Roadmap and Recommendations –…
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POWER Initiative Evaluation: Factors and Results of Project Implementation

Since 2015, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has funded more than 240 projects under the Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative to empower Appalachian communities to create new economic opportunities for coal communities. To understand successes, challenges, and lessons learned through implementation, as well as…
Report