More than $995K awarded to 40 Appalachian organizations via ARC’s READY Nonprofits initiative
Last week, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) announced $995,339 in awards through READY Nonprofits, one of four tailored tracks under ARC’s capacity-building initiative, READY Appalachia. Funds will help 40 nonprofits from 11 Appalachian states build internal operating capacity, enabling them to solve pressing issues and create opportunities in their communities.
This award package builds on the $623,996 awarded through READY Nonprofits in August, bringing total investment to over $1.6 million for 65 nonprofits across 12 Appalachian states.
Ohio’s projects this round include:
• An award of $25,000 to Community Food Initiatives in Athens for the Organizational Capacity Building: Update and Integrate Communication Systems project. Community Food Initiatives will upgrade their current communications management systems. This will include establishing new, integrated systems for volunteer management, donor communications and stakeholder engagement. These efforts will increase organizational efficiency and volunteer support as well as bring in more sustainable financial resources and a more diverse and resilient network of partners and stakeholders. The project will reinforce a strong organizational backbone to continue current successful programs and create capacity for growth to meet emerging community needs and opportunities for the organization.
• An award of $24,967 to Oak Hill Collaborative in Youngstown for the Capacity Building—Financial Management project. Oak Hill Collaborative seeks to upgrade their financial management system, including bookkeeping, financial accounting and management accounting functions, to meet the demands of a significantly growing organization with greater reporting requirements. The organization will contract with external financial services and update financial policies, procedures, technology, supplies and software. The project will increase accuracy and transparency of their financial records, increase cost-efficiency with received funds and implement better overall grant management, leading the organization to increased long-term sustainability.
• An award of $24,750 to Captina Conservancy in Barnesville, for the Captina Conservancy Endowment Campaign project. Captina Conservancy staff and executive committee, in partnership with a procured development consultant, will work to create an endowment campaign to fundraise for and implement an endowment to fund future stewardship staff. This project also involves the creation of an endowment campaign plan, which will include a case for future support, an endowment policies manual, identifying major donors and a plan for engagement, and a plan to market the endowment. Hiring a professional to develop and plan the endowment campaign will allow the organization to carry out the campaign effectively and in a timely manner, allowing current staff and volunteers to focus time and resources on necessary mission-related work. The project will allow the organization to build internal capacity and achieve long-term sustainability through the funding of additional stewardship staff, allowing the organization to take on new conservation projects and conduct additional outreach and education events.
• An award of $24,454 to Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development (COAD) in Athens, for the COAD Weatherization Outreach and Modernization Project. COAD will engage new audiences about the benefits and opportunities of weatherization by investing in content creation and a podcast, with the support of an outside consultant. This project will improve and modernize their training curriculum by adding engaging animated content to existing presentations and providing hybrid course offerings. Staff will be trained in animation and learning management software to incorporate animated content into existing in-person courses and develop at least one hybrid course offering. Training quality and reach will be improved, ensuring the program's sustainability in both supply and demand sides of their business model.
A complete list can be found at https://www.arc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/READY-Nonprofits-Award-S….
All 2023 award recipients completed the READY Nonprofits’ Fall 2022 training program, during which a cohort of 75 organizations participated in 10 intensive weeks of courses covering board development, financial management, fundraising, employee recruitment and retention, marketing communications, and programs and operations. The cohort-based learning model allowed participants to develop skills, networks, and solutions to organizational challenges. Now, flexible funding of up to $25,000 will allow participants to build organizational capacity, implement those solutions and better fulfill their missions across Appalachia.
“Our region’s nonprofit organizations are at the heart of ARC’s work, especially when it comes to putting boots on the ground to serve our Appalachian communities,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. “ARC is proud to award this READY funding, which will allow these nonprofits to further create economic growth and collaboration across the region.”
“In order to build a brighter future for Appalachia, we need to invest in the people and organizations that are doing good work in their communities,” said ARC 2023 States’ Co-Chair, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. “These funds will help nonprofits in Kentucky and across the region, keep uplifting and empowering our people.”
Applications will be accepted later in 2024 for the next round of READY Nonprofits instruction.
Across all learning READY Appalachia learning tracks, special emphasis is placed on serving Appalachia’s most underrepresented communities, including economically distressed areas, counties targeted by the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities, organizations located within Rural Partners Network Community Networks, underresourced organizations and historically marginalized populations.
About the Appalachian Regional Commission: The Appalachian Regional Commission is an economic development entity of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 423 counties across the Appalachian Region. ARC’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia to help the region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation.