The Appalachian Regional Commission’s READY Nonprofits training program is offering seven weeks of no-cost, virtual training to help Appalachian nonprofits strengthen their operations, programming, and fundraising.
As an organization that works with local nonprofits, we need your help to share this opportunity! Please forward this email to eligible nonprofits you know and, if you’d like to include it in your social media or newsletters, use this promotional toolkit.
The training program is designed to help nonprofits better serve their communities and sustain their important work over time. Upon successful completion of their training, participating organizations will have the opportunity to apply for up to $25,000 in funding (no match required) to implement an organizational capacity-building project.
Building Organizational Capacity
Participants can choose from eight seven-week virtual course options and will complete their course in cohorts assigned based on their selection:
• Board Development
• Financial Management
• Grant Writing and Management
• Fundraising
• Marketing/Communications
• Human Capital
• Programs/Operations
• Strategic Planning
Pre-Application Webinar
On Tuesday, February 11, 2025 at 10 a.m., the Appalachian Regional Commission is hosting a webinar to review the application process and allow attendees to submit questions in an open Q&A. Find registration details at at www.arc.gov/ready/nonprofits/.
Determining Eligibility
To participate, an organization must:
• Be a public or private nonprofit organization or association, including labor unions; and
• Serve communities within the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) geographic footprint.
Nonprofit organizations who meet any of the following criteria are encouraged to apply:
• Serve distressed counties in the ARC region
• Serve historically underserved populations, including populations in remote areas of the region
• Lower-capacity nonprofit organizations
• Organizations ARC has not worked with before
To date, READY Appalachia has served 75 nonprofits, 90 local government entities, 41 local development districts (LDDs) and 30 community foundations to help them build internal capacity and better serve communities. Nearly $4 million in funding (no match required) has been awarded through READY LDDs and more than $1.7 million through the first round of READY Nonprofits.
ARC will award more funding through READY Local Governments, READY Community Foundations and READY Grants to Grow. The latter is a new, $9 million funding opportunity that will award grants of up to $500,000 for capacity building projects.
Applications are due February 28, 2025. Learn more at www.arc.gov/ready.
