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POWER Initiative Offers Opportunities to Coal-Impacted Communities

POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) is a multi-agency initiative that targets federal resources to help communities and regions that have been affected by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations, and coal-related supply chain industries due to the changing economics of America’s energy production.  Below is information about the grants, as well as a listing of upcoming regional workshops and webinars about the program.

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is participating in POWER with the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) and 8 other federal agencies.ARC

The POWER Initiative supports efforts to create a more vibrant economic future for coal-impacted communities by cultivating economic diversity, enhancing job training and re-employment opportunities, creating jobs in existing or new industries, and attracting new sources of investment.

Implementation Grants:

The ARC is making available $45 million for POWER implementation grants in FY 2016, to be awarded in partnership with EDA.  ARC implementation grants are expected to range between $500,000 and $1.5 million.   Interested communities must complete a pre-application through the ARC-EDA POWER Portal. Pre-applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.

For information on the grants and how to apply, see the joint Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) “The Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative: POWER 2016 Grants.

Technical Assistance Grants

The ARC awards POWER technical assistance (TA) grants to communities and regions for economic development planning, assessment, and capacity-building activities in Appalachia. A total of $1.2 million is available for these grants in FY 2016. For information on how to apply, see the FFO POWER 2016 Federal Funding Opportunity for Technical Assistance.

ARC will begin accepting TA grant applications in early April. For more information, visit http://www.arc.gov/funding/POWER.asp.

Technical Assistance Workshops

In spring 2016, ARC will co-host a series of technical assistance workshops in the Appalachian Region on applying for POWER implementation and technical assistance grants. Participants will learn how to determine whether they are eligible for POWER support; how to identify potential projects and collaborators; and how to develop project proposals to apply for POWER funding. Workshops are free and open to the public.

A workshop will be held in Sutton, WV at the Days Inn Conference Center on May 18.  For a complete list of workshops, and to register, visit http://www.arc.gov/funding/POWERRegionalWorkshops.asp.

POWER Webinars

In addition to the workshops, the ARC is holding biweekly webinars on POWER Initiative topics. Webinars will be held every other Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. ET.   Webinar topics are below.  All webinars will be recorded and available for viewing.  For more information, visit http://www.arc.gov/funding/POWERWebinarSeries.asp.

March 23, 2016
What is the POWER Initiative?
View the recorded webinar

April 6, 2016, 2:00 p.m. ET
Research and Data: What is a Coal-Impacted Community?

April 20, 2016, 2:00 p.m. ET
POWER Implementation Grants: The Application Process
Joint webinar with U.S. Economic Development Administration

May 4, 2016, 2:00 p.m. ET
ARC POWER Technical Assistance Application Process

May 18, 2016, 2:00 p.m. ET
Where to Find a Match

June 1, 2016, 2:00 p.m. ET
Topic to be announced