Pittsburgh, PA, Oct. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) awarded $68.2 million to 65 projects through its Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative. POWER directs federal resources to economic diversification and revitalization projects in Appalachian communities affected by the downturn of the coal industry.
Today’s award package is ARC's largest POWER investment since the initiative was launched in 2015, with projects impacting 188 counties in 10 Appalachian states: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. ARC recognizes that Hurricane Helene has impacted multiple Appalachian communities and grantees, including some POWER award recipients. ARC will continue working with affected state and grantee partners to address their needs as they recover and rebuild.
“ARC’s POWER initiative supports coal-impacted communities' preparation for the next phase of Appalachia’s economy, while ensuring that residents have a say in the course of their own futures,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. “The investments announced in this round of POWER will help train workers, advance new industries, and build upon the progress already being made toward a brighter future full of economic opportunity for our region.”
ARC’s 2024 POWER awardees and their partners will use funding to strengthen a variety of industries – including advanced manufacturing, entrepreneurship, healthcare, and workforce development – to enhance job training and employment opportunities, create jobs in existing and new industries, and attract new sources of private investment in coal-impacted communities.
ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin announced the awards alongside state and federal partners and grantees at the Mill 19 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, headquarters of POWER grantee Catalyst Connection and sub-grantees Carnegie Mellon University’s Manufacturing Futures Institute and the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute. Catalyst Connection’s CEO Petra Mitchell spoke about the new $2 million POWER grant to help create pathways to employment in advanced manufacturing.
“We are excited for our new POWER project, which will allow us to build on our progress of preparing our regional workforce for in-demand jobs in the advanced manufacturing industry," said Catalyst Connection President and CEO Petra Mitchell. "Manufacturing jobs offer workers from hard hit Appalachian communities hope and opportunities for family-sustaining wages and community development. When manufacturing companies and workers succeed, everyone in the local community can benefit."
Since 2015, ARC has invested $484.7 million in 564 projects impacting 365 coal-impacted counties. Collectively, these investments are projected to support nearly 54,000 jobs and prepare nearly 170,000 workers and students for new opportunities in growing industries.
ARC plans to release a notice of solicitations of applications (NOSA) for the POWER Initiative in early 2025.
Learn more about ARC’s POWER Initiative and our new POWER grantees at arc.gov/POWER.
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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.
