ARC funds to help developmental districts, including CADD, apply for more federal aid

Thanks to some help from a regional economic entity, a large area in southeastern Kentucky, including Laurel, Knox and Whitley Counties, will soon have the ability to apply for more federal funding.

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) recently announced that nearly $500,000 in federal funding would be going to five Appalachian Kentucky area development districts through READY LDDs (local development districts), ARC’s “recently launched community-capacity building initiative.”

Included in the list of area development districts is the Cumberland Valley Area Development District (CADD), which covers Bell, Clay, Harlan, Jackson, Knox, Laurel, Rockcastle and Whitley Counties. A total of $100,000 has been allotted to go to CADD.

As for how area development districts will benefit from these funds, an ARC press release quoted Energy Communities IWG Executive Director Brian Anderson, saying, “ARC’s latest investment will help build capacity in Eastern Kentucky by providing on-the-ground support to assist Appalachian communities with accessing billions of dollars in federal funding and technical assistance opportunities that are available to energy communities.”

ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin was quoted in the press release, saying, “The work of ARC’s local development district partners is integral to our mission of expanding opportunities to residents across the Appalachian Region. I applaud the work of Eastern Kentucky’s area development districts, and am excited to see their communities grow and access new opportunities as a result of the READY LDD grants.”

The press release went on to explain, “ARC will be accepting READY LDDs applications on a rolling basis until all funds are expended. The next deadline for applications is June 30, 2023, and ARC will be announcing additional READY LDD awards in June 2023.”

“Supported in part by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), READY LDDs is one of four tailored tracks offered by ARC’s READY Appalachia initiative,” the release added. “To help Appalachia’s LDDs hire additional staff and build local capacity to best utilize the federal funding available from the American Rescue Plan (ARPA), Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and other sources.”

For more information on the Appalachian Regional Commission, visit them online at www.arc.gov. For more on the Cumberland Valley Area Development District, visit www.CVADD.org.