The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC or the Commission) is requesting proposals from qualified contractors to provide services on a firm fixed-price basis to administer the READY Appalachia Local Government training program.
Donor Name: Appalachian Regional Commission
State: Alabama
Type of Grant: Program
Deadline: 03/10/2023
Size of the Grant: Up to $50,000
Grant Duration: 18 months
Details:
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. The Commission funds projects that address the five goals identified in ARC’s strategic plan:
- Building Appalachian Businesses: Strengthen and diversify the region’s economy through inclusive economic development strategies and investments in entrepreneurship and business development.
- Building Appalachia’s Workforce Ecosystem: Expand and strengthen community systems (education, healthcare, housing, childcare, and others) that help Appalachians obtain a job, stay on the job, and advance along a financially sustaining career pathway.
- Building Appalachia’s Infrastructure: Ensure that the residents and businesses of Appalachia have access to reliable, affordable, resilient, and energy-efficient utilities and infrastructure in order to successfully live and work in the region.
- Building Regional Culture and Tourism: Strengthen Appalachia’s community and economic development potential by preserving and investing in the Region’s local cultural heritage and natural assets.
- Building Community Leaders and Capacity: Invest in the capacity of local leaders, organizations, and communities to address local challenges by providing technical assistance and support to access resources, engage partners, identify strategies and tactics, and conduct effective planning and project execution.
The purpose of the READY Appalachia Local Governments program is to train local government entities to (a) research and plan for federal grant opportunities and (b) find, secure, manage, implement, stack, and leverage federal grant awards to greatest effect for local economic development.
This initiative is focused on units of local government such as counties, towns, municipalities, boroughs, and similar entities. The training in this initiative will target municipal staff and local elected officials leading these local government entities in day-to-day administration, including but not limited to county commissioners, county supervisors, county judges, and county/city council members, county boards of supervisors, county/city clerks, county/city administrators, county/city managers, county/city planners, tribal chiefs, mayors, and sole commissioners, as well as their staffs and other relevant participants.
Through this initiative, ARC aims to help local governments in the Appalachian Region improve their internal capabilities to access and manage federal financial assistance, which will later help them leverage other resources to improve quality of life and foster economic development in their communities. Through this initiative, ARC also seeks to address historic inequities for marginalized, underserved, and underrepresented communities, who will be given preference in the selection process.
The READY Appalachia—Local Governments program comprises two components:
- Component 1:
- The first element is a training program by which participants learn and improve their skills in all matters related to the full life cycle of federal financial assistance (pre- and post-grant awards).
- Component 2:
- The second element is a grant program sponsored by ARC in which participants will apply lessons learned by going through the complete life cycle of a grant award made by ARC. This grant award, up to $50,000 for each entity, will be a match-free capacity-building grant for the municipality itself, which can focus on a need identified during the training component.
Grant Period
- The period of performance for this work order is April 2023– September 2024.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible participants for the READY Appalachia—Local Governments program include municipal and tribal staff and local elected officials and tribal leaders leading these types of entities in day-to-day administration and/or grant activities, including county commissioners, county supervisors, county/city council members, county boards of supervisors, county judges, county/city managers, county/city administrators, county/city clerks, county/city planners, mayors, and sole commissioners, as well as their staffs. Members of tribal governments, regardless of their role, are also eligible participants and are encouraged to participate. A “local government” for the purposes of this program means a county, borough, municipality, city, town, township, or parish.
For more information, visit ARC.
