The Appalachian Regional Commission is soliciting applications for its Investments Supporting Partnerships in Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) Initiative.
Donor Name: Appalachian Regional Commission
State: Selected States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/21/2023
Size of the Grant: up to $500,000
Grant Duration: 3 years
Details:
The Investments Supporting Partnerships in Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) Initiative makes available up to $13 million in federal resources to help Appalachian communities and regions that have been affected by the substance use crisis.
The INSPIRE Initiative seeks to align and leverage complementary federal, state, and other resources that provide assistance through competitively awarded grants to partnerships anchored in Appalachian communities. By aligning and leveraging multiple resources (federal, state, local, nonprofit, and private sector), ARC solicits and prioritizes the selection of projects that integrate multiple economic development systems, evidence-based or promising SUD models and practices, and resources in support of implementing existing economic development strategic plans that create pathways to employment.
The INSPIRE Initiative makes funding available for projects that address the substance use crisis by creating or expanding a recovery ecosystem that will lead to workforce entry or reentry for individuals in recovery from SUD. Projects are encouraged to support the post-treatment-to-employment continuum, which could include investments in healthcare networks and partnerships that support substance use recovery, as well as behavioral health professionals and employers; SUD recovery-focused job training programs; and initiatives designed to coordinate or link SUD recovery services and employment training, among others.
ARC serves a 206,000-square-mile region of 26.1 million people that includes all of West Virginia and parts of twelve other states: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia
Projects that invest in workforce training should stress the potential for individuals in recovery to enter or reenter the workforce, or maintain employment, with a special emphasis on employment retention. This can be accomplished through basic and advanced training, hard and soft skills development, “upskilling,” and the establishment of clearly defined career pathways in training programs that accommodate continued employment growth.
Successful applications should demonstrate how the proposal addresses the following priorities to develop or expand a recovery ecosystem, and how this can enable and support an individual’s successful entry or reentry into the public and private workforce, while also addressing economic, workforce, and health-related impacts within the ARC region:
- Provide industry-specific training, job placement, and/or support activities to individuals affected by SUD to offer them a competitive advantage that could help to stabilize them and their families; utilize prevention-focused SUD activities that reduce future substance use or misuse and engage individuals in health and economic community-oriented activities;
- Create or expand linkages between workforce development organizations, training providers, organizations that provide post-SUD treatment wraparound services, businesses, local/state court systems (e.g., pre-trial diversion, drug courts), and other partners (e.g., mental health practitioners, faith-based entities) to assist people in recovery with maintaining their recovery as they enter or reenter the workforce;
- Create, expand, or leverage workplace programs and policies that support employees in recovery from SUD;
- Develop and expand industry partnerships that build and sustain the grant applicant’s organizational capacity; leverage available resources; and establish community-based approaches for addressing SUD workforce challenges and industry needs as they pertain to workforce entry and reentry;
- Deliver support services to assist employers and industry in meeting current and/or future workforce challenges to support the SUD recovery ecosystem;
- Develop and implement plans for strengthening partnerships/coalitions/consortiums with the addition of new partners (local, state, regional);
- Identify and assess SUD and behavioral health community needs, including the need for direct recovery services, employer engagement opportunities, the community’s capacity to support the provision of services, and input from those in recovery on service delivery;
- Identify and reduce barriers to the SUD recovery-to-work ecosystem, including but not limited to transportation, housing (e.g., transitional or recovery housing), childcare (to support engagement or reengagement in the workplace), and other support services (e.g., criminal record expungement);
- Align and integrate SUD plans, programmatic activities, and strategies with existing state, regional, or community health and economic development strategies;
Grant Types and Amounts
- Implementation Grants
- The Appalachian Regional Commission expects to make implementation awards in amounts up to $500,000 for each project it awards within the congressionally defined Appalachian Region. The period of performance for awards under this funding announcement may be up to three years (36 months) if warranted by the size and scope of the project.
- Planning Grants
- In addition to implementation grants, planning grants in amounts up to $50,000 each are available to assist communities and regions in the Appalachian Region to develop plans and strategies for expanding or creating a recovery ecosystem. The period of performance for planning grants may be up to 18 months if warranted by the scope of the project.
Eligibility Information
Eligible applicants for ARC’s INSPIRE Initiative grants are the following:
- Local development districts (LDDs)
- Indian tribes or a consortium of Indian tribes
- States, counties, cities, or other political subdivisions of a state, including a special purpose unit of a state or local government engaged in economic or infrastructure development activities, or a consortium of political subdivisions
- Institutions of higher education or a consortium of institutions of higher education
- Public or private nonprofit organizations or associations
Note: ARC does not award grants to for-profit entities.
For more information, visit INSPIRE Grant.
