The Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative provides grants to help communities and regions affected by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations, and coal-related supply chain or logistics industries.
Donor Name: Appalachian Regional Commission
State: Selected States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/22/2026
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: 4 Years
Details:
The Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative targets federal resources to expand economic opportunities for coal communities by creating high-quality, in-demand jobs, attracting new sources of private investment, and providing comprehensive workforce services and skills training.
ARC prioritizes POWER funding for projects that will produce economic opportunities, such
as the following:
- Diversifying the commercial and industrial bases of local and regional economies
- Creating high-quality, well-paying jobs in new and existing industries
- Attracting new sources of public and private investment
- Providing a range of workforce services and skills training, including paid workbased learning opportunities, resulting in industry-recognized credentials for high-quality, in-demand jobs.
In addition, it’s important for POWER projects to be collaborative in nature. Successful POWER projects should meet both the following criteria:
- Clear alignment with state, local, and/or regional economic development plans
- Collaboratively designed by a diverse blend of state, local, and regional stakeholders.
Priorities
- Fostering Entrepreneurial Activities
- This refers to projects that support the development and expansion of entrepreneurial enterprises and business activity in Appalachia. These strategic investments will create and strengthen the ecosystems that provide broad-based support for business startup and growth.
- Developing Industry Clusters in Communities
- This refers to projects that support new or existing regional industry clusters, especially those that diversify employment opportunities in the region.
- Building a Competitive Workforce
- This refers to targeted training that prepares individuals for specific jobs or careers, or for advancement within an occupation, in industries with high workforce demand. Proposals for training projects should be supported with evidence that indicates a demand for that particular skillset in the area to be served. There should be no overlap with existing workforce projects or programs in those areas.
- Increasing Access to Broadband
- This refers to projects that promote reliable, affordable, and high-speed broadband access to increase connectivity and strengthen economic competitiveness. Up to one-third of POWER FY 2026 program funds will be available to fund broadband projects. Broadband projects have additional application requirements.
Types of Grants
- Implementation Grants
- Implementation grants are for programmatic delivery of eligible POWER Investment Priorities. Applicants may also request funding to support construction incidental to their project.
- Planning Grant
- Planning grants are for the creation of economic development plans, strategies, and feasibility studies that will help coal communities grow their economies.
Funding Information
- Implementation Grants: Between $400,000–$2 million, except,
- Broadband construction and BaaS: $400,000–$2.5 million
- Planning Grants: Up to $100,000
Grant Period
- Implementation Grants: Between 12 and 36 months, except
- Projects with construction activities: Between 12 and 48 months
- Planning Grants: Up to 18 months
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants for ARC’s POWER Initiative include 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, including but not limited to faith-based organizations.
For more information, visit ARC.
