Appalachian Community Fund Technical Assistance Grants

The GRANT Program is available for eligible recipients to support the local match requirement when applying for a federal government grant. Applications open June 1, 2024 and will continue on a rolling monthly basis thereafter until funds expire.

Supports the efforts of nonprofit organizations to build vibrant communities that offer stable jobs, homes, and communities connected through culture, recreation, and play.

Funding through the Implementation Pathway will help communities and regions devise and implement long-term economic recovery strategies through a variety of construction and non-construction projects to address economic challenges in areas where a Presidential declaration of a major disaster was issued in 2023 and 2024.

NACo’s Counties for Housing Solutions will provide free virtual technical assistance to help counties assess and update their zoning codes to increase affordable housing development and overall housing supply. These fast-paced technical assistance sprints are designed to be high-intensity and implementation-focused, with a county being on track to formally adopt an amendment to their zoning code at the conclusion of the sprint.

assistance type

Technical Assistance

ACF believes that building organizational capacity and skills is essential for carrying out effective social justice work.

Designed to meet specific technical assistance needs of grassroots organizations working for social change in Appalachia, this program awards grants to help build organizational capacity and train board or staff members in key skills such as:

• Fundraising and planned giving
• Board responsibilities and roles
• Long range planning
• Legal issues, e.g. non-profit incorporation
• Community organizing
• Informing community/media about work
• Training fees, materials, and travel

The Technical Assistance grants have no deadlines, please allow three weeks to a month to process the application.

• Work in the Appalachian counties of Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and/or West Virginia. For organizations based outside the region, the proposal must include a specific work plan for the Appalachian portion of the work
• Have their 501(c)(3) tax exempt status or a fiscal sponsor that is a 501(c)(3) organization
• Be community-led, community-driven, and community-based
• Strive for change at a systemic level, instead of or in addition to one person at a time
• Demonstrate an understanding of forms of oppression, especially racism
• Have strong local community leadership representative of and accountable to the organization’s constituency