Appalachia READY Local Governments Training

ready@arc.gov

READY Local Governments is a training program to help local government officials in the Appalachian region better identify, secure, manage, and implement federally funded economic development projects.

Participants will receive 9 weeks of virtual, cohort-based training in managing the entire federal grant cycle:

• Federal grant funding opportunities and readiness
• Federal grant project identification, application development, and submission strategy
• Federal grant regulations, administration, and compliance
• Federal grant financial and risk management
• Leveraging federal grants for long-term success

Selected participants will be assigned to either Group A or B.

• Group A will meet Tuesdays from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Eastern from September 29 through December 1, 2026.
• Group B will meet Thursdays from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. Eastern from October 8 through December 10, 2026.

Eligible applicants are local governments defined as a borough, city, county, municipality, parish, town, township, or federally recognized tribe in the 423-county Appalachian region.

Governments serving the following groups and areas are encouraged to apply:

• Economically distressed areas
• Local government entities with limited resources
• Those located in remote areas of the region
• Those that Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has not worked with before

The training is provided at no cost. Up to 60 local government entities will be selected to participate.

Following completion of the training program, participants will be eligible to apply for up to $50,000 in funding to implement internal capacity building projects.

Links to additional guidance, application instructions, and the online application portal are available on the program website.

Applicant webinar
(Registration required)
July 9, 2026
10:00 a.m. Eastern