"It’s going to take all of us working together to create just, equitable, and healthy communities in Appalachia."  - Margo Miller

Your career path has led you through many experiences with social justice and arts advocacy. How do these experiences inform your work in philanthropy?

My entry into the world of social justice came from working with the Carpetbag Theatre, a professional, multigenerational ensemble company whose mission is to give artistic voice to the issues and dreams of people who have been silenced by racism, classism, sexism, ageism, homophobia and other forms of oppression.   Through them, I was also introduced to Alternate Roots, a regional group of artists who use art and culture as a tool for social change and social justice.  Ever since then, I have been committed. I loved using artistic expression and working collaboratively with other artists and community members to make positive change.

This video presentation by Dr. Randy Wykoff, Dean of the ETSU College of Public Health, provides a data-driven explanation of Central Appalachia's public health challenges, explores the most critical factors impacting our region's health, and proposes an integrated approach to improving Central Appalachia's health that emphasizes the role of food & food systems. The video was made possible through the Food and Ag Systems Working Group partnership with the Health Working Group, with the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The Appalachia Funders Network asked its members to complete a survey on regional impact investing interests and support needs. The aim of this survey was to better understand the needs of various stakeholders in the use of impact investing as a tool to help build healthy, equitable and environmentally sustainable communities throughout Central Appalachia. Our guest speaker, Lisa Richter of Avivar Capital, administered the survey and presented her findings and highlighted areas for potential collaboration among members in this webinar recording. To download a pdf of the slides from the webinar presentation, click here.

The Health Working Group has several reports and publications that are the result of members collaborating on shared interests. Click the following link for the reports and tools.

The Rural Housing Service (RHS), an agency within the USDA Rural Development mission area announces the availability of funding under the Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) program. Applicants must provide matching funds in an amount at least equal to the Federal grant, and applications are due July 22, 2016.

Further guidance will be provided prior to the application deadline.

Please contact Shirley Stevenson at (202)205-9685 or  Shirley.Stevenson@wdc.usda.gov with questions.