September AFN NEWS & UPDATES |
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On Friday, October 3rd from 10 am - 11:30 am we are extending our regular first-Friday Helene Response call to mark the one-year milestone. Come to be in community, celebrate progress, and share with one another the hope and joy that strengthens our recovery and resilience. Use the button below to register and add the call to your calendar. We look forward to building with you. |
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Here are a few timely events and stories marking the milestone. Read, attend, pass them along - and send us more so we can uplift your work across the region. Follow along on LinkedIn as we share more resources in the coming weeks. |
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- WJHL 11 | ETSU to host art exhibit showcasing impact of Hurricane Helene, resilience of community
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Watauga Democrat | Community invited to share stories, photos for the Hurricane Helene Archive
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Appalachian Today | What made Hurricane Helene a historic storm?
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Cardinal News | Residents and businesses can apply for money to recover from Hurricane Helene and February flood-related disasters
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NOAA | Hurricane Helene Story Map is Released
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| September's Member Spotlight | Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky! |
Check out our blog post to learn more about AFN's conversation with Amalia Mendoza, Senior Policy and Program Administrator at the Foundation. Read more here. |
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We're continuing to hold the same pre-existing time block for group meetings through the end of 2025. This time will now be used for members to convene, organize, and reflect on how they want their group to evolve under the new AFN structure. |
- Place-Based | September 30 at 3:30pm
- Creative Capital | TBD
- Arts & Culture | September 23 at 2pm
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Are you a capital products or financing funder, or a financial institution? Our new Community of Practice, launched last Friday, was created to serve as a dedicated space for collaboration and knowledge-sharing among our members who work in or support financial, CDFIs, CDEs, and impact investment organizations in Central Appalachia. This community is born out of the leadership of our members, and informed by conversations during which our CDFI and financial institution partners expressed the need for a dedicated space to address the unique challenges and opportunities faced by financial institutions outside traditional philanthropic or grant-oriented frameworks.With quarterly meetings, this member only space will also encourage and facilitate conversation around:
Raising and deploying capital, increasing deal flow, and building a higher-quality deal pipeline in Appalachia. Coordinating advocacy efforts for more effective regional capital deployment. Sharing relevant data and developing a repository of funder appetites, terms, and investment priorities. Engaging the broader Appalachia Funders Network (AFN) to facilitate PRIs, organizational investments, and other mechanisms that support large-scale capital projects. Convening at existing industry events (e.g., OFN, NMTC conferences) to strengthen regional presence and collaboration.
Our next call is in January! Questions, or interested in joining? Contact jess@appalachiafunders.org today! |
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If you have news, an opportunity, grant, or webinar you would like for AFN to share in its next newsletter, please submit it here and contact Kalista Pepper at kalista@appalachiafunders.org with any questions. |
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Mountain Association Celebrates 100 Solar Installations in Eastern Kentucky, Delivering $7.5 Million in Savings |
The Mountain Association is proud to announce a major energy savings milestone: the facilitation of 100 solar installations across Eastern Kentucky, representing $7.5 million in lifetime savings for small businesses, nonprofits, and local governments. Read more here. |
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| Appalachian Community Capital |
Last week’s court decision delays critical investments that would create jobs, build wealth, and strengthen rural communities. But our commitment does not waver. Together with the Green Bank for Rural America, we will keep standing for Appalachia, for our rural communities, and for the people whose determination and vision drive our future. Read more here. |
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Networks and Resources: Why Funding Nonprofit Infrastructure Matters |
Claire Poelking, Program Officer, writes about the need for organizations that support philanthropy and nonprofits with coordination, shared expertise, and convening. Read more here. |
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| | East Tennessee Foundation |
$5 Million in 118 Disaster Recovery grants Awarded as of July, 2025 |
The East Tennessee Foundation (ETF) has awarded 118 grants totaling more than $5 million to accelerate the region’s long-term recovery across East Tennessee communities impacted by Hurricane Helene in September 2024. They continue hearing community needs and processing grant requests weekly to support East Tennessee’s long-term recovery. Visit their website for available grant opportunities. |
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| Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) |
Awarded a $500,000 ARC ARISE Grant
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Impacting 94 counties across Kentucky and West Virginia, Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SAOR) will use funding to create a three-pronged strategic plan to develop a workforce ecosystem centered on remote work, hybrid work and the digital economy. The plan will create a roadmap for residents, businesses and communities to secure living-wage hybrid and remote careers without having to leave the region. Read more here.
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Landmark conservation effort protects nearly 3,000 acres of Appalachian foothills |
The land, a 2,973-acre parcel, has been owned by Betty Lowe's family for a century. Lowe has donated the land to Athens Conservancy, while The Nature Conservancy will hold a permanent conservation easement on the property. This dual-layered protection ensures the land remains safeguarded from future development. Read more here. |
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| Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky |
Have you heard about this exciting grant opportunity for female entrepreneurs and educators in Floyd County? The Lillian Mae Taylor Grant is now open for applications through October 1!
With this grant, the Lillian Mae Taylor Grant Committee chooses to honor the work of women who own and operate their own business, work as K-12 grade educators, or promote the health and wellness of women in Floyd County, KY (with preference given to those working in Prestonsburg). The purpose of this grant is to invest in these efforts to bridge divides for greater change and sustainable impact.
Applications are due by October 1. Learn more and apply at https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=aky. |
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| Join the Campaign for Good |
Across the country, charitable giving brings help to where it’s needed most. Churches feed families. Veteran groups help heal and honor heroes in need. Disaster relief groups help families pick up the pieces after devastating storms. Local challenges need local solutions and every day, foundations fund the work that keeps our communities strong. And it’s that freedom to give that reflects the best of who we are.
Share the good you do. Explore the Council on Foundations’ social toolkit, featuring ready-to-share graphics, copy, and campaign messaging you can make your own. |
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| The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation |
The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation (TGKVF) is seeking proposals for its “Changing the Narrative: Youth and Belonging” grant program. This program will support organizations and the creatives who work with them in documenting and amplifying stories about young people and their experiences and understanding of belonging in communities across the Kanawha Valley.
Part of TGKVF’s Narrative Change Collaborative, the program is designed to strengthen the capacity of local organizations, including the journalists and/or creatives who work with them, to drive place-based narrative change, a strategic effort to reframe and redefine the stories we tell about residents and communities.
The application deadline is October 1, 2025. Click here for the application and more information. |
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The Community Resilience and Adaptation Working Group (CRAWG) of the Central Appalachian Network (CAN), in partnership with the Floyd County BRECC Team, is seeking qualified consultants to support a bold, year-long climate resilience initiative.
Three requests for proposals are open now and due by September 22, 2025. Find more information here. |
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| Berea College Appalachian Fund |
Jointly hosted by the Brushy Fork Leadership Institute and the Berea College Appalachian Fund, the 2025 Leadership Gathering is a regional event devoted to celebrating service-driven leadership, strengthening organizations, and empowering thriving communities across Central Appalachia.
Formerly known as the Leadership Summit, this annual gathering brings together leaders, practitioners, and community builders of all experience levels. Whether you’re an executive leader of a nonprofit or a grassroots volunteer just stepping into leadership, you’ll find opportunities to connect, grow, and lead with purpose.
Leadership gathering will be held September 17-18 on the Berea College campus.Find more information here. |
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Brookings Institution | Reimaging Appalachia: Ryan Eller on Hazard, Kentucky's renewal, rural narratives, and the future beyond coal |
In this Q&A, Ryan Eller shares how philanthropy, policy, narrative change, and community resilience are shaping a stronger future across Central Appalachia. |
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The News Journal | Local newspapers remain a preferred source of information for East Kentuckians |
“At the end of each week, we typically receive regular e-mails from Kentucky Press Association Executive Director David Thompson. These e-mails contain information on all kinds of things pertaining to newspapers across the Commonwealth, and are always interesting to look through.
Last week, Thompson’s weekly e-mail message contained a link to the Appalachia Funders Network’s recent “News Business in Appalachia” report. Trust me when I say there is A LOT of information in this report. …the “News Business in Appalachia” report is full of interesting and enlightening findings. I have only scratched the surface here, but I would like to commend those who were a part of this project.” |
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What's Good in Appalachia? |
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While many think of summer as typical tourist season, autumn is when the Central Appalachian region is truly at its peak. As cooler air settles into the valleys and crispens the high country, the mountains turn into one of the most remarkable displays of color anywhere in the country. Experts at East Tennessee State University are even predicting a particularly dramatic foliage season this year.
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Beyond the must-see scenery, fall is also a season of opportunity for communities throughout the region. Businesses - hotels, outdoor adventure guides, restaurants, and more - are open and ready for visitors. And just in time for the season, the Blue Ridge Parkway has reopened to Graveyard Fields and Pisgah, opening 38 miles of scenic rides and trails in the Asheville area. Fall in Appalachia is about more than foliage; it’s a moment to appreciate the gifts of community, recreation, and life that the mountains give us.
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Take time to mill about this autumn. Celebrate the bright, hopeful, and powerful presence of Appalachian culture. Happy peak season! |
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Other News That Caught Our Eye |
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Our Contact Informationno-cont admin@appalachiafunders.org
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