State of Funding in Appalachia Report | Upcoming Webinar |
|
|
Join us on May 23rd at 12 PM EST for a full roll-out of State of Funding in Appalachia research, previewed at the Gathering. |
|
|
For the first time, we’re sharing comparative data on how philanthropy shows up—or doesn’t—for rural Appalachia. This builds on the groundwork laid by As the South Grows and represents the first dataset of its kind focused specifically on our region. We hope this becomes a tool for funders, community leaders, and advocates to better understand the gaps and opportunities in resourcing our communities.
|
|
|
As some of you remember, we announced at the 2025 Annual Gathering our intention to restructure so as to empower a more nimble, responsive, and democratic network. This decision was made in dialogue with our members, and following multiple conversations over a period of many months. Cycles, changes. However, we know that changes can be challenging, which is why we are further committed to walking this road with you all.
|
|
|
|
Our Programmatic Structure |
As some of you remember, we announced at the 2025 Annual Gathering our intention to restructure so as to empower a more nimble, responsive, and democratic network. This decision was made in dialogue with our members, and following multiple conversations over a period of many months. However, we know that changes can be challenging, which is why we are further committed to walking this road with you all. |
|
|
Have questions but we're unable to attend the roll out or office hours? Watch the recording below or contact us! |
|
|
IMPORTANT ALERT FOR APPALACHIA: Protect Our Region’s Philanthropy, Recovery, and Future |
|
|
At the Appalachia Funders Network, we rarely send out communications focused solely on advocacy. However, recent actions by the House Ways and Means Committee have advanced measures that could directly impact not only our member organizations but the very infrastructure of civil society in our region—perhaps more than anywhere else in the country.
Right now, decisions are being made in Washington that threaten the very resources Appalachia depends on—from the foundations that support our communities to the federal commissions and programs that have long filled gaps where private markets and public systems fall short. We promised to keep you informed so you can effectively share the stories from your community as congress weighs these massive changes. |
|
|
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 | May 27th and July 29th at 3:30 PM EST
- Energy and Natural Resources | June 4th at 2PM EST
- Creative Capital | July 8th at 2PM EST
- Arts & Culture | July 15th at 2PM EST
- Health | July 17th at 3 PM
|
|
|
|
Today we want to give a special shout-out to our Executive Director, Ryan Eller, for completion of his doctorate thesis and official graduation from his program. |
Send him a congratulatory note! |
|
|
| Appalachian Tornado Relief Fund |
The Upper Cumberland Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, established the Appalachian Tornado Relief Fund to support disaster relief efforts in Appalachian Kentucky following the devastating tornadoes on May 16, 2025. |
|
| |
US Regional Arts Organizations Joint Statement on the National Endowment for the Arts |
Many National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grants—including the ArtsHERE initiative—were unexpectedly terminated, and a new federal budget proposal threatens to eliminate the NEA entirely. These cuts would seriously impact communities nationwide, especially rural regions like Appalachia. The U.S. Regional Arts Organizations urge Congress to restore this critical funding and encourage grantees to review their status and take action. Read more here.
|
|
|
| On Wednesday, May 28th, why [here] matters will be supporting to facilitate a RAFT for America trip on the French Broad River in Western North Carolina. AFN members can consider participating. |
|
|
|
Forum Advocacy Action Center - Protecting Charitable Sector: Respond To Tax Legislation |
Current Status: On May 12, House Republicans released a comprehensive tax package that is moving rapidly through the legislative process. The Ways and Means Committee is marking up the legislation this week, with a floor vote possible as early as next week. This legislation contains provisions that would significantly impact philanthropy's ability to support communities and threatens the independence of the nonprofit sector. Act now here.
|
|
|
We know that in Central Appalachia, the future of local journalism is at a critical crossroads.
This is why we formed a Press Forward chapter. Despite assumptions about digital innovation, many counties still rely on traditional newspapers as their only independent source of local news. Yet few alternatives are emerging to fill the gaps left behind when these outlets disappear.
To better understand why—and how we turn that around—Press Forward Central Appalachia has partnered with top researchers and institutions to launch a comprehensive research plan, including a State of Rural Journalism Report by Benjy Hamm and Al Cross, and a Literature Review by data economist Luke Boutwell. These findings reveal that sustainable local journalism is foundational to civic health and democratic participation, but its survival depends on reimagined business models and economic investment. We’re inviting Central Appalachia’s economic development leaders to engage with this research and help us build a Rural News Fund strategy rooted in the realities of our region.
Click the buttons below to learn more about these pieces of critical research. And if you're interested in joining this work, let us know! |
|
|
What's Good in Appalachia? |
|
|
May is Asian American Pacific Islander Month (AAPI) |
|
|
This month we honor AAPI Appalachians not just with heritage celebrations, but by listening deeply: to oral histories, to local leaders, to young people navigating dual identities in a place that often tells them they don’t belong. We uplift artists and organizers who are forging new paths. We support mutual aid networks and cultural festivals that make space for joy and solidarity.
|
| |
This month, we remember that Appalachia has never been just one story. Its strength is in its diversity, its contradictions, and the communities who keep showing up, generation after generation, to claim space and make a future. |
| |
To our AAPI neighbors, kin, organizers, artists, and ancestors – we see you, and we thank you. |
|
|
Other News That Caught Our Eye |
-
The Chronicle of Philanthropy | The Nonprofit Sector Is Bleeding Jobs. Here’s What Our Tracking Data Reveals.
-
The Chronicle of Philanthropy | Listen now to Non-Profits Now: Leading Today, about how leaders within the sector are problem solving for today’s big challenges.
-
The Chronicle of Philanthropy | The Gates Foundation, the World’s Biggest Philanthropy, Announces Plans to Shutter in 2045.
-
The Hill | Read this op-ed by Claudia Cummings on why "Congress should not pay for tax cuts by taxing charities"
|
Do you have news or opportunities for collaboration you want to see highlighted in the next newsletter? Let us know! |
|
|
Our Contact Information
Appalachia Funders Network
420 Main St., Hazard, KY
appalachiafunders.org
coordinator@appalachiafunders.org
|
| |
|
|
