Southern Tier 8 Regional Board is the Local Development District (LDD) for the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). ARC will invest in Nonprofits, Municipalities, Education, and Public Entities in the Southern Tier that support their regional community & economic development goals. How to apply for this funding:
1. ARC FY2024 Area Development Grant Opportunity is now closed. Information Sessions for the FY 2025 ARC Area Development Grant Opportunites will begin in the Spring 2024 (March - April), please check back for updates.
2. Seeking grant writing training? attend Q & A Series, to be held in Spring 2024. Please check back for dates and times. Topics: Collaborative Partnerships, Budgets, Performance Measures & Sustainability
3. Review the ARC Strategic Plan & NY Program Strategies and consider how your new (or expanding) project supports ARC’s Investment Goals.
4. Gather a Letter of Alignment from the County Representatives of the community that your project serves. (If you are plan to serve multiple counties, you must collect a letter from each of the County Representative). For a list of County Representatives, click here.
5. Review the Performance Measures document for your specific goal area and define your project’s impact by defining your unique performance measures. See Guidance Document Performance Measures.
6. The Pre-Applications will open in May 2024.
Details: $150,000 is the maximum eligible investment, with a dollar per dollar cash and/or in-kind match. Projects with committed match will rank higher than those with pending match. Projects serving Distressed areas may rank higher than other projects. Funds must be used for new activities or expansion of programs & show sustainability following ARC's investment. Funding of existing programs is not an eligible expense. *Construction Projects must have a committed Basic Agency to apply. The ARC Area Development Pre-Applications link will reopen in May 2024. The Review Committee will meet the end of June 2024 to determine which Pre-Applications will be invited to submit a Full Application for FY2025 investments, and a mandatory training will be held for those invited to apply (Date, Time and Location TBD).
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is a regional economic development agency that represents a partnership of federal, state and local government. Established by an act of Congress in 1965, ARC is composed of the governors of the 13 Appalachian states and a federal co-chair, who is appointed by the president. New York State Department of State serves as the state partner for this federal investment opportunity. Local participation is provided through multi-county local development districts (LDDs). Southern Tier 8 is the Region’s Local Development District for the 8 counties of Broome, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie, Tioga and Tompkins.
ARC invests in projects that support their current investment goals.
Goal 1: Building Appalachian Businesses
Strengthen and diversify the Region's economy through inclusive economic development strategies and investments in entrepreneurship and business development.
Goal 2: Building Appalachia's Workforce Ecosystem
Expand and strengthen community systems (education, healthcare, housing, childcare, and others) that help Appalachians obtain a job, stay on the job, and advance along a financially sustaining career parthway.
Goal 3: Building Appalachia's Infrastructure
Ensure that the residents and businesses of Appalachia have access to reliable, affordable, resilient, and engery efficient utilities and infrastructure in order to successsfully live and work in the Region.
Goal 4: Building Regional Culture and Tourism
Strengthen Appalachia’s community and economic development potential by perserving and investing in the Region's local cultural heritage and natural assets. (NOTE: ARC may have limited 2023 investments in this goal area).
Goal 5: Building Community Leaders and Capacity
Invest in the capacity of local leaders, organizations, and communities to address local challenges by providing technical assistance and support to access resources, engage partners, identify strategies and tactics, and conduct effective planning and project execution.