Program Participation
Application
The next application round will open in February 2024 and run through mid-April 2024.
To participate in Opportunity Appalachia and receive technical assistance for your project’s prospectus development and support for capital raising, we encourage you to:
- Join launch webinar on January 18, 2024 from 1:00-2:30 PM EST
- Submit the Opportunity Appalachia application to participate, see below for the link to the application and submission dates. It is anticipated that approximately 30 projects in Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia will be selected to participate in the Opportunity Appalachia program. If you have questions about the application, please contact the lead state partner in your state, listed below.
Opportunity Appalachia welcomes applications targeting one or several projects. Multiple project applications should demonstrate that the projects have related, compatible development strategies.
Application Deadline: April 12, 2024
Applications must be submitted via the Online Application Form to be considered for program support.
To draft your responses, you may download a PDF of the APPLICATION FOR PARTICIPATION
Lead State Partners
| Kentucky | Dwain Neeley
Vice President of Community Lending Fahe Dwain.Neeley@fahe.org |
| North Carolina | Christine Laucher
Strategic Partnership Manager Mountain BizWorks |
| Tennessee | Victoria Hirschberg
University of Tennessee Assistant Vice President of Research, Outreach and Economic Development |
| Ohio | Katy Farber,
Vice President OhioSE |
| Virginia | Vickie Ratliff
Opportunity SWVA Project Lead University of Virginia at Wise |
| West Virginia | Ray Moeller
Economic Redevelopment Specialist Brownfields Assistance Center at West Virginia University |
OUTREACH MEETINGS
To learn more about the Opportunity Appalachia program, please attend a session.
Program Launch Webinar Recording
January 25, 2022 1:00 – 2:30 pm
Opportunity Appalachia hosted a launch webinar on January 25 to launch a second, expanded phase of Opportunity Appalachia. The webinar featured Gayle Manchin, Federal co-Chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission, pre-recorded remarks from Tom Barkin, President & CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond*, and a welcome from Donna Gambrell, President & CEO of Appalachian Community Capital. All interested community and economic development leaders, local elected officials, developers, and business owners interested in projects in the Appalachian counties of NC, OH, TN, VA, and WV can watch the recording to learn about the opportunity to obtain technical assistance for real estate development projects that move communities forward.
Tennessee & Virginia Fall Outreach Meeting
Thursday, October 6, 1:00 – 2:30 PM Eastern Time
Opportunity Appalachia hosted an informational webinar for TN & VA projects on October 6 to share information about our Fall Application Round. The webinar featured Commissioner Stuart McWhorter, Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development, Bryan Horn, Director of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, and a welcome from Donna Gambrell, President & CEO of Appalachian Community Capital.
Resources
More information on related project development is available at:
- Downtown Investment Playbook
- Economic Innovation Group Opportunity Zone Activity Map
- New Markets Tax Credit Coalition – Overview
- LISC Community Partners Playbookfor Opportunity Zones
- National Trust Community Investment Corporation– Historic Tax Credit development
- Virginia – Locus Impact Investingservices
- The Governance Project Toolkit for Maximizing Impact of Opportunity Zones
- HUD Opportunity Zone Toolkit on “Best Practices and Case Studies” for OZs
- The US Impact Investing Alliance (USIIA) Toolkit
- Accelerator for America Investment Prospectus Guide
- Real Estate Investing Basics
- Rural Recovery Playbook, Sorenson Impact
Program archives
Opportunity Appalachia 2020-2021
Information on program activities including outreach meetings, application and selection materials, Technical Assistance RFQ process, and 2021 Investor Convening – here
For Program Summary and Impact Statement, click here.
For independent program evaluation from Midwest Evaluation, click here.
Opportunity Appalachia 2022-2023
Information on program activities including Application and outreach meetings – click here. [Link to new 2022-23 Program archive page, content appears below]
To explore the Opportunity Appalachia 2023 Investor Convening, click here.
For Program Summary and Impact Statement, coming soon.
For independent program evaluation from Midwest Evaluation, click here.
