Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER)

Federal Agency

Sub-Department

N/A

Purpose

To support economic diversity, enhanced job training and re-employment opportunities, create jobs in existing or new industries, and attract new sources of investment in communities affected by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations, and coal-related supply chain industries.

Applicant and/or Project Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be in an eligible Appalachian county across the 13-state region: https://www.arc.gov/Appalachian-counties-served-by-arc/

Decarbonization Considerations

POWER grants help communities develop new supply chains, clean energy manufacturing, and workforce training. Consider using planning funding to build partnerships to train contractors for deep efficiency and electrification retrofits for commercial and residential buildings. Recent awardees have included projects for sustainable jobs, solar energy training and deployment, bike trail networks, HVAC and electrical engineering skills training, and other energy, economic diversification, and workforce development-related initiatives.

Equity Considerations

This program helps communities recover from declines in coal and manufacturing sectors and transition to new industries. The ARC may prioritize its funding and match rates based on levels of economic distress: https://www.arc.gov/match-requirements-for-arc-grants/

Helpful Tips

Partnerships that leverage existing educational programs or industry collaborations are heavily encouraged. Regional consortia and public-private partnerships are viewed particularly favorably and also highlight a range of strengths and non-federal leverage. Consider inviting ARC staff to participate in specific roundtables or community events with your regional team to get their input directly as you build momentum for funding support.

Other Notes

FY2022 awards can be found here highlighting a wide range of workforce, decarbonization, and resiliency goals: https://www.arc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/POWER-Award-Summaries-by-State-as-of-December-2022.pdf FY2023 awards: https://www.arc.gov/news/arc-awards-nearly-54-million-to-advance-economic-diversification-in-appalachias-coal-impacted-communities/