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Appalachian Regional Commission - POWER

Federal Agency/Bureau
Appalachian Regional Commission
Program Name
POWER
Authorizing Legislation

Appalachian Regional Development Act (ARDA)

Program Overview

POWER is a congressionally-funded initiative that targets federal resources to help communities and regions that have been affected by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations, and coal-related supply chain industries due to the changing economics of America's energy production. Within the POWER Initiative, 1/3 of funding is specifically available for broadband-related projects.

CFDA

23.002

Program Website
Type of Funding

Discretionary

Link to application site, NOFO, FOA, or Grants.gov (if different from program website above)
Important Dates (if applicable)

POWER runs on an annual application cycle with this year’s Letters of Intent due April 4, 2022 and Applications due April 29, 2022.

FY2023 Appropriations Amount

Total Amount: $65 million

Amount Available Towards Broadband (if specified): $21.6 million

Matching Requirement

Yes. 20% to 80%, determined by the economic status of project area: https://www.arc.gov/classifying-economic-distress-in-appalachiancounties/

Complementary Federal Funding Option

ARC funding may be used in place of non-federal match for BEAD funding. ARPA funding may be used as match for ARC funding.

Broadband-related Program Purpose/Eligible Expenditures
Speed/Technical Requirement for Broadband Infrastructure

Fiber networks must deliver 100/100 Mbps service for businesses and 50/10 Mbps service for households. Fixed wireless networks must deliver 25/3 Mbps service. 

Criteria for Eligible Recipients

Eligible recipients must be publicly owned entities, non-profit entities, or a competitively selected private partnership that includes publicly owned entities or non-profit entities.

Grant Beneficiaries (if different from eligible recipients)

Not Applicable

Programmatic Resources

Information available on website or by contacting state ARC program manager.

Reporting Requirements

Not Applicable

Publicly-available programmatic data

Information available on website or by contacting state ARC program manager.

Contact Information

1666 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20009-1068
Telephone: (202) 884-7700
Email: info@arc.gov
For questions on specific topic areas, please refer to the contacts listed on the ARC
Offices and Staff page.

Additional Information

Projects must benefit communities that have been impacted by the downturn of the coal economy. If you have questions on eligibility, please reach out to your state ARC program manager (contact information found here: https://www.arc.gov/appalachianstates/). 

Updated

March 2023

Funding Guide