Up to $35M in grants available to assist workers and communities affected by changes in the coal industry and energy sector

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor – in partnership with the Department of Commerce, the Small Business Administration and the Appalachian Regional Commission – today announced the availability of up to $35.5 million to help communities and workers successfully adapt to changes in the coal industry and power sector.

The grant is being made available as part of the Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization initiative – known as POWER – led by the Commerce Department's Economic Development Agency.

"Recent changes in the energy economy have had a profound impact on Appalachian families and communities that have been sustained by the coal industry for generations," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez announcing the grant at the Shaping Our Appalachian Region Strategy Summit 2015, in Pikeville, Ky. "We have a moral imperative to work together to ensure we all succeed. That's what the POWER initiative is all about – developing truly cohesive relationships at the federal, state and local level to create real economic opportunities for families throughout the region."

Opened today, the Federal Funding Opportunity outlines the POWER Initiative implementation grant priorities, evaluation factors, and application guidance for the up to $20 million from Department of Labor, up to $12.5 million in funding from the Department of Commerce, up to $2.5 million from the Small Business Administration, and up to $500,000 from Appalachian Regional Commission.

Grants will take a comprehensive approach towards economic diversification and worker advancement in implementing their economic development strategic plans. Experience shows that projects which integrate both economic development and workforce development solutions with broad community partnerships are more successful than when independent solutions are pursued.

Funds will be granted competitively to partnerships of regionally-driven economic development and workforce development organizations in impacted coal communities. Grants will help recipients build economic resilience, industry diversification, and promote new job creation opportunities.

Although resources from multiple federal agencies are made available through this opportunity, applicants need to apply separately for each funding source in which they are interested. Applications for DOC, SBA and ARC funding must be received by July 10, 2015. DOL funding applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.