If your group conducts work in a county of Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, or West Virginia that is designated by the Appalachian Regional Commission map, then yes!

The work or project for which you are seeking funding must take place in a Central Appalachian county.  For further information about where and what we fund, check out our Funding Criteria page or contact us.

We do not make grants to businesses or individuals.  To receive ACF funding, applicants must have their 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status or a fiscal sponsor that is a 501(c)(3) organization.

This is an organization that has been designated as a non-profit, tax-exempt organization by the Internal Revenue Service.

Your group can submit a proposal to ACF, accompanied by a letter from a 501(c)(3) organization willing to serve as your sponsor.  We would need their IRS tax-exempt letter, as well as a letter from them stating their willingness to serve as your sponsor.

We’re happy to help guide you through the grant application process! Just head over to our Contact page and send us a message. We’ll be in touch soon to offer any support you need.

Each of our grant opportunities offers different maximum grant awards. Please visit our Grant Opportunities page for more information about each program.

No, an audit is not required.  However, if your organization has completed an audit, we request that you submit a copy with your application.  Not every organization completes an audit and, if that’s the case with your organization, you can make note of that in your application to us.  The ACF board does look at budget information (detailed in the General RFP) and requests a financial statement in whatever form your organization uses.  Financial reports and budget information are critical elements in planning and carrying out work as well as informing proposal reviewers about the organization’s financial capacity and skills.

We will do our best to assist you in preparing an application — feel free to contact us with any questions or doubts you might have.

Deadlines differ between grant opportunities.  The deadline for the General Fund is listed on the application guidelines document.  Please note that this is not a postmark date: applications for this grant must be in the ACF office by 5:00pm on the day of the deadline.  This in-office deadline is set so that we know we have received all of the proposals and can begin to process them promptly.

The Technical Assistance and Power and Powerlessness have no deadlines — we welcome applications at any time during the year.  However, please allow at least three weeks to a month for us to process the application.

General Fund grant applications are read, evaluated, reviewed, discussed, and decided upon by ACF’s Board of Directors.  Applications are reviewed for completion and then distributed to reading teams composed of board members for evaluation and discussion.  The ACF Board meets before the end of our fiscal year to discuss and make decisions about funding recommendations.  Announcements are made in late May and June each year — and grant funds are released once we have received signed grant agreements and any outstanding reports on previous ACF grants.

Reading and thoroughly familiarizing yourself with our funding criteria, grant guidelines, definition of social change, and the type of work we fund is a great place to start and will put you in a good position to craft a strong application.  Carefully reviewing and following the application process, answering all questions, and submitting all required documentation is always advisable for any grant seeker.  If you still have questions regarding our requirements or grant process, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Yes, absolutely!

Yes, and we look forward to your next application. We encourage you to contact us first to have a conversation about your initial application. We are happy to provide actionable feedback and helpful coaching to fine tune your next go around.