The Appalachian Regional Commission has selected three projects in West Virginia for its POWER Grant Initiative (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization).
The program is meant to use federal dollars to help communities in Appalachia affected by the decline of coal industry jobs.
State projects selected are meant to provide training, support tourism and leverage private investments. All three POWER Initiative grants went to organizations in Kanawha County totaling $2,085,225.
The West Virginia Regional Technology Park Corporation was awarded $886,762 for a program that will provide training and connect participants to manufacturing jobs.
The Kanawha County Commission received $675,210 to develop tourist attractions.
Generation West Virginia received more than $500,000 to help employers find workers.
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) selected 18 other projects in this round of POWER grants in Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Mississippi and North Carolina.
The POWER Initiative began in 2015 and has spent more than 316.6 million federal dollars. Applications are still being accepted. Find out more about the application process on the Appalachian Regional Commission website.