RIDGWAY – Potter County has been selected by the Appalachian Regional Commission to receive training through the READY Local Governments initiative.

Potter County was one of 90 local governments selected to receive the no-cost training, along with access to READY Local Governments Initiative funding. The county will receive expert guidance and funding opportunities to help apply for, manage, and implement federal funding.

The program is one of four tracts under the commission’s capacity-building initiative, READY Appalachia. The READY Local Governments program is tailored to help those participating use federal funding opportunities to create lasting, positive change within their communities.

The county will receive nine weeks of virtual training through cohort-based learning to enhance their skills in identifying projects and planning, federal grant application development, federal grant regulations and compliance, community engagement projects, and more.

Once the training is completed, the county will become eligible to apply for up to $50,000 no-match funding which is to be used to implement internal capacity-building projects to help serve communities better.

The commission launched the program in July 2022 and has provided training and funded Local Development Districts (LDD) and nonprofits to build internal capacity to better serve their regions. Nearly $4 million has been awarded to LDDs and more than $1.6 million has been awarded to nonprofits through the program.