Webinar to explain how the Appalachian Solar Finance Fund is helping coal-impacted communities

A new regional solar initiative awarded its first $44,690 grant award to help a nonprofit go solar on April 7, 2022. More such awards are on the horizon in the six states where the fund operates.

Join a webinar on Thursday, April 21, at 12 p.m., EDT, to learn about the Appalachian Solar Finance Fund (SFF), a new program to jump-start public, nonprofit and commercial solar projects in coal-impacted communities of Central Appalachia.

Members of the SFF Executive Committee will discuss the fund’s purpose and structure, and how to apply for funding support. SFF team members will also share news about the Southwest Virginia Solar Workforce Accelerator, a related partnership between the SFF and community and technical colleges to create an apprenticeship-to-jobs pipeline in the region’s solar industry.

RSVP here to attend.

The presentation will be followed by a Q&A. Civic, nonprofit and business leaders, solar developers, and members of the media and public are encouraged to attend.

The SFF is deploying a recent $1.5 million Appalachian Regional Commission POWER Initiative award for competitive subgrant awards for solar projects on nonprofit and public buildings and competitive technical assistance contracts for solar installations on commercial enterprises.

It is simultaneously developing additional investment and credit enhancement strategies to support the growth of more solar energy in the region. The resulting solar projects are creating new jobs and attracting investment to communities hard hit by the decline of the region’s coal industry.

The Appalachian Solar Finance Fund is a project of Appalachian Voices, the Central Appalachian Network, Partner Community Capital, Invest Appalachia and New Resource Solutions that aims to accelerate solar development and economic growth in Central Appalachia.

Support for the Appalachian Solar Finance Fund is provided by the Appalachian Regional Commission’s POWER Initiative, the Appalachian Investment Ecosystem Initiative, the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, New York Community Trust, the Educational Foundation of America, the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority and other pending sources.

Learn more at solarfinancefund.org

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Appalachian Voices is a leading nonprofit advocate for a healthy environment and just economy in the Appalachian region, and a driving force in America’s shift from fossil fuels to a clean energy future.