Appalachia Funders Network

🌟 We are welcoming quite a few new members into the Network this season and want to introduce you to a couple of them: Hope in the Hills, Inc. and The Whetstone Family Foundation! Logan Terry and his team at Hope in the Hills is doing remarkable work across Appalachia through recovery support, harm reduction, workforce development, and healing-centered community investment. From Healing Appalachia to ReStage Appalachia and recovery housing scholarships, their work reflects what long-term recovery infrastructure can look like when it is built with compassion, collaboration, and deep community connection. We’re also thrilled to spotlight the Whetstone Family Foundation and Brent W., whose work is grounded in expanding hope, health, and opportunity for Appalachian Ohio. Through scholarships, educational investment, arts support, and rural healthcare advocacy, they are helping create pathways for young people to stay connected to and invested in their communities. Reach out and say hello 👋 to AFN's new members through the member portal (portal.appalachiafunders.org) and checkout their member spotlights there or on our website while you're at it! https://lnkd.in/e8ZWDhY2 Welcome to AFN, Hope in the Hills and The Whetstone Family Foundation! #AppalachiaFunders #JustTransition

We’re growing our team at the Appalachia Funders Network and hiring a Narrative and Communications Coordinator to help shape how stories, data, and relationships move across our network and beyond. This role sits at the intersection of narrative change, communications, and field-building. Approximately half of the position will support AFN’s growing work in rural news and narrative infrastructure—including the Rural News Fund (RNF) and Press Forward Central Appalachia (PFCA)—while the other half will deliver upon and expand AFN’s core communications functions. The Coordinator will report to the Programs and Learning Manager and work closely with the full AFN team, members, and partners. This is an ideal role for a professional who is both strategic and execution-oriented—someone who can manage communications systems while also understanding the deeper role narrative plays in shaping investment, policy, and place-based change. 🔗 Job Description: /careersrfps (also in bio) Submission Requirements: 🔵 Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Those applying prior to May 25, 2026 will be given priority. 🔵 Submit your resume, cover letter, and 3-4 writing or communications samples 🔵 Send materials to [email protected] with the subject line: "Narrative and Communications Coordinator" Help us to grow our team by sharing this opportunity with colleagues, storytellers, journalists, communicators, and community leaders who care about Appalachia and telling its stories. Know somebody who might be interested? Feel welcome to tag them! #Appalachia #Storytelling #AppalachianStorytelling #Communications #NarrativeChange

Federally Qualified Health Centers are often more than healthcare providers in rural Appalachia. They are employers, trusted institutions, and lifelines for communities facing barriers to care. In our newest member spotlight, Primary Care Development Corporation (PCDC) shares how a partnership with Dogwood Health Trust is helping strengthen primary care infrastructure in Western North Carolina through a blend of flexible capital, technical assistance, and long-term strategic support. Want to learn more about the partnership and work being done? Read more here 🔗 /news-resources/member-spotlight-primary-care-development-corporation (also in bio) #HealthcareInAppalachia #AppalachiaFunders #CapitalAndCapacity #JustTransition

📖 We are excited to announce the launch of the Appalachia Funders Knowledge Exchange's quarterly, member-only webinar series on May 14, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET! This series is designed to bring members together with guest speakers, researchers, practitioners, and thought leaders to explore timely data, priority topics, and innovative approaches informing philanthropy and investment in Central Appalachia. Our first session takes on a question with high stakes for the region: where will Central Appalachia's healthcare workforce come from? Much of Central Appalachia has been designated a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). Healthcare employers across the region face persistent vacancies, rising recruitment costs, and a workforce pipeline that has long struggled to meet regional demand. Addressing that challenge requires understanding not only the scope of the problem, but the assets already present in the region that are positioned to respond to it. Join us for Leveraging the Potential of Regional Public Colleges and Universities for the Future of Healthcare. This session brings together researchers, healthcare voices, and philanthropic perspectives to examine the healthcare workforce crisis in Central Appalachia and to explore what a place-based, regionally rooted approach to building the healthcare workforce could look like. Members should register at the link below or through the member portal: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/lMZRTYRaQsqqWcpTqJvfYw#/registration?blm_aid=18522113

📨 AFN's April 2026 Newsletter is out! This month's edition is packed full with reflections on our 2026 Annual Gathering, news and announcements about the Member Portal and Knowledge Exchange, programs and event signups, new member announcements, and so much more! 👉 You can check it out on our website (/news-resources), and members can take a look through the new member portal (portal.appalachiafunders.org). To receive future editions of our newsletter, sign up here: /newsletter #AppalachiaFunders #JustTransition #NewsinAppalachia

And just like that, AFN’s 2026 Annual Gathering has come to a close! We want to extend our deep gratitude to the sponsors and AFN leaders who made this Gathering possible. It is because of your support that over a few days in Appalachia, we got to see what happens when funders, practitioners, artists, and community leaders come together not just to talk, but to learn from one another and from the place itself. From sessions on impact investing, disaster resilience, narrative change, and measuring hope, to time spent out in the community - at Coalfield Development Corporation, Heritage Farmstead Museum, Print My Threads, and so many other places - it was a powerful reminder that the future of a Just Transition in Appalachia is already being built, together. Be on the lookout for a full reflection on AFN's 2026 Annual Gathering. For now, here's a sneak peak at some of our favorite moments from our time on Appalachia's Front Porch 📹 AFN's 2026 Gathering Sponsors: Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, Invest Appalachia, Dogwood Health Trust, Anne & Gene Worrell Foundation, Craft Emergency Relief Fund, Self-Help Credit Union, Trust for Civic Life, Locus, Appalachian Community Fund, Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, Mountain Association, The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, Grant Ready Kentucky, Foundation for the Tri-State Community, Inc., Roberts Impact Investing Fund, The Educational Foundation of America, Lee Ann Weinberg, MBA, MSHA, Continuing the Legacy Foundation, Visit AKY (Celesta Kouns), and City of Ashland Kentucky AFN's 2026 Gathering Committee: Shannon Ford, Annie Forrest, Cynthia Brown, Charles W. Calhoun, Jeff Mansour, Kathryn C. Davis Lamp, Garrett Blaize, Latasha Friend 📸 Videography by Shane W. Day

Today is Local News Day — a nationwide movement to recognize something we don’t talk about enough: local news isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s infrastructure and a key determinant of civic health. Local News Day shines a spotlight on the trusted local outlets that keep residents informed during emergencies, hold institutions accountable, and support everyday decision-making. Appalachia Funders Network and its Rural News Fund are proud to be a partner of this growing movement, alongside Press Forward Central Appalachia, and believe reliable local information is essential infrastructure for strong communities. Local News Day is not a fundraising campaign — it’s an open, inclusive opportunity to elevate awareness and appreciation for the role local news and information play in civic life. Thank you for standing with local news and information — and for helping build a movement that sustains it for generations. #LocalNewsDay #RuralNews #CivicInfrastructure #CivicHealth #CentralAppalachia #JustTransition

‼️ Today is the LAST DAY to register for AFN's 2026 Annual Gathering in Ashland, KY ‼️ Save your seat today and pull up a chair on Appalachia's Front Porch in just one week! Registration closes at 12 PM today: /portal/registration/tNcjfWRxwh-PdNKDgxE1/

Picture yourself on a front porch in Appalachia, where neighbors gather, stories are shared, and conversations flow freely about the questions that matter most to our communities. That’s the spirit of this year’s Appalachia Funders Network Annual gathering in Ashland, where West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky meet, and where our Network will come together to learn from one another and chart a shared path forward. If you’ve been thinking about joining, consider this your sign! Today is the LAST day for regular registration. Late registration runs through April 1 - 6 at a higher rate, so save your spot today and pull up a chair with us! Register today to save your spot: /portal/registration/tNcjfWRxwh-PdNKDgxE1/?referral=social_pre_registration #AFN2026 #JustTransition #AppalachiasFrontPorch

‼️Regular registration ends TOMORROW‼️ Some of the most important conversations shaping Appalachia right now are happening at the 2026 Appalachia Funders Network Annual Gathering. This year’s sessions center the questions many of us are already holding in our work and communities. Questions about capacity, recovery, and what it means to build a more hopeful and resilient region. Who holds power accountable as local newsrooms shrink in West Virginia? What would it look like to intentionally grow and measure hope across Appalachia? Why do so many recovery efforts lose momentum, and how can we sustain them over time? These are conversations rooted in this region and this moment, and you won't hear them anywhere else. Join us and be part of the work. Regular registration is still open until tomorrow! Register today: /portal/registration/tNcjfWRxwh-PdNKDgxE1/ #AFN2026 #AppalachiasFrontPorch

‼️Only 5 days left for regular registration‼️ In just 18 days, we’ll gather in Ashland, Kentucky on Appalachia’s Front Porch for AFN's Annual Gathering. 📈 Regular registration closes March 31. After that, late registration runs April 1–6 with a 25% increase across all rates: [Full Registration] AFN Member $635 → $795 [Full Registration] Non-member Funder $950 → $1,190 [Day Pass] AFN Member $290 → $360 [Day Pass] Non-member Funder $360 → $450 Practitioner $100 → $125 If you've been meaning to register, this is your nudge - don't pay more later for the same seat! Register here: https://lnkd.in/eVGJF4Pt The gathering hotel at the Delta in Ashland is officially full, but there are still block rates at nearby hotels in Ashland, Ironton, and Huntington to make your stay comfortable! Finally, a huge thank you to our sponsors for supporting this gathering and helping make it possible for our community to come together! #AFN2026 #AppalachiasFrontPorch

🗓️ 3 weeks until we gather on Appalachia's Front Porch! We’re counting down the days until we get to welcome you to Ashland, Kentucky for AFN's 2026 Annual Gathering! In just 21 days, we’ll be together with neighbors, organizers, storytellers, and leaders from across Appalachia, sharing space, ideas, and vision for what our region can be. If you’ve been thinking about joining us, now is the time! Regular registration is still open until 3/31, and we would love to have you there! Bring your people, your perspective, and your hopes for Appalachia’s future. Registration 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eVGJF4Pt We’ll see you on the porch! #AFN2026 #JustTransition #2026AFNAnnualGathering #SeeYouOnThePorch