Mountain Association For Community Economic Development Inc

THE MOUNTAIN ASSOCIATION INVESTS IN PEOPLE AND PLACES IN EASTERN KENTUCKY TO ADVANCE A JUST TRANSITION TO A NEW ECONOMY THAT IS MORE DIVERSE, SUSTAINABLE, EQUITABLE AND RESILIENT.

LENDING AND BUSINESS SUPPORT THE LENDING TEAM OFFERS LOANS TO EXISTING AND STARTUP BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS. AS A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FINANCIAL INSTITUTION AND A NONPROFIT, THE ORGANIZATION CAN OFFER GREATER FLEXIBILITY AND LEND TO FOLKS WHO MAY NOT OTHERWISE QUALIFY. THE BUSINESS SUPPORT PROGRAM CONNECTS BUSINESS OWNERS AND NONPROFIT LEADERS TO CONSULTANTS WHO CAN HELP THEM SUCCEED - FROM WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT TO PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY, AND MORE. AT FISCAL YEAR END, THE COMBINED PORTFOLIO OF MOUNTAIN ASSOCIATION AND ITS AFFILIATED NONPROFIT APPALACHIAN INVESTMENT CORPORATION INCLUDED 197 LOANS TOTALING APPROXIMATELY 21,680,056. THERE WERE 53 LOANS CLOSED DURING FISCAL YEAR 2024, DISBURSING A TOTAL OF APPROXIMATELY 6,596,227.

OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES CENTRAL APPALACHIAN NETWORK THE CENTRAL APPALACHIAN NETWORK (CAN)'S MISSION IS TO DEVELOP AND DEPLOY ECONOMIC STRATEGIES THAT BUILD WEALTH IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES, CONSERVE NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES, AND EMPOWER MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES. CAN WORKS IN COLLABORATION ACROSS SECTORS, PARTNERING WITH OTHER NON-PROFITS, COMMUNITY GROUPS, FUNDERS, EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, LOCAL GOVERNMENT, AND PRIVATE BUSINESS. CAN ACTIVELY PURSUES ECONOMIC TRANSITION IN CENTRAL APPALACHIAN COMMUNITIES THROUGH A VARIETY OF ECONOMIC SECTORS AND MARKET- BASED STRATEGIES. MOUNTAIN ASSOCIATION SERVES AS FISCAL SPONSOR FOR CAN. STRATEGIC INITIATIVES THE STRATEGIC INITIATIVES PROGRAM WORKS TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH COMMUNITIES IN EASTERN KENTUCKY BY HELPING THEM DESIGN AND BUILD UNIQUE AND PLACE-BASED INTERVENTIONS IN ECONOMIC SECTORS THAT FILL GAPS AND DEMONSTRATES WHAT'S POSSIBLE IN THE REGION'S NEW ECONOMY. THIS INCLUDES HELPING TO DEVELOP AND SUPPORT A GRASSROOTS NETWORK OF COMMUNITY GROUPS FOCUSED ON DIVERSIFYING THEIR LOCAL ECONOMIES, AS WELL AS HELPING COMMUNITIES PLAN FOR AND RESPOND TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND CLIMATE DISASTERS. AS A PART OF THIS WORK, THE ORGANIZATION ALSO CONTINUES DEEP, LONG-TERM INVESTMENT IN HAZARD, KENTUCKY AS A WAY TO SHOW HOW COLLABORATIVE WORK AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS CAN, OVER TIME, FORWARD A NEW ECONOMY. GENERAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT HISTORICALLY, MOUNTAIN ASSOCIATION HAS PROVIDED ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT SERVICES TO AND HAS MAINTAINED A JOINT EMPLOYER RELATIONSHIP WITH SEVERAL SMALL NONPROFITS WHOSE MISSIONS CLOSELY ALIGN WITH THE ORGANIZATION. CURRENTLY, MOUNTAIN ASSOCIATION PROVIDES THESE SERVICES TO KENTUCKY NATURAL LANDS TRUST (KNLT) AND KENTUCKY CENTER FOR ECONOMIC POLICY (KY POLICY). KNLT IS A NONPROFIT CONSERVATION ORGANIZATION WORKING TO SECURE FUNDS TO PROTECT NATURAL LANDS AND PROVIDE FOR THEIR LONG-TERM STEWARDSHIP. KY POLICY PRODUCES CREDIBLE RESEARCH TO KENTUCKIANS AROUND COMPLEX ISSUES SUCH AS PUBLIC INVESTMENTS, TAXES, EDUCATION, CRIMINAL JUSTICE, HEALTH CARE, JOBS, AND THE ECONOMY. AS PART OF ITS MISSION, MOUNTAIN ASSOCIATION ALSO SERVES AS A FISCAL SPONSOR FOR UNINCORPORATED NONPROFIT PROJECTS DOING WORK THAT SUPPORTS OUR GOALS. FISCALLY SPONSORED PROJECTS ARE DIRECT ACTIVITIES OF MOUNTAIN ASSOCIATION.

APPALACHIAN TRANSITION COMMUNICATIONS & POLICY APPALACHIAN TRANSITION IS BOTH THE OVERARCHING FRAMEWORK OF OUR VISION FOR APPALACHIA'S BRIGHTER FUTURE AND A BODY OF WORK AIMED AT MOVING US TOWARD THAT FUTURE. THIS TEAM IS FOCUSED ON CONDUCTING COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGNS, TELLING IMPORTANT STORIES THROUGH A BROAD RANGE OF AVENUES, AND CONNECTING WITH LEADERS AND ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS PART OF SHIFTING THE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE REGION, OUR ECONOMIC TRANSITION AND OUR BRIGHT FUTURE.

ENERGY PROGRAMS THE ORGANIZATION'S ENERGY EXPERTS HELP BUSINESSES, NONPROFITS, AND PUBLIC AGENCIES FIND MUCH-NEEDED ENERGY SAVINGS THROUGH UTILITY BILL ANALYSIS, ON-SITE ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND SOLAR ASSESSMENTS, FINANCING, AND GRANT APPLICATION SUPPORT.