Appalachian Community Fund

Appalachian Community Fund is bold, forward-thinking, inclusive—a champion of the people of Appalachia. By lifting up the voices of our community, supporting our community’s vision for change, and advancing local leadership, Appalachian Community Fund (ACF) embodies the power of collective action and bottom-up transformation. Inclusivity is paramount to our definition of community, and this value is lived out in our efforts to give many different voices a platform. To everyone at ACF, “y’all means all” is much more than a fun catchphrase. ACF’s commitment to effective, people-driven progress is bolstered by our firm Appalachian roots. Beyond honoring Appalachian culture and heritage, our approach to change-making fundamentally reflects the spirit of Appalachia: gritty and resourceful with a well-developed instinct for problem-solving. At the heart of the fund is a staunch belief in the sharing of resources, energy, time, and ideas with each other to achieve a common vision for change and to shift the narrative about Appalachia. ---OUR MISSION ACF funds and encourages grassroots social change in Central Appalachia. We work to build a sustainable base of resources in order to support community-led organizations seeking to overcome and address issues of race, economic status, gender, sexual identity, disability, and the environment. As a community-controlled fund, ACF aims to expand and strengthen movements for social change—to change systems and institutions—by leveraging our collective power. ---HISTORY Appalachian Community Fund (ACF) was founded in 1987 to provide new resources to groups working for progressive social change in Central Appalachia (East Tennessee, Eastern Kentucky, Southwest Virginia and West Virginia), and to be a sustainable resource base for community organizing and social change work in this region. Since our inception, we have awarded close to $7 Million to more than 300 organizations working for justice. We pool resources from many sources including individuals, businesses, and foundations in order to provide critical financial support to help people organizing themselves to address systemic problems of poverty, racism, and social inequity in their own communities and neighborhoods. We do this through: Strategic grantmaking and technical assistance for community organizing efforts Working with donors who are committed to social justice Strengthening our region’s capacity and leadership for social change ACF’s office is located in Knoxville, Tennessee. We are governed by a regional board of directors made up of community leaders and residents of the four-state area in which we fund. Grantees, donors, allies, and board members make up the ACF network and community which helps guide our work and our community-controlled grantmaking.