1. Appalachia Funders Network
2011 Gathering Proceedings
Appalachia Funders Network:
Learning, Analysis, Collaboration
2011 Gathering
Charleston, West Virginia
June 7-8, 2011

2. Appalachia Funders
Network
2011 Gathering Proceedings
Appalachia Funders Network
The Appalachia Funders Network is a group of public and private
grant-makers committed to fostering the development of an Ap-
palachian economy grounded in existing assets and characterized
by opportunity, diversity, and sustainability. Our work is focused in
Central Appalachia, the region defined as the Appalachian counties
of Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, Virginia, and North
Carolina. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that Appalachia sustains its
environment and culture, while bringing increased prosperity to the
people and communities of the Region.
The Gathering
Over two days in June 2011, 62 people representing 52 organiza-
tions working in Appalachia took part in the Appalachia Funders
Network Gathering in Charleston, West Virginia. The Gathering
included a day of learning about promising efforts and ideas,
followed by a day of working together to increase collaboration
among funders working in Central Appalachia. At the end of the
gathering, we had a set of concrete strategies and innovations
related to increasing collaboration among funders to build oppor-
tunities for sustainable economic development in the Region. We
plan to move forward on these strategies and innovations over the
coming year and beyond.
Appalachia Funders Network—2011 Gathering Proceedings ii

3. Executive Summary
The gathering began with two keynote presentations. Earl Gohl, Fed-
eral Co-Chairman of the Appalachian Regional Commission, empha-
sized the importance of foundations, of the Appalachia Funders Net-
work, and of collaboration among funders. Dr. Alison Davis of the
University of Kentucky then presented data related to Appalachia’s
economy, and outlined a framework for investing in infrastructure,
civic engagement, leadership development, access to quality health
care and education, and natural and built amenities as a sustainable
way to transition to a new economy. We then participated in breakout
sessions on the following topics: wealth creation in rural communi-
ties, entrepreneurship, local food systems, health, energy, and exam-
ples of increased impact through cross-sector partnerships.
After these learning opportunities, we engaged in participatory exercises
and group work focusing on understanding and planning for collabora-
tion among funders. We laid out the process of collaboration: the prereq-
uisites for collaboration, the process of collaboration, and the products
of collaboration. We brainstormed the barriers to collaboration that we
face as funders: philanthropic culture, capacity to collaborate, differences
among funders, limited relationships, and a lack of a collective vision.
Participants then identified five strategies for collaboration to build
upon the successes of the Network to date, which included:
• Identify and map philanthropic resources—to seek commonalities
and discover partnerships.
• Cultivate strong relationships—that provide the foundation for ef-
fective collaboration.
• Find common interests among organizational self interests—determine
what value each organization will gain from collaboration.
• Develop a common vision—frame a common set of goals among
participating organizations.
• Continue to develop the Appalachia Funders Network—recognize
the importance of this effort.
The Appalachian Funders Network will build on these strategies by im-
plementing four innovations for collaboration, all of which are designed
to help advance an agenda for sustainable economic development for
a Region undergoing significant economic transition. We closed with a
discussion of concrete next steps for making these innovations a reality.
Appalachia Funders Network—2011 Gathering Proceedings iii

4. Contents
Opportunities in Appalachia:
Keynote Presentations .............................................................. 1
Opportunities in Appalachia ...........................................................1
The State of the Appalachian Economy .........................................2
Strengthening Appalachian Economies:
Pre-Conference and Breakout Sessions .................................... 4
Wealth Creation in Rural Communities ..........................................4
Entrepreneurship .............................................................................4
Local Food Systems ..........................................................................5
Health ...............................................................................................5
Energy ...............................................................................................6
Increased Impact Through Cross-Sector Partnership .....................6
What’s Next in Philanthropy:
Participatory Exercises and Group Work.................................. 7
The Process of Collaboration...........................................................7
Barriers to Collaboration .................................................................8
Strategies for Collaboration ..........................................................10
Innovations for Collaboration .......................................................12
Next Steps and Closing ........................................................... 14
Participating Funders .............................................................. 16
About the Appalachia Funders Network ............................... 17
Appalachia Funders Network—2011 Gathering Proceedings iv

5. Keynote Presentations
The first day of the gathering centered on promising ideas and ef-
forts being developed and implemented to pave the way towards
new economic opportunity. The gathering began with two keynote
presentations that set the stage for the rest of our work. Later in the
afternoon, smaller groups participated in breakout sessions on top-
ics that members of the network had previously identified. The two
keynote presentations are outlined below, followed by summaries of
pre-conference and breakout sessions.
Opportunities in Appalachia: A Federal Perspective
Earl F. Gohl, Federal Co-Chair, Appalachian Regional Commission
Earl Gohl began his presentation by emphasizing the importance of
foundations in Appalachia’s transition to a new economy. He also
emphasized the importance of the Appalachia Funders Network. He
encouraged us to take our work to the next level by becoming more
flexible, by collaborating more, and by stretching beyond our comfort
zone. “This network is key,” he told us. “The more we strengthen it,
the more we can make it work, the more we can make it a part of our
“The more we active daily life, the better we’re all going to be.”
collaborate, the
Gohl called attention to the incredible richness in human capital
stronger we make available across Appalachia, the countless people working each day
to improve local communities across the region. He stated that our
our networks, the
challenge as funders is to figure out “how to energize the people,
greater we will see a how to get them to push the envelope.”
return on the capital Gohl told the story of a relatively small seed investment made by
investments that we the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) in a community
college’s communications system. From ARC’s seed grant, this
make in the region.” communications system has grown into a multi-million dollar
— Earl Gohl, Federal operation. His message for us was that “you don’t need to be the
Co-Chair, Appalachian biggest funder in town to make a difference.” He also suggested
Regional Commission that funders be patient, creative, and flexible—not to have all the
answers, but to have all the right questions.
Appalachia Funders Network—2011 Gathering Proceedings 1

6. Other aspects of Gohl’s presentation offered insight into some of the
lessons learned through ARC initiatives. Among these is the impor-
tance of treating innovative projects as a business investment. He
urged funders “to take smart risks, to take a chance, to believe in the
community; don’t just take the easy projects.” Gohl also recognized
the importance of beginning to ask, “What do we, as funders, get in
return for this investment?”
Gohl’s keynote presentation set the tone for the rest of the confer-
ence. He closed by stressing the need for collaborative partnerships
within and beyond the Appalachia Funders Network: “The more we
collaborate, the stronger we make our networks, the greater we will
see a return on the capital investments that we make in the region.”
A video of Earl Gohl’s keynote presentation can be found at:
http://vimeo.com/user7555395.
The State of the Appalachian Economy
Alison F. Davis, PhD, Executive Director, Community and Eco-
nomic Development Initiative of Kentucky and Associate Professor,
Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Kentucky
Dr. Davis began by outlining some of the challenges that we face.
Appalachia has the lowest graduation rates, the highest disabil-
ity rates, and the highest concentration of poverty in the US. The
region also has a relative per capita income between 38% and 75%
of the US average.
Despite these challenges, there are several ways we can help Appala-
chia transition to a new economy. One is to focus on long-term invest-
ments in local communities (e.g., healthcare, education) rather than on
spending (e.g., disability, welfare). We can also attract new businesses
or industry by investing in people and making our communities more
livable. Access to capital for small business development and inad-
equate healthcare are major challenges in rural Appalachia and are
disincentives for economic growth. Finally, regional opportunities for
development and growth can be particularly effective and promising.
Appalachia Funders Network—2011 Gathering Proceedings 2

7. Dr. Davis noted that in most Appalachian states, new jobs are more
likely to come from existing business that grew or expanded rather
than from new businesses. She also described patterns across Appa-
lachia over the past ten years where high-paying manufacturing jobs
have declined, to be replaced by growth in the other sectors. The larg-
est economic growth across Appalachia has been in financial services,
education and health services, and professional and business services.
Dr. Davis closed with a framework for moving forward. She sug-
gested that we invest in infrastructure, civic engagement, leadership
development, access to quality health care and education, and natu-
ral and built amenities—before we expect the jobs to come. This
approach is not splashy, but it’s sustainable.
The slides from Dr. Davis’s presentation can be viewed at the Appala-
chia Funders Network’s website: http://www.appalachiafunders.org
Appalachia Funders Network—2011 Gathering Proceedings 3

8. Learning Opportunities:
Pre-Conference and Breakout Sessions
Wealth Creation in Rural Communities
(Pre-Conference Session)
Shanna Ratner, Yellow Wood Associates
Wealth creation is a framework for understanding economic devel-
opment that focuses on creating multiple forms of wealth that stick
in local communities. It aims to create individual, social, intellec-
tual, natural, built, political, and financial capital. Wealth creation
focuses on strengthening value chains, supply chains that include
producers, processors and distributors, and buyers. Wealth creation
emphasizes using a systems approach to intentionally connect peo-
ple, resources, and markets; making investments that create multi-
ple forms of wealth; and developing new models of local ownership
and control of investments and returns.
Entrepreneurship
Dr. Deborah Markley, RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship
This breakout session highlighted a systems approach to promoting
entrepreneurship across Appalachia. We need to foster an entrepre-
neurial culture that has the ability to continually invest and adapt to
new opportunities and challenges. To move towards this new culture,
we need to change our conversations from traditional ways of doing
business to a value chain approach, as outlined in the wealth crea-
tion framework above. With a focus on helping entrepreneurs build
businesses, not just start them, and providing evaluative tools to help
measure successes and challenges along the way, we can bring about
prosperity in Appalachia through entrepreneurial efforts.
Appalachia Funders Network—2011 Gathering Proceedings 4

9. Local Food Systems
Emerging Systems: Pam Curry, Marilyn Wrenn, and Carrie Traud,
Central Appalachian Network
Established Systems: Michelle Decker, Kathlyn Terry, Leslie
Schaller, and Carrie Traud, Central Appalachian Network
These sessions featured both emerging and established local food sys-
tems from various regions across Appalachia. In each session, members
of the Central Appalachian Network (CAN) reinforced the importance
of developing local food systems as a means to improve quality of
life, heal the land, and create wealth in rural Appalachian communi-
ties. As a network, CAN is currently focusing on strengthening local
food value chains. In local food systems, a value chain links supply
(e.g., farmers) with markets (e.g., food buyers such as restaurants and
supermarkets) through processing, aggregation, and distribution infra-
structure and systems (e.g., from community kitchens to multinational
food processing and / or distribution companies). The wealth creation
framework (as outlined above) can provide a planning and measure-
ment tool for strengthening local food value chains.
Health
Dr. Alison Davis, Community & Economic Development Initiative
of Kentucky and U. of Kentucky
Dr. Sarah Kercsmar, Kentucky Center for Smoke-Free Policy
Ben Epperson, Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Program of the
Knox County Health Department
Mary Witten Wiseman, Foundation for the Tri-State Community
Presenters described an array of initiatives undertaken in Appala-
chia to improve health in the region. Once again, the importance of
systems change drove the conversation, which focused on learning
how to link the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to address
the underlying causes of poor health. Efforts to focus on systems
change seek to build participation, encourage new participants,
honor diversity, create shared vision and values, and build collabo-
rations that utilize the assets and resources of the community. The
establishment of benchmarks for progress and the measurement of
results are a crucial element of this approach.
Appalachia Funders Network—2011 Gathering Proceedings 5

10. Energy
Jeff Fugate, Mountain Association for Community Economic
Development (MACED)
This presentation explored the challenges and opportunities that the
energy sector offers to the Appalachian region in job creation and
environmental stewardship. Two recent factors, the structural decline
of coal and rising energy costs, have helped energy efficiency and
renewable energy emerge as a potential economic growth sector. The
presentation highlighted innovative programs and policy opportuni-
ties for advancing the sector and creating jobs. By strengthening the
energy efficiency and renewable energy value chain, Appalachia has
an opportunity to benefit from rising residential, industrial, and com-
mercial demand for renewable energy technology.
Increased Impact Through Cross-Sector Partnerships
Becky Ceperley, Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation
Nelle Chilton, Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation
Henry Harmon, Triana Energy
Eric Morris, BB&T
Rosemary Wagner, Region 7 Planning & Development Council
Mike Masterton, Extreme Endeavors
Dale Hawkins, Fish Hawk Acres, New Appalachian Farm
& Research Center
Members of this panel described cross-sector partnerships that have
led to strong results in their target areas. The panel presentation
and discussion offered gathering participants an inside look at how
a business development initiative requires collaboration from enti-
ties on multiple levels. In one panel, representatives from Charles-
ton, West Virginia presented an overview of The New Charleston
Initiative, a cross-sector collaborative focused on strengthening
multiple sectors in the community at once. In the discussion part of
the panel, we learned more about the process, successes, and chal-
lenges of the different cross-sector collaborative efforts.
* The presentation materials from each breakout session above,
along with other resources are available at the Appalachia
Funders Network’s website: http://www.appalachiafunders.org
Appalachia Funders Network—2011 Gathering Proceedings 6

11. What’s Next in Philanthropy:
Participatory Exercises and Group Work
The second day of the gathering was structured to engage network
members in participatory exercises and group work focusing on
understanding and planning for collaboration among funders. We
worked with our peers to discuss barriers to collaboration, identify
strategies to overcome those barriers, and brainstorm innovative
actions based on these strategies.
After the gathering, Rural Support Partners, the coordinators of the
Appalachia Funders Network, analyzed the data from the gathering
to summarize our collective understanding. The following summary
is based on, and uses wording from, ideas generated at the gathering.
The Process of Collaboration
We began with an exercise to take a deeper look at the process of col-
laboration and what it takes to collaborate. Each person was given a
piece of a puzzle. To complete the puzzle, we had to find people with
the other pieces to the puzzle. In the exercise, as in real life, everyone
held an important piece of the puzzle; people needed to discover the
others who had pieces of the puzzle that they lacked; and people had
to navigate the human collaborative experience to make the puzzle
whole. Participants offered the following reflections:
The Prerequisites for Collaboration
• Collective vision and goal—What are we trying to do together?
• Information—What information do we have? What information
are we missing?
• Collaborators—Who are the people we need to collaborate with?
• Puzzle piece—What is the piece of the larger puzzle that we each
know and have to offer?
The Process of Collaboration
• Starts complicated—The beginning is slow, messy, and
uncoordinated.
• Is diverse and unique—There are many ways to collaborate.
• Draws out personal gifts and roles—We begin to clarify our own
and others’ role in the process.
Appalachia Funders Network—2011 Gathering Proceedings 7

12. • Takes leadership—Individuals are needed to drive the process
toward a collective goal.
• Demands curiosity and innovation—What do we need, and how
and where do we find it?
• Gets easier—From chaos comes order.
The Products of Collaboration
• Common vision and goal—This is the finished product.
• Strong relationships—Relationships are based on communication,
trust, and respect.
• Clarification of roles and gifts—We identify what each person
and organization brings to the table.
• Satisfaction of working as a group—We all realize that none of us
could have done it alone.
• Opportunity to celebrate—It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.
Barriers to Collaboration
Following the puzzle exercise outlined above, we examined the system
of philanthropy to identify major barriers to collaboration. The barri-
ers that we lifted up highlighted problems with the system of institu-
tional philanthropy and can be clustered into the following categories:
Philanthropic culture. Several aspects within the culture of institu-
tional philanthropy limit collaboration among funders:
• Bureaucracy. Institutional structures related to funding, federal
regulations, internal regulations, and politics all work together to
create the complex, rigid system in which we work.
• Competition. We talked about competition among foundations
for donors, a go-it-alone mentality among funders, and the com-
petitive nature of our culture and economy.
• Risk aversion. Pressures for short-term gains, fear of risk, the pre-
dominance of short-term visions, and a lack of patience for investing
in long-term visions make it hard to commit to long-term goals.
Capacity to collaborate. Certain capacities are needed to collabo-
rate, and these are not well-developed in our field:
• Time. How do we collaborate when we’re all overwhelmed, when
we just don’t have the time?
Appalachia Funders Network—2011 Gathering Proceedings 8

13. • Money. Collaboration will cost money. Money is in short supply.
Where will the money come from?
• Education and information. We need information about network
practices and targets for collaboration, and we need education on
how to build collaborative skills.
• Leadership. If we are to collaborate, we need to identify the peo-
ple who will be leaders in this effort.
• Measurement. The lack of shared analysis or evaluation systems
is a barrier to collaboration.
• Technology. We lack technological tools and infrastructure
needed to collaborate effectively.
Differences among funders. Differences in geography, culture,
organizational practices, and local needs create barriers to collabo-
ration. We lifted up two major points here:
• Diverse funding priorities. The diversity of need in the areas that
we serve results in programs and services that vary in purpose
and scale. Individual funding priorities and internal grant-making
systems also differ among funders.
• Varying roles, skills, and assets. Individual organizations vary in
their strengths and capacities.
Limited relationships. A relative lack of meaningful relationships
and trust among funders is a barrier to collaboration. Within this
barrier, two key points emerged:
• Lack of trust. A lack of trust among funders results from a lack of
opportunities to build relationships, negative experiences from previ-
ous collaborations, and the competitive culture in which we work.
• Communication. The ability to communicate is a skill that is built
over time. Lack of a common language, interpersonal and organi-
zational differences, and an unwillingness to have the necessary
hard conversations all add to the barrier of communication.
Lack of a collective vision. The absence of a collective vision is an
obvious barrier to collaborative work:
• Lack of a road map. We lack a shared understanding of where
we’re going and how we’ll get there; we lack a road map for
achieving collective impact across Appalachia.
• Lack of common ground. We need common ground, a common
narrative, and common vision.
Appalachia Funders Network—2011 Gathering Proceedings 9

14. Strategies for Collaboration
Following our discussion of barriers to collaboration, we worked in
small groups to formulate strategies to effectively work beyond and
through these barriers. When we looked across all of our reflections,
we found that our various ideas cluster coherently into the five strate-
gies outlined below.
Strategy 1: Identify and map philanthropic resources
We plan to identify the purpose, interests, priorities, programs,
capacities, skills, expertise, and assets of various funders that are
operating in Central Appalachia. The idea is to map who is doing
what across the region, seek commonalities among funders, and
discover potential partners for collaboration. Concretely, this means
creating a map of the philanthropic assets across the region by iden-
tifying individual foundations’ funding priorities; identifying skills,
expertise, and assets of individual foundations; and identifying com-
mon interests among grant-makers.
Strategy 2: Cultivate strong relationships
As funders, we will carve out the time and space to share informa-
tion with one another, develop stronger relationships, and build
trust. By communicating with one another and sharing information,
we can build the relationships and trust that are necessary to collab-
orate effectively. Concretely, cultivating strong funder relationships
includes convening in both formal and informal settings, learning
from one another and sharing information, and setting a standard
for communication.
Strategy 3: Find common interests among
our individual organizational self-interests
If we’re going to work together, we need to be clear how any
potential collaboration fits with the self-interest of our individual
funding organizations. As potential collaborators, each of us needs
to acknowledge, clarify, and name our organizational self-interest.
We need to ask ourselves questions such as, “What value will I get
from this transaction? For the amount of time and money that I put
in, what will I get back?” We then need to find common interests
among our individual organizational self-interests.
Appalachia Funders Network—2011 Gathering Proceedings 10

15. Strategy 4: Develop a common vision
In order to collaborate, we need to know what we are working
towards. We need to develop a common vision and a common set
of goals among Appalachian funders. Each of our grant-making
organizations can continue to work autonomously, but we can also
make sure that our individual efforts are aligned and strategically
coordinated so that they add up to have significant collective impact
across our region. A common vision implies that each of us will
both offer and receive something as we work together towards a
common purpose.
Strategy 5: Continue to develop the
Appalachia Funders Network
We recognize the importance of continuing to develop the Appalachia
Funders Network. This network is essential for strengthening relation-
ships and building trust among grant-makers, disseminating useful
information to grant-makers so that we all stay on the same page,
and fostering coordination and collaboration. We may want to hire a
coordinator and ask that coordinator to gather information, map as-
sets, and help with strategic planning. Ultimately we need to engage in
collective work to tackle issues that we prioritize as a group.
Appalachia Funders Network—2011 Gathering Proceedings 11

16. Innovations for Collaboration
After developing the strategies outlined above, we used these strategies
to brainstorm innovative, concrete actions for moving beyond barriers
to collaboration. The innovations we generated are outlined below.
Innovation 1: Appreciative inquiry
The goal of this innovation is to use an appreciative inquiry process to
map funders’ assets, identify common interests, and develop a com-
mon vision. Appreciative inquiry aims to discover that which is best
and most alive in people, organizations, and the systems in which they
operate. We envision designing an appreciative inquiry process and
conducting interviews with network members. If we did this, we could
have clarity on our common interests and common vision; we would
begin naturally forming alliances; and we would develop collective ac-
tion items with the financial resources needed to implement them.
Innovation 2: Self-interest map
The goal of this innovation is to identify the common interests among
us that point to the most promising opportunities for collective im-
pact. Concretely, we envision creating a map of the individual organi-
zational self-interests among network members and then identifying
convergence points for common interests. We then envision negotiat-
ing shared strategies and measures for collective impact. If we did
this, we would identify individual foundation capacities and com-
mon interests among us. We would have clear strategies for collective
impact. By working collectively, we would deepen and expand our
impact and have the potential to inform policy.
Innovation 3: Match.com for Appalachia Funders Network
This innovation would be a website for funders focusing on Appa-
lachia, a website similar to match.com (an online dating website).
The website we are envisioning would be a confidential web-based
communication and collaboration tool for funders to exchange
information, align resources and targets, and identify common in-
terests. To make this a reality, we would need to find an appropriate
technological tool, get technical assistance, and have commitment
from network members to use and maintain the site. If we did this,
we would have a space for sending out nascent project ideas, best
practices, and evaluations of successful efforts.
Appalachia Funders Network—2011 Gathering Proceedings 12

17. Innovation 4: Shared targets
In this innovation, a group within the network would develop
shared targets for strengthening rural Appalachia. The goal is to de-
velop a common vision for our work across the region, to align and
coordinate our work even as we continue to operate autonomously.
We will develop ways to share what everyone in the network is
doing. We will also develop mechanisms for sharing learning, best
practices, and ideas for taking our work to scale. Finally, we will
find funding support for developing shared systems of measure-
ment. If we did this, we would see more effective and collaborative
practices, better use of the resources that we have, and increased
resources coming into the region.
Bringing the innovations together
The innovations above are interrelated. They all aim to develop a
common set of interests and a common vision. They could also po-
tentially fit together coherently. Concretely, an appreciative inquiry
process could provide the information to develop a self-interest
map of individual and common interests among network members.
This could be maintained through a website similar to match.com
and used to identify shared targets and future collaborative efforts
among network members.
Appalachia Funders Network—2011 Gathering Proceedings 13

18. Next Steps and Closing
Next steps
We closed this gathering with a conversation about next steps for
the network:
• Continuing to host webinars throughout the year, which are a
good way to get information and make connections,
“It’s exciting to see • Continuing to meet physically once a year,
the common interests • Having some funders-only conversations about our work together,
• Figuring out ways for more of our board members to become
among a diverse involved in the network, and
• Looking for ways to implement the strategies and innovations
set of funders. Our
outlined above—an appreciative inquiry process and self-interest
challenge now is map seem like logical first steps.
to translate those
common interests In closing
into action to This was a different kind of conference. As in most conferences, we
learned new information and made connections with one another.
advance Appalachian But we also envisioned some new ways of working together in a
transition.” coherent, coordinated, strategic way to support the transition to a
new economy in Appalachia.
— Sandra Mikush,
Deputy Director, Mary We talked about barriers that make it hard for us to collaborate, then
Reynolds Babcock Foundation
we thought of ideas to overcome those barriers. We came up with
some practical, feasible, doable ways that we can work together. Now
we need to commit the time and money to make them a reality.
As Earl Gohl told us when he opened the conference, “The more we
collaborate, the stronger we make our networks, the greater we will
see a return on the capital investments that we make in the region.”
And as a member of our network commented in our dialogue about
collaboration, “It isn’t easy, but it’s worth it.”
Both of these statements ring true. It won’t be easy to develop a com-
mon vision and coordinated set of strategies. We know that the process
of getting there will be challenging, perplexing, messy, and slow.
Appalachia Funders Network—2011 Gathering Proceedings 14

19. But we also know that it will be worth it. We realize that the scale
and complexity of the challenges facing our communities require
that we look to each other, and to other entities and sectors beyond
this network, to pull together and catalyze enough resources to
make progress on our vision of supporting the transition to a new
economy in Appalachia.
None of us can do it alone. We will have to work together. We can
learn about each other’s priorities and assets, we can align and co-
ordinate our independent efforts and actions, and we can continue
to build and strengthen this network.
By working together, with a common vision and a coordinated ap-
proach, we believe that we can play a meaningful role in shaping
Appalachia’s transition to a new, more sustainable, more locally
prosperous economy.
Appalachia Funders Network—2011 Gathering Proceedings 15

20. Participating Funders
Appalachian Community Fund: Margo Miller
Appalachian Regional Commission: Earl Gohl, Ralph Goolsby,
Tom Hunter, Ray Daffner,
BB&T Bank: Eric Morris
blue moon fund: Stefan Jirka
Cherokee Preservation Foundation: Dr. Susan Jenkins
Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation: Mary Hunt-Lieving
Community Foundation of Hazard & Perry County: Gerry Roll
Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation: Amy Owen
Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh: Laura Rye
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond: Jen Giovannitti
Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky: Mary Jo Dike
Foundation for Appalachian Ohio: Cara Brook, Joy Padgett,
Michael Workman
Foundation for the Tri-State Community: Mary Witten Wiseman
Governor’s Office of Appalachia (OH): Karen Fabiano
Heifer USA: Jeffrey Scott
Kentucky Foundation for Women: Judi Jennings
Kentucky Philanthropy Initiative: Mike Hammons
Marguerite Casey Foundation: James Carlton
Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation: Dee Davis, Sandra Mikush
Mylan Charitable Foundation: Christina Matlick
New York Community Trust: Patricia Anne Swain
Parkersburg Area Community Foundation & Regional Affiliates:
Judy Sjostedt
Region VII Planning and Development Council (WV):
Rosemary Wagner
Scioto Foundation: Kimberly Cutlip, Anne Marie Riffe
Sugar Bush Foundation: Dr. Mary Anne Flourney
The Allegheny Foundation: Mary Fant Donnan, Ava Fitzpatrick
The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation: Becky Ceperley,
Nelle Ratrie Chilton, Rebecca Roth, Sheri Ryder, Ron Potesta
The Ford Foundation: Wayne Fawbush
Triana Energy Charitable Fund: William Henry Harmon
U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities: Alan McGregor
USDA Rural Development (WV): Bobby Lewis, Lisa Sharp
West Virginia Development Office: James Bush
West Virginia Grantmakers: Paul Daugherty
Appalachia Funders Network—2011 Gathering Proceedings 16

21. About the Appalachia Funders Network
The Appalachia Funders Network (The Network) is a group of public
and private grant-makers committed to fostering the development of an
Appalachian economy grounded in existing assets and characterized by
opportunity, diversity, and sustainability. Our work is focused in Central
Appalachia, the region defined as the Appalachian counties of Ohio,
Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina.
The current convergence of economic innovation, federal policy
initiatives, expanded regional capacity, and regional and national
funder interest offers unprecedented opportunities to
• Deepen the impact and expand the scale of existing development
efforts,
• Support new innovative approaches to building wealth within the
region, and
• Leverage existing resources to further support Appalachia’s eco-
nomic transition.
Members of the Network have come together, in this time of eco-
nomic, social, political, and environmental transition in Appalachia,
for the purposes of
• Strengthening relationships among grant-makers,
• Expanding our knowledge and understanding of promising initiatives,
• Fostering coordination and collaboration between funding organi-
zations, and
• Investing in high-impact opportunities.
The ultimate goal of the Network is to ensure that Appalachia sus-
tains its environment and culture, while bringing empowerment and
increased prosperity to the people and communities of the region.
Contact us:
appalachiafundersnetwork@gmail.com
Appalachia Funders Network—2011 Gathering Proceedings 17

22. Appalachia Funders Network Steering Committee
• Becky Ceperley, The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation
• Ray Daffner, Appalachian Regional Commission
• Wayne Fawbush, Ford Foundation
• Terry Holley, East Tennessee Foundation
• Mary Hunt-Lieving, Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
• Stefan Jirka, blue moon fund
• Sandra Mikush, Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation
Appalachia Funders Network Coordinator
Rural Support Partners
Thomas Watson, Executive Director
775 Haywood Road, Suite K
Asheville, NC 28806
Email: Thomas@ruralsupportpartners.com
Web: www.ruralsupportpartners.com
This paper was developed and written by Rural Support Partners
and published with assistance and funding from the members of the
Appalachia Funders Network.
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