Appalachian Investments Supporting Partnerships In Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) Initiative

SUD@arc.gov

State program managers

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) INSPIRE Initiative provides funding to assist in moving individuals from substance abuse treatment to recovery to employment, with a focus on support services that enable and support individual successful entry or reentry into the workforce.

Successful applications will address all the following priorities:

1. Provide training, job placement, and/or support activities to individuals affected by substance use disorder (SUD), as well as prevention-focused SUD activities that reduce future substance use or misuse and engage individuals in health and economic community-oriented activities
2. Create or expand linkages between workforce development organizations, training providers, organizations who provide post-SUD treatment wrap-around services, businesses, and other partners to assist people in recovery with maintaining their recovery as they enter or reenter the workforce
3. Create, expand, or leverage workplace programs and policies that support employees in recovery from SUD
4. Develop and expand industry partnerships that build and sustain the applicant's organizational capacity, leverage available resources, and establish community-based approaches for addressing workforce challenges and industry needs as they pertain to workforce entry and reentry
5. Deliver support services to assist employers and industry in meeting workforce challenges to support the recovery ecosystem
6. Develop and implement plans for strengthening partnerships/coalitions/consortia with the addition of new partners
7. Identify and assess community needs, including the need for direct recovery services, an analysis of a community's capacity to support the provision of services, and input from those in recovery on service delivery
8. Identify and reduce barriers to the SUD recovery-to-work ecosystem, including but not limited to transportation, housing, childcare, and other support services
9. Align and integrate plans, programmatic activities, and strategies with existing state, regional, or community economic development strategies
10. Develop an ecosystem, through capacity building of health and workforce activities, to strengthen community interventions and enhance coordination of the SUD recovery-to-work model

Eligible applicants include:

• Local development districts
• Tribes or a consortium of tribes
• States, counties, cities, or other political subdivision of a state, including a special purpose unit of a state or local government engaged in economic or infrastructure development activities, or a consortium of political subdivisions
• Institutions of higher education or a consortium of institutions of higher education
• Public or private nonprofit organizations or associations

Projects must serve and benefit a portion of the Appalachian region.

Award ceiling: Implementation grants up to $500,000 and planning grants up to $50,000
Project period: 3 years for implementation grants and up to 18 months for planning grants

Links to additional guidance, application instructions, and the online application portal are available on the program website when applications are being accepted.

Applicants are required to email a letter of intent to SUD@arc.gov by February 16, 2024. The deadline to submit the online application is March 8, 2024.

Applicant webinar recording