Types of Support

NOW OPEN

Local Economy Lab

Are you ready to scale a high-impact, community-led economic and workforce development project?

Our Local Economy Lab is a new initiative designed to help coal-affected communities grow their local economies by scaling up projects creating transformative, outsized impact. Through one-year flexible grants of $250,000–$500,000 and tailored technical assistance to help access public, private, and philanthropic capital, the Lab will help 5–10 projects grow their impact and serve as models for equitable economic transition nationwide. Applications were accepted from eligible nonprofit, local, and Tribal governments in communities across the country experiencing significant economic distress due to coal industry decline. The inaugural cohort will be named in the Fall of 2025, and we anticipate accepting another round of applications in early 2026.

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Application Window Closed

Coal Communities Get Ready! Challenge

Are you in the early stages of working on an economic development project and need funding support?

Our Coal Communities Get Ready! Challenge is designed to help grow projects that are in early stages of planning, development, and implementation. We launched our inaugural cohort of 12 organizations in 2024. Each awardee received one-year grants valued at $250,000 and customized technical assistance. Learn more about the inaugural cohort here!

Stay tuned for the launch of the next round of the Challenge in late summer 2025!

Meet the 2024 Winners

"We appreciate JTF's flexibility with regards to federal matching grants. Non-federal cash match remains perhaps the single biggest obstacle our communities face!"

Sara Cottingham
Mon Forest Towns Partnership, West Virginia

"JTF assisted us with the technical writing of the grant as well as providing us with a $40,000 match. If they had not helped with the match requirement, we probably could not have applied for the grant."

Karla Roberts
Red Bird Mission Inc., Kentucky

"The activities funded by the JTF not only supported the specific goal of applying for the POWER grant but also substantially built West Virginia Women Work’s overall capacity to compete for federal funding. This enhanced capability will be critical in expanding our services and programs to support women in nontraditional occupations across West Virginia, thereby contributing to our long-term mission and sustainability."

Carol Phillips
West Virginia Women Work

"Overall, JTF funds have been instrumental in building our organizational capacity, making us more adept at managing current projects and positioning us for future funding success."

Shaleen Old Coyote
Plenty Doors Development Corporation, Crow Reservation, Montana

"We could not be more appreciative of the guidance and support we received from JTF. We would not have received, and could not have even applied for, our $2 million award if it had not been for your guidance, support and encouragement."

Kevin Shoemaker
Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative

"We're scaling up our just transition work after years of support from JTF. We want to be able to bring something tangible to our communities instead of only talking with residents about it. We need to do both."

Sarah Martik
Center for Coalfield Justice, Pennsylvania

"The transition in Illinois is happening and JTF's support has allowed us to bring coal communities into the fold, winning and now implementing big state policy programs for energy community reinvestment. The consistent support has allowed us to build trust and relationships with communities to clean up the legacy pollution of the past and explore new opportunities."

Amanda Pankau
Prairie Rivers Network, Illinois

“I so value what you all do at JTF because it is ABUNDANTLY CLEAR that you care so much about the work, the organizations, and the people who work in them. Thank you for being such an amazing example of what philanthropy can be.”

Alex Weld
Generation West Virginia

Looking for information on our Federal Access Center?

We are unfortunately no longer accepting applications, but helping economic development projects access diversified sources of funding, including federal, will remain a key component of the initiatives listed above. Please sign up for our newsletter to receive announcements about future opportunities.