Development District Association of Appalachia Impact Brief

The Development District Association of Appalachia (DDAA) had developed a new publication with the assistance of NADO. The Executive Summary of the report focuses on the role of the DDAA’s Local Development District in fostering regional strategies, partnerships, and solutions. (View the new DDAA publication.)

The DDAA comprises the network of 73 multi-county development districts (LDDs) serving the 13-state, 420-county Appalachian region. Guided by the principle that local governments and communities can accomplish more by working together rather than individually, the DDAA serves as a catalyst for partnership, progress and prosperity throughout the Appalachian region. LDDs provide the  knowledge and expertise to connect local governments with the private sector, leveraging the necessary resources to reduce isolation and drive the Appalachian region into the global economy. Development District Association of Appalachia: Jobs and Sustained Economic Growth, Workforce Readiness, Modern Infrastructure Asset, Quality of Life, Vibrant Communities was designed as a tool that can be utilized to market your regions, brand the DDAA and Appalachian Regional Commission as crucial federal partners, and showcase innovative and important projects that have positioned the region to compete in the global economy.  Through partnerships and collaboration, DDAA’s network of LDDs has been integral in reducing poverty and isolation while increasing access to technology and advancing the region’s workforce. The network of LDDs have prepared the Appalachian region to advance the Obama Administration’s stated goals of creating an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, and skilled American workers. In the recent years the members of the DDAA have:

  • LDDs have administered over 9,500 grants and projects with proven accountability and results, totaling more than $6.2 billion in pass-through and programmatic funds, during the past two decades.
  • The combined business development loan portfolio invested more than $523 million in gap financing for businesses and entrepreneurs. We have made more than 3,500 business loans, leveraging an additional $1.3
  • billion from the private sector in underserved regions and for companies and entrepreneurs struggling to secure traditional bank financing.
  • Almost 70,000 jobs have been created or retained, and 125,000 workforce clients were prepared to contribute to the region’s economy as a result of our LDD programs.
  • Some 3.6 million seniors benefited from aging programs administered by LDDs in parts of the region, including through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Area Agency on Aging program.

Click here to download a power point of the report. 

Click here to visit the DDAA website. 

Click here to download adobe reader.

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Applications cannot be saved and returned to at a later time. It is recommended you compile all of your information in advance in a word processor and cut and paste into the application below.

2023 Impact Awards

The primary applicant must be a NADO member. Project partners, both NADO and non-members, can be recognized under "Project Partners" below.

Primary Project Contact:
This person will be the designated point of contact for all future awards-related correspondence.

Organization Address

Project Location (if different from Organization Address)

Executive Director

Additional Organizational Information
Please upload your organization's logo which will be included on the winning project award certificate.

Project Information
This title will be printed on the award certificate for winning projects and in all 2022 NADO Impact Award materials and cannot be changed.

Project Summary & Questions
Please craft clear, thoughtful, and engaging responses to the following questions. Use the following sections to tell us how your project has made an impact, such as its use of creative funding mechanisms, efforts to create efficiencies or reduce costs, unique partnership models, and emphasis on building resilience and/or enhancing your region's quality of life.

For award-winning projects, the information provided below may be used verbatim to inform project descriptions that will be published in the 2023 NADO Impact Awards materials and included on the NADO website.

Please submit at least one photo showing your project in action. Please keep file size to a minimum (<2Mb) and use JPEG format. If uploading multiple files, ZIP files prior to submitting. If you have trouble uploading images they can be directly emailed to Brett Schwartz at [email protected] Include the project title they correspond to in the subject line of your email.

Note: Submitted photos may be used in NADO Impact Awards materials and in other NADO published materials with credit to your organization. Please also consider submitting photos for NADO's 2023 Photo Contest, which will be held this summer.


CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO SUBMIT THE APPLICATION - PLEASE BE PATIENT! IF YOU DO NOT SEE A CONFIRMATION, YOUR APPLICATION WAS NOT RECEIVED.
Your application is not submitted until you are directed to a confirmation page. If you have any questions or are unsure if your application has been submitted, please contact Brett Schwartz at [email protected]

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Joe McKinney serves as Executive Director of the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO). Headquartered in Washington DC, NADO provides advocacy, education, research, and training for the nation’s 500+ regional planning and development organizations.

Joe has thirty-one years of experience having served in city, county, regional, national association, and government management since 1991. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy Analysis from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a candidate for a master’s degree in Public Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill.

McKinney has provided congressional testimony on numerous occasions regarding the importance of regional development organizations in helping shape the nation’s economic growth. He is nationally recognized for promoting innovative solutions in areas such as planning and economic development, workforce development, transportation and transit, and aging services.

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