Rising Appalachia

Rising Appalachia, doing business as Rising Appalachian Warriors (Raw), is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization based in Millfield, Ohio, that operates as a federal grant recipient focused on community forest acquisition, sustainable forestry, and regional economic development in Appalachia. The organization has received one direct prime federal grant award and participates as a sub-recipient on four additional federal grants, with all work routed through the U.S. Forest Service and allied agencies.

Rising Appalachia's prime footprint consists of a single $1.2 million project grant from the U.S. Forest Service (CFDA 10.689, Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program) awarded on September 17, 2025, for the acquisition and establishment of the Sugar Creek Community Forest in Ohio. The grant funds fee-simple land acquisition to be completed by end of 2027, with property management and community benefits delivery running through July 31, 2030. The project delivers environmental stewardship (clean air and water, wildlife habitat, stormwater management), economic benefits through sustainable forestry and tourism, K-12 forest-based education, and public recreational access.

As a sub-recipient, Rising Appalachia participates in four federal grants with distinct ecosystem-development missions. Under a Rural Action Inc. prime grant awarded September 11, 2025, Rising Appalachia is establishing a community-scale forest products processing facility in Southeast Ohio to convert native crops into shelf-stable, value-added products and create new income streams for regional producers. A second Rural Action sub-award from December 3, 2024, funds forest farming technical assistance to 125 landowners, seed-to-sale training and certification for 136 producers through the Point of Harvest program, and workforce development in forest botanicals markets across Virginia and Ohio. A June 14, 2025, sub-award from the Department of Natural Resources funds design and NEPA work to transform former mining shafts into the Rising Appalachia and Solid Ground Farm education and production complex. A February 27, 2024, sub-award from the Urban Sustainability Directors Network supports youth and young adult apprenticeships in sustainable forestry and agroforestry.

Activity is recent and growing: two awards in 2024, four in 2025, with combined federal dollars obligated at $2.2 million across all six awards (prime and sub combined). Funding flows from five distinct federal agencies — the Forest Service dominates at two awards, with the Agricultural Marketing Service, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, and EPA Region 5 each placing one award. Rising Appalachia's posture is heavily sub-recipient focused (83% of awards), reflecting a community-development model where the organization partners with established regional nonprofits and federal agencies to deploy grant funding toward land stewardship, sustainable harvesting, and workforce development rather than holding prime contract vehicles.