Our Impact
We are proud to support small businesses, organizations and communities in Eastern Kentucky.
The Mountain Association has been working for nearly 50 years to help build an Eastern Kentucky economy that is more diverse, sustainable, equitable and resilient. We primarily focus on business support and lending, energy, training, partnerships, policy and narrative shifting.
While some of the impact of our work is felt in communities immediately, much of the impact will take years to fully form. That is the nature of long-term economic change. It takes building relationships with people and places over time, so that when those people and places are ready, they call upon the Mountain Association for help. It also takes a commitment to seeing the change through. It’s also true that while some of the impact of this work can be counted with hard numbers, most of the real impact can’t be. That impact, while hard to quantify, is still very tangible. It’s what makes building a new economy in Eastern Kentucky a sustainable effort that will last well into the future – whether Mountain Association exists or not.
We do know that our work is having real impacts in Eastern Kentucky. We can see it in networks we’ve helped foster and build, like What’s Next, EKY?!, and through the work of our affiliates, Kentucky Natural Lands Trust and Kentucky Center for Economic Policy. We can also see it in the ways youth are getting involved in building more open and welcoming communities. It’s also present on Main Streets from Grayson to Hazard to Prestonsburg, in downtown festivals and packed storefronts of local businesses. We see it in the stories of grocery store owners or nonprofit leaders who are switching to solar, and lowering their energy bills while also helping lower impacts on climate. And we see it in the many stories of change and resilience we are able to tell about the new day in Appalachia.
You can stay in touch with our work via our blog, social media, and enewsletter, or learn more in our annual impact reports.
Our Work Over the Past Year
67 Jobs
created or saved
$9.7 Million
invested in 85 small businesses or community organizations
20 Energy Retrofits
completed, along with 11 solar projects
8,321 Hours
of expert technical support provided to 249 businesses or organizations
1,134 Metric Tons
of carbon reduced through energy upgrades, equivalent to offsetting 2.9 million miles of driving
$198,051
in new annual energy savings found for businesses, organizations, and homes
$2.5 Million
in clean energy funding received by 37 businesses with our grant application support
2,698
new followers across
social media
42 stories
of clients and
communities shared
*All numbers from FY2024, May 2023-April 2024
