This summer, I had the opportunity to work for Appalachian Sustainable Development (ASD), a non-profit organization whose mission is to build stronger rural economies through a focus on agricultural development and education. Throughout the course of my internship I worked primarily with ASD’s Groundwork division which helps people with barriers to employment, such as former incarceration or mental illness, enter the workforce through certifications and hands-on experience running an enterprise. Currently, Groundwork is primarily funded by grants, which cover the costs of the program but are not a sustainable source of funding. Groundwork also operates a few social enterprises, such as their Cut Flowers program and their Video Production program, which are run by Groundwork trainees and offer a small source of revenue. My first major project this summer was to develop business models for these two social enterprises to optimize their revenue streams and scale their operations so that Groundwork can depend on them to fund their initiatives.
Later in the summer, I had the opportunity to work closely with a grant writer at ASD to help her and the team apply for over half a million dollars in funding from a major USDA grant. Writing grants was something I had never done before, and I found it to be an extremely interesting and valuable experience that helped me better understand ASD’s operations and financial structure. I enjoyed my experience helping with the USDA grant so much that I offered to spend the remaining weeks of my internship working with the grant writing team completing and submitting some remaining foundational grants. During this time, I had the opportunity to create pro forma operating budgets for various departments within ASD.
Without the support of the Tadler fellowship, I likely never would have worked for a non-profit organization and would not have had the opportunity to make an impact in the Appalachian region. My summer as a Tadler fellow provided me with fascinating new opportunities, helped me sharpen my business skills, and connected me with a fantastic new network of hardworking and interesting individuals, both at ASD and within the Fellowship itself.