Coalfield Development Corporation focuses on economic revitalization of West Virginia coalfield communities through investments in local renewable energy, small-business and community development, workforce training, and civic-cultural projects that preserve Appalachian history. They fund both mission-driven intermediaries and place-based nonprofits — frequently making multi-year or repeat grants to groups that build local capacity, launch green enterprises, and expand workforce and entrepreneurship opportunities in the region.
Coalfield Development Corporation’s grantmaking is anchored in West Virginia coalfield communities and in the organizations building the region’s next economy. In 2024, it backed Solar Holler with $500,000 and Invest Appalachia with another $500,000, signaling support for both community-scale renewable energy and place-based capital for local development. The foundation also funded the WV Community Development Hub with $466,724 in 2024, alongside recurring support for groups that connect economic opportunity, civic capacity, and Appalachian identity. Recent grants show a pattern of investing in intermediaries and operators that can move resources into local projects: Marshall University Research Corp received $212,582 in 2025, and Rural Action received $225,732 in 2024. Coalfield Development Corporation’s program areas include clean energy job creation, small-business financing, workforce training, and cultural preservation. The organizations it supports range from regional development hubs and universities to museums and workforce groups, reflecting a strategy that combines economic revitalization with community infrastructure and regional identity.
Clean-energy work appears repeatedly in the foundation’s recent grants. Solar Holler received $500,000 in 2024 and $300,000 in 2023, and New Vision Renewable Energy received $52,500 in 2025. Both grants fit the foundation’s emphasis on renewable energy and job creation in Appalachia. In regional economic development, Coalfield Development Corporation supported Invest Appalachia with $500,000 in 2024 and the WV Community Development Hub with $466,724 the same year, indicating interest in capital and technical capacity for local enterprise. Workforce and youth pathways also show up in grants such as $160,000 to Generation WV in 2024 and $126,000 to High Rocks Educational Corporation in 2024. For civic and cultural work, the foundation gave $86,608 in 2023 to West Virginia Mine Wars Museum and $166,999 in 2025 to Appalachian Voices.
Typical grant size sits at $17,506 at the 25th percentile, $40,000 at the median, and $86,608 at the 75th percentile, with some much larger project grants above that range. The recent record shows repeat support to the same organizations across multiple years, including Solar Holler, Appalachian Voices, Generation WV, Unlimited Future Inc, Step by Step Inc, and West Virginia Mine Wars Museum. Coalfield Development Corporation is a public charity and also makes program-related investments. The pattern suggests a mix of operating-style support and larger strategic awards rather than a one-off, transaction-only approach.
$836K
$35.3M
$23.4M
$16.2M
Most grants fall between $18K and $87K, with a median of $40K.
25th Percentile
$18K
Median
$40K
75th Percentile
$87K
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Concentrated, regionally focused giving in southern/central West Virginia with a mix of repeated multi-year support to core intermediaries and program partners plus targeted mid-to-large grants (many in the $50k–$500k range). The foundation favors a handful of strategic grantees receiving multiple awards alongside dispersed support for place-based projects and pilot enterprises.
Notable grantees: Solar Holler, Invest Appalachia, WV Community Development Hub, Appalachian Voices, High Rocks Educational Corporation
Grantmaking is regional and heavily concentrated in West Virginia, which accounts for 77% of grants. Recent recipients span Huntington, Charleston, Beckley, Morgantown, Matewan, Philippi, Hillsboro, and Barboursville, showing a broad in-state footprint. Outside West Virginia, the foundation has also funded organizations in Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Virginia. The top state by grant count is Ohio, with Rural Action in The Plains, OH, among the larger recipients.
The foundation supports mission-driven intermediaries and place-based nonprofits working on clean energy, local economic development, workforce training, and Appalachian cultural preservation. Recent grantees include Solar Holler, Invest Appalachia, the WV Community Development Hub, Generation WV, and the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum.
The grant-size distribution is $17,506 at the 25th percentile, $40,000 at the median, and $86,608 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards also include several larger grants, such as $500,000 to Solar Holler and $500,000 to Invest Appalachia in 2024.
Yes. The recent grants list shows repeat support for several organizations across multiple years, including Solar Holler in 2023 and 2024, Appalachian Voices in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Unlimited Future Inc in 2024 and 2025. Generation WV and Step by Step Inc also appear in more than one year.
Its grants are regional, and 77% go to recipients in West Virginia. The recent list also includes recipients in Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Virginia, with Ohio listed as the top state by grant count.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MARSHALL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH CORP | HUNTINGTON, WV | $212,582 | 2025 | — |
| APPALACHAIN VOICES | BOONE, NC | $166,999 | 2025 | — |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GREATER EAST | VALLSCREEK, WV | $82,500 | 2025 | — |
| GENERATION WV | CHARLESTON, WV | $80,000 | 2025 | — |
| STEP BY STEP INC | CHARLESTON, WV | $72,500 | 2025 | — |
| UNLIMITED FUTURE INC | HUNTINGTON, WV | $62,283 | 2025 | — |
| NEW VISION RENEWABLE ENERGY | PHILIPPI, WV | $52,500 | 2025 | — |
| STEPPING STONES | LAVALETTE, WV | $30,000 | 2025 | — |
| OHIO UNIVERSITY | ATHENS, OH | $20,000 | 2025 | — |
| RENEWALL INC | HUNTINGTON, WV | $15,000 | 2025 | — |
| HIGH ROCKS EDUCATIONAL CORPORATION | HILLSBORO, WV | $14,500 | 2025 | — |
| WV COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT HUB | CHARLESTON, WV | $13,000 | 2025 | — |
| BARBARA LAVALLEY BENTON | KENOVA, WV | $9,000 | 2025 | — |
| RURAL ACTION | THE PLAINS, OH | $5,594 | 2025 | — |
| SOLAR HOLLER | SHEPHARDSTOWN, WV | $500,000 | 2024 | — |
| INVEST APPALACHIA | ASHEVILLE, NC | $500,000 | 2024 | — |
| WV COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT HUB | CHARLESTON, WV | $466,724 | 2024 | — |
| RURAL ACTION | THE PLAINS, OH | $225,732 | 2024 | — |
| APPALACHAIN VOICES | BOONE, NC | $166,342 | 2024 | — |
| GENERATION WV | CHARLESTON, WV | $160,000 | 2024 | — |
| UNLIMITED FUTURE INC | HUNTINGTON, WV | $142,389 | 2024 | — |
| NEW RIVER GORGE REGIONAL DEVELOPMEN AUTHORITY'S WV HIVE | BECKLEY, WV | $140,000 | 2024 | — |
| MARSHALL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH CORP | HUNTINGTON, WV | $134,447 | 2024 | — |
| HIGH ROCKS EDUCATIONAL CORPORATION | HILLSBORO, WV | $126,000 | 2024 | — |
| NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS | ASHLAND, KY | $102,597 | 2024 | — |
| WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY | MORGANTOWN, WV | $89,987 | 2024 | — |
| WEST VIRGINIA MINE WARS MUSEUM | MATEWAN, WV | $66,608 | 2024 | — |
| STEP BY STEP INC | CHARLESTON, WV | $55,000 | 2024 | — |
| NEW VISION RENEWABLE ENERGY | PHILIPPI, WV | $50,000 | 2024 | — |
| CONSTRUCTION JUNCTION | PITTSBURGH, PA | $44,000 | 2024 | — |
| GOODWILL INDUS KYOWVA AREA INC | HUNTINGTON, WV | $30,000 | 2024 | — |
| SASSA WILKES | BARBOURSVILLE, WV | $23,250 | 2024 | — |
| HUNTINGTON BLACK PASTORS MINISTERIA ASSOCIATION INC | HUNTINGTON, WV | $22,500 | 2024 | — |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GREATER EAST | VALLSCREEK, WV | $20,000 | 2024 | — |
| STEPPING STONES | LAVALETTE, WV | $20,000 | 2024 | — |
| RENEWALL INC | HUNTINGTON, WV | $19,286 | 2024 | — |
| LAYNE CONSULTING LLC | HUNTINGTON, WV | $17,506 | 2024 | — |
| HUNTINGTON MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY | HUNTINGTON, WV | $13,000 | 2024 | — |
| ACENET | ATHENS, OH | $10,000 | 2024 | — |
| DOWNSTREAM STRATEGIES | MARGANTOWN, WV | $8,300 | 2024 | — |
| REAL LIFE CHRISTIAN CENTER CHURCH | HUNTINGTON, WV | $7,500 | 2024 | — |
| WV HEALTHY KIDS AND FAMILIES COALITION INC | CHARLESTON, WV | $6,667 | 2024 | — |
| BARBARA LAVALLEY BENTON | KENOVA, WV | $6,000 | 2024 | — |
| SOLAR HOLLER | SHEPHARDSTOWN, WV | $300,000 | 2023 | — |
| WEST VIRGINIA MINE WARS MUSEUM | MATEWAN, WV | $86,608 | 2023 | — |
| APPALACHIAN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT | DUFFIELD, VA | $82,235 | 2023 | — |
| UNLIMITED FUTURE INC | HUNTINGTON, WV | $75,750 | 2023 | — |
| NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS | ASHLAND, KY | $69,506 | 2023 | — |
| SASSA WILKES | BARBOURSVILLE, WV | $65,875 | 2023 | — |
| CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA REGIONAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY | CHARLESTON, WV | $50,000 | 2023 | — |
APPALACHAIN VOICES
$166,999ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GREATER EAST
$82,500STEP BY STEP INC
$72,500UNLIMITED FUTURE INC
$62,283NEW VISION RENEWABLE ENERGY
$52,500STEPPING STONES
$30,000OHIO UNIVERSITY
$20,000BARBARA LAVALLEY BENTON
$9,000SOLAR HOLLER
$500,000APPALACHAIN VOICES
$166,342UNLIMITED FUTURE INC
$142,389NEW RIVER GORGE REGIONAL DEVELOPMEN AUTHORITY'S WV HIVE
$140,000NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS
$102,597WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY
$89,987WEST VIRGINIA MINE WARS MUSEUM
$66,608STEP BY STEP INC
$55,000NEW VISION RENEWABLE ENERGY
$50,000CONSTRUCTION JUNCTION
$44,000GOODWILL INDUS KYOWVA AREA INC
$30,000SASSA WILKES
$23,250HUNTINGTON BLACK PASTORS MINISTERIA ASSOCIATION INC
$22,500ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GREATER EAST
$20,000STEPPING STONES
$20,000LAYNE CONSULTING LLC
$17,506HUNTINGTON MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
$13,000DOWNSTREAM STRATEGIES
$8,300REAL LIFE CHRISTIAN CENTER CHURCH
$7,500WV HEALTHY KIDS AND FAMILIES COALITION INC
$6,667BARBARA LAVALLEY BENTON
$6,000SOLAR HOLLER
$300,000WEST VIRGINIA MINE WARS MUSEUM
$86,608UNLIMITED FUTURE INC
$75,750NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS
$69,506SASSA WILKES
$65,875CENTRAL WEST VIRGINIA REGIONAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY
$50,000