Mountain T.O.P. Receives Fahe Maximizing Appalachian Capacity (MAC) Grant
PRESS RELEASE
Altamont, TN – November 20, 2025 – Mountain T.O.P. has been awarded a $150,000 Maximizing Appalachian Capacity (MAC) Grant from Fahe, a regional network of more than 50 nonprofit housing organizations dedicated to building thriving communities and expanding opportunity across Appalachia.
Mountain T.O.P. is one of nine Fahe Members selected to receive MAC Grants, which total $2.4 million in direct investment to strengthen local capacity for affordable housing and community development in the region. The awards will leverage $19.4 million in additional funding, build staff capacity, increase housing production, create job training and new jobs, and serve over 600 households.
Through the support of this grant, Mountain T.O.P. will launch a partnership with Housing Hub to pilot a 12-week workforce development program and establish a revolving capital fund for rural home repairs. The program will build invaluable trade skills among young adults while increasing the organization’s capacity to respond to urgent home repair needs across rural Tennessee.
“The need for home repair in our community is urgent, and too many families have had to wait years for help,” said Martha Pierce, Executive Director of Mountain T.O.P. “The Fahe MAC Grant helps us respond to that need in real time and better serve our neighbors with the compassion and commitment they deserve.”
“Appalachia’s future depends on strong local institutions,” said Jim King, Fahe CEO. “These awards give our Members funding to pursue the tools, talent, and infrastructure they need to accelerate housing and community development across the region.”
About the MAC Grant Awards
Fahe established this competitive grant program as part of their Housing Can’t Wait® campaign to expand access to affordable housing in Appalachia by 2030. Fahe Members designed the awards application. Fahe staff and a distinguished awards committee of Board members reviewed Fahe Member applications for strategy, readiness, and impact. Impact results will be published in a future report.
Funding for the MAC Grant Awards was made possible thanks to an unrestricted grant that Fahe received from the Yield Giving foundation. Transformational financing empowered Fahe to direct the funding in a manner that would be most productive to Fahe’s mission.
About Fahe
Fahe unites people, organizations, and resources to build homes, strengthen communities, and create a thriving Appalachia. Since 1980, Fahe and its Members have invested nearly $5 billion, improving life for more than one million people through housing, advocacy, and local leadership. Learn more at www.fahe.org.