NASHVILLE-When Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe announced the 59 counties set to receive ThreeStar grants this year, Clay County was included.

In total, TNECD is awarding $2.4 million in funding to Tennessee communities through this round of the ThreeStar grant program and Clay will receive the maximum allotted portion totaling $50,000.

“Not all of the Upper Cumberland counties received one, its not just automatic, and not all of them got the full amount either,” local ThreeStar director Doug Young explained.  “For the last 10 years or so, ever since they’ve been giving those things, we’ve been getting them.

“We wrote the grant to address two projects—one is workforce development and the other is tourism, and we are thankful to have been included.”

The grants are earmarked to be used for a variety of local community development initiatives across the state, including the two projects Young intends to use Clay County’s allotment for, along with education, health, entrepreneurship and economic development programs, and others.

“These 59 ThreeStar grants will help counties all across Tennessee invest in vital community development initiatives,” Lee said. “I’m eager to see these programs strengthen the quality of life, access to workforce training programs, and economic opportunities for our residents in rural Tennessee.”

“The ThreeStar grant program has a proven track record of success, and I’m pleased to announce this year’s grant recipients,” Rolfe said. “TNECD is proud to assist communities that are committed to improving their workforce readiness and quality of life with these types of innovative local programs.”

ThreeStar promotes economic and community prosperity through collaboration to positively impact every Tennessean. For the third time in the past four years, all 95 Tennessee counties gained ThreeStar certification.

To be eligible for ThreeStar grants, each county must meet all ThreeStar certification requirements, develop an asset-based strategic plan and design a program to implement a goal from its strategic plan. The 59 counties were selected out of 78 applications.

“TNECD is committed to helping communities in areas that they prioritize on a local level,” Jody Sliger, TNECD’s Community Development Director, said. “We are proud to partner with these 59 communities and support a wide range of community development programs all across our state.”

Other area counties besides Clay receiving grants include:

• Cumberland: $50,000;

• DeKalb: $50,000;

• Fentress: $5,000;

• Jackson: $50,000;

• Overton: $50,000;

• Pickett: $50,000;

• Smith: $50,000; and

• White: $50,000.