The Appalachian Regional Commission is giving more than $1 million in four separate grants so that rural communities can invest in their own future.

The Community Foundation of Hazard and Perry County is receiving more than $100,000 of that grant money to help not only Perry County, but some surrounding counties as well.

It's a grant that will help set up a way for people to invest in their own communities future.

"The Appalachian Regional Commission realizes that if we are ever to do any transformative work in the central Appalachian region and southeastern Kentucky, we really need to draw on our own resources," said Gerry Roll, the executive director of The Community Foundation of Hazard and Perry County.

The grant totaling $116,000 will go towards setting up initiatives like the community foundation to provide a place where people can be a philanthropist and leave a legacy in their community.

"We have a specific set of goals in this community of what we want our community to look like in 20 years, and an institution like a community foundation makes that possible," said Roll.

She says this grant is not only go towards helping Perry County, but also Letcher and Knott County.

"We will be able to look at things that we can do together as a region," said Roll.

Knott and Letcher County currently do not have their own community foundations, but this grant will help these counties establish one.

"The money will be used to build the capacity in the community to create a community foundation," said Roll.

And, ultimately help secure capital for the future generations of eastern Kentucky,

Roll says they are also eligible for another grant to use for education and media materials to help promote philanthropy in our region.