Capacity Building Grant Program Announces Award Recipients.

April 16, 2013 – The Alaska Community Foundation is pleased to announce that the third round of its Capacity Building for Charitable Organizations (CBCO) grant program has awarded $22,620 in funding to 8 Alaskan non-profit organizations.

Grant recipients will use their awards to complete a variety of capacity building activities:

• Alaska Association for Historic Preservation, a statewide group that works to preserve Alaska’s historic resources, will send staff to a conference to learn about managing historic house museums. 
• Alaska Trials, an organization dedicated to building and preserving trails, will develop a business plan. 
• Bethel Council on the Arts will create a strategic plan with the intention of unifying the Bethel arts community. 
• Eyak Preservation Council, a nonprofit that aims to protect, restore and celebrate wild salmon habitat and indigenous culture in ancestral Eyak homelands, will create a strategic plan. 
• Homer Outdoor Wilderness Leader (HoWL), an experiential outdoor education nonprofit for Alaskan youth, will plan for a sound financial future by creating a revenue development plan. 
• Nikiski Senior Center, which promotes quality of life for Nikiski seniors, will create and implement a business plan.
• Terminal Radio Inc., the public radio station that serves Valdez, Cordova and surrounding areas will create a revenue development plan.
• The Island Institute, Inc., an organization that fosters community engagement through literary arts and uncommon conversation, will develop an executive succession plan. 

This grant cycle marks the end of the pilot period of the capacity building grant program. Since October 2012 CBCO program has granted over $73,000 to 23 different organizations across the state. The Alaska Community Foundation hopes to reopen the program in the summer of 2013. Please visit the ACF website www.alaskacf.org or follow us on Facebook for updates regarding the next application deadline. 

The Alaska Community Foundation thanks the Rasmuson Foundation for their generous support of the CBCO Program.

ACF receives re-certification for National Standards Seal from the Council on Foundations.

The Alaska Community Foundation and the Alaska Children's Trust Announce $50K in Grant Awards to Prevent Teen Suicide Across Alaska

January 29, 2013 --With an average of 2.6 suicides in the state every week, Alaska has the highest rate of suicide per capita in the country.[1] The number of teen suicides is even more staggering. Every year, there are nearly 33 suicides per 100,000 in youth between the ages 15 and 19.[2] In that same age range, 8.5% of Alaska teens reported that they had attempted suicide during 2009-2010.[3] To address this devastating issue, Representative Anna Fairclough championed a state appropriation to The Alaska Community Foundation and the Alaska Children’s Trust to create a grant program to promote community-based efforts to support suicide prevention efforts across the state. The Alaska Community Foundation was proud to match dollar for dollar the state appropriation for this important program for community wellness in Alaska.

The Teen Suicide Prevention program awarded eleven grants totaling $50,000 to a range of entities across Alaska, including nonprofits, churches, government agencies and tribes. The grant awards are funding projects that aim to promote physical, mental, and spiritual wellness to prevent teen suicide. The following grant recipients will use these funds to promote local efforts to prevent teen suicide in their community:

·         Allakaket Tribal Council will host monthly cultural activities to promote positive engagement and community wellness.

·         Lower Kalskag Traditional Council will develop community support networks with a focus on finding healthy adults for teens to connect with.

·         St. James Episcopal Church will host a week-long workshop in Tanana focused on community wellness utilizing Athabascan music.

·         Tok Area Counseling Center will conduct community outreach targeting teens coping with the loss of a community member, and educate teens on signs of suicide and available resources.

·         South Peninsula Behavioral Health Services will create a peer-to-peer educational film promoting suicide awareness in Homer.

·         Wellspring Revival Ministries will introduce at-risk youth to employment opportunities through a job-shadowing program in Fairbanks.

·         Native Village of Kalskag will keep their community center open so the community can engage in cultural activities and elder/youth gatherings.

·         Iliamna Village Council will start a teen suicide prevention program that engages teens by providing evening and weekend activities for youth.

·         Juneau Youth Services will incorporate Sources of Strength, a comprehensive wellness program delivered by peer leaders, into school-based programming to better reach students.

·         Tuntutuliak Traditional Council will create a suicide prevention program that will inform community members of the warning signs of suicide and available resources.

·         Shishmaref Wellness Coalition will host a Youth Hunting and Survival Skills camp in the spring of 2013. The camp will emphasize healthy cultural activities and a subsistence lifestyle.

For more information about suicide prevention efforts and resources in Alaska please visit StopSuicideAlaska.org.

Alaska Children’s Trust (ACT), founded in 1988, is focused on changing the way Alaskans think about child abuse and neglect prevention, focusing on community activities and public policies that prioritize prevention right from the start to make sure Alaskan children remain safe.  Since its conception, ACT has led the way in building awareness, providing education, and bringing communities together statewide to prevent child abuse and neglect.  ACT recognizes that the healthy child development is an essential building block for community and economic development. To learn more about ACT, visit www.alaskachildrenstrust.org.

Established in 1995, The Alaska Community Foundation is a statewide platform for philanthropy. Holding over $55 million for the benefit of Alaskans, ACF grants $5-6 million each year to charitable projects and nonprofit organizations across the state. The Alaska Community Foundation is comprised of more than 280 funds and endowments, including nine Affiliate community funds, the Alaska Children’s Trust, and many others. The ACF mission is to grow philanthropy by helping individuals, organizations, and communities create funds that provide financial resources to improve the quality of life in Alaska now and forever. The Alaska Community Foundation connects people who care with causes that matter. For more information, visit www.alaskacf.org or call (907) 334-6700.

The Alaska Community Foundation Announces Four New Affiliate Community Foundations

January 22, 2013 -- The Alaska Community Foundation has announced four new Affiliate community foundations – Kodiak Community Foundation, Ketchikan Community Foundation, Greater Sitka Legacy Fund and Golden Heart Community Foundation (Fairbanks and surrounding areas). With support from the Rasmuson Foundation, the newly formed Affiliates will provide leadership for the formation of a permanent community endowment that will support local philanthropic goals now and years into the future.

These four new Affiliates are the second group of communities to participate in the Community Asset Building Initiative (CABI). In partnership with the Rasmuson Foundation, The Alaska Community Foundation launched the CABI program in 2008 in an effort to support community based philanthropy through geographic community funds. Current ACF Affiliates include the Seward Community Foundation, Jessica Stevens Community Foundation (Talkeetna), Kenai Peninsula Foundation, Chilkat Valley Community Foundation (Haines) and Petersburg Community Foundation. “The Community Asset Building Initiative is one of the most exciting programs that we support at ACF, and we are thrilled to have these four new Affiliates. We are impressed with the leadership and vision the Affiliates have for their communities and look forward to working with them to grow local philanthropy and strengthen their communities,” said ACF President and CEO, Candace Winkler.

The Fairbanks-area Affiliate has formed under the name Golden Heart Community Foundation, a name that reflects both the central location and a community spirit of generosity in residents of the Fairbanks North Star Borough. The Golden Heart Community Foundation will mirror the eclectic and pioneering spirit of its past, current, and future residents to ensure that Fairbanks is a thriving and vibrant community long into the future.

Based in the Kodiak community, the Kodiak Community Foundation is a natural venue for continued conversations about generational values and leadership. In celebration of recent successful community projects and initiatives throughout the Kodiak community, the founding members of the Kodiak Community Foundation are eager to maintain this momentum into the creation of a permanent endowment to benefit the community.

The Ketchikan Community Foundation’s vision is to promote a sustainable quality of life for all Ketchikan area residents. Through the Affiliate model, the Ketchikan Community Foundation hopes to galvanize community support and philanthropy to support a diversified local economy that provides family-supporting employment, access to affordable housing and healthcare, a vibrant arts community, and multiple recreational and quality educational opportunities.

Forming under the name of the Greater Sitka Legacy Fund, the local Affiliate will include Sitka and most of Baranof Island. The founding mission of the Greater Sitka Legacy Fund is to support local resiliency and self-reliance, now and into the future. 

In order to help the new Affiliates build a substantial initial endowment, the Rasmuson Foundation is offering the Affiliates an opportunity to receive $50,000 if they raise $25,000 locally in the first year. This match will support the efforts of the new Affiliates to foster local philanthropy. Affiliate funds enable charitable dollars raised to go toward philanthropic activities in that community rather than to administrative and operating expenses. Because they are set up as Affiliate funds of ACF and not separate nonprofits, the participating communities benefit from ACF’s philanthropic expertise, financial management, investment oversight, IRS and National Standards compliance, and legal knowledge. This gives the leaders of each Affiliate fund more time, energy and resources to assess local needs and grow the community’s capacity to address those needs.

Each Affiliate fund is led by a local Advisory Board. These leaders understand the needs of their community and will work hard to identify local priorities and create plans to develop the resources for long-term support. The Alaska Community Foundation will work closely with the local Advisory Boards, providing training, technical assistance, and professional support to help develop a permanent community endowment. By growing each Affiliate’s capacity to address needs at the local level, the ACF Affiliates are empowered to solve local problems with local giving, now and forever.

*Golden Heart Community Foundation photo (from left to right): Margaret Cox Rich, Lynda Sather, Pete Pinney, Jo Kuchle, Nadine Winters and James "Scooter" Welch

*Greater Sitka Legacy Fund photo (top from left): Bill Davis, Mollie Kabler, Cyndy Gibson, Jeff Budd.  Lower row from left: Connie Sipe, Willow Moore, Karen Grussendorf.

January 14, 2013

The Alaska Community Foundation Announces New Grant & Scholarship Awards to Jumpstart 2013

Grants to Anchorage Schools, New Technology Scholarship and Capacity Building For Nonprofits

The Alaska Community Foundation recently awarded a multitude of grants and scholarships, including seven new grants from the Anchorage Schools Foundation, a new scholarship recipient for the inaugural awarding of the Tim Akers Memorial Scholarship, and the second round of grants from the Capacity Building for Charitable Organizations grant program. Detailed information about the awards is included below.

Seven Anchorage Schools Receive Assistance 

The Anchorage Schools Foundation, an ACF fund, recently granted seven grants to support projects that enhance the success of students in the Anchorage School District. ASF grants help to bolster a wide range of projects such as classroom supplies, recreational equipment, books, technology, after-school programs and other needs that are not supported by the school district and as determined by school district employees. Grants up to $500 each were granted to Anchorage school district professionals, including principals, teachers, nurses and counselors.

Recent Anchorage Schools Foundation grants include:

• Airport Heights Elementary School – 6th Grade Hydroponics Business. An introduction into 6th grade economics, students learn to run a small business with hydroponic gardening.
• Anchorage School District Gifted Program – Math from the Third Dimension. Students will explore math concepts using a 3-D or visual/spatial perspective using modules and objects.
• Chinook Elementary School – Roller Coasters & Physics. Students will use physics concepts to construct a roller coaster for marbles.
• Chugach Optional Elementary – Chugach Optional Garden Club. Students get hands-on experience to gardening, including garden beds, a chicken coop, and compost bins.
• Creekside Park Elementary – Hats Off To You! Students learn to give back to their peers by helping other students through tutoring and mentoring.
• Polaris K-12 School – Discovering the Microbes Within. The Biotechnology Training and Prepatory Program (BioTaPP) students will join a national program with The Marine Biological Laboratory to learn about bacteria, DNA extraction, and PCR technology.
• Whaley School – Art Supplies. Students will use art supplies to create beadwork and wooden artwork for veterans as part of a monthly community outreach project.

Anchorage School Foundation engages the community in a relationship with its public schools with the purpose of creating more flexible funding and improving outcomes for Anchorage classrooms. The ASF mission is to provide community and private funding to enhance the success of students in Anchorage classrooms. This mission is pursued through fundraising and grant making for innovative projects and needs as identified by teachers and other staff that have direct contact with students. ASF is a vital part of education in Anchorage. ASF is managed by a volunteer board of community advisors that prioritizes funding requests for projects not already supported by public funds to the school district. The Alaska Community Foundation manages all ASF’s assets. For more information on grant guidelines, to make a donation or to apply for an award with the Anchorage Schools Foundation, visit www.anchorageschoolsfoundation.org.

Alaska Nonprofits Receive Grants for Capacity Building

The Alaska Community Foundation awarded $34,595 to 11 Alaska organizations in the second round of grants from the Capacity Building for Charitable Organizations (CBCO) program, the first of which were awarded in October 2012. Capacity building grants aim to support nonprofit infrastructure with the goal of helping nonprofits to achieve their mission and sustain themselves over time. Grants are awarded in the following categories: Leadership Development, Organizational Development, Collaborating and Community Development and Evaluation of Effectiveness.

The nonprofit recipients of this grant will use the funds to grow infrastructure and capabilities:

• Alaska Association for Infant and Childhood Mental Health in Fairbanks will create a strategic plan.
• Association of Interior Native Education will expand the organization’s membership throughout interior Alaska.
• Camai Community Health Center in Naknek will take their Senior Leadership Team to a training conference.
• Kenai Peninsula Food Bank will train staff on new donor recognition software.
• Kenai Soil and Water Conservation District will develop a strategic plan.
• Museums Alaska, a statewide organization, will host a strategic planning session for their board of directors.
• Northern Susitna Institute in Talkeetna will develop staff desktop publishing skills to create marketing materials.
• Prince William Soundkeeper in Cordova will create and implement a new strategic plan.
• Seward Senior Center will have a strategic planning and board development training.
• Wellspring Revival Ministries in Fairbanks will provide staff training that focuses on positive interaction and communication with at-risk youth

The CBCO program is ongoing with deadlines every three months. A newly revised and updated application will be available by January 15, 2013. The next deadline is March 1, 2013 at 9:00pm. For grant guidelines, a list of potential capacity building activities, and additional information please visit www.alaskacf.org or call 907-334-6700. The Alaska Community Foundation would like to thank the Rasmuson Foundation for their generous support of this program.

A New Scholarship Supports Technology Education in Alaska

The Alaska Community Foundation Awards the Inaugural Tim Akers Memorial Scholarship to Seward Student

Donald Forrester, a student at the Alaska Vocational and Technology School (AVTEC) in Seward, is the first recipient of a $1,000 award from the Tim Akers Memorial Scholarship Fund. Forrester is a graduate of Mat-Su Central High School and enrolled at AVTEC to pursue a degree in Combination Welding in the fall of 2012. He was inspired by his grandfather to pursue a career in welding and hopes to work on the North Slope after completing his degree.

The Tim Akers Memorial Scholarship is a fund of The Alaska Community Foundation that was created to honor the memory of Tim Akers, who was dedicated to technology education in Alaska. Akers played an influential role in the development and production of the Prudhoe Bay Oilfield and served as a mentor and role model to many young Alaskans with little or no experience working on the North Slope. The scholarship will be awarded annually to an Alaskan student pursuing technology education.

New Taxpayer Relief Act is Good News for Nonprofits & Donors

January 8, 2013 -- The new Taxpayer Relief Act is sending good news to nonprofits and donors throughout the country. With the passing of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (H.R. 8) on January 1, 2013, the charitable deduction will continue to be tied to an individual’s or household’s corresponding tax rate. There is no cap on charitable deductions. For example, under the new tax law the highest tax bracket will be 39.6 percent. Therefore, affected earners can deduct 39.6 cents for every dollar donated.

Another positive attribute of the new law is the extension of the IRA charitable rollover through December 31, 2013, permitting tax-free distributions to a charity from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) held by someone age 70 ½ or older of up to $100,000 per taxpayer, per taxable year, retroactive to January 1, 2012. The retroactive extension also allows donors to make distributions directly to eligible charities before February 1, 2013 and elect to have such distributions treated as qualified charitable distributions in 2012. Individuals who have already received an IRA distribution in 2012 can count that distribution as a 2012 IRA charitable rollover if they transfer the amount in cash before February 1, 2013 to an eligible charity.

This is good news for Alaskans who make charitable contributions. This is even better news for individuals and families who receive services from nonprofit organizations that rely on these donations.

Donor advised funds and private foundations do not qualify for the IRA charitable rollover, however The Alaska Community Foundation (ACF), the Alaska Fund, field of interest funds, and Affiliate community funds do. For more information on any of these funds, visit ACF online at www.alaskacf.org or contact ACF staff at 907-334-6700.

For 18 years, The Alaska Community Foundation has acted as a statewide platform for philanthropy, helping individuals to connect with causes they care about across Alaska. Through the building of endowments, ACF helps organizations and communities create funds that provide financial resources to improve the quality of life in Alaska now and forever. The Alaska Community Foundation currently holds over $55 million for the benefit of Alaskans, granting $5-6 million each year to charitable projects and nonprofit organizations across the state.

Candace Winkler, President and CEO of The Alaska Community Foundation said, “The preservation of the charitable deduction in this legislation is an example of the collective efforts over the past few months of nonprofits across the country and the Council on Foundations to convey the importance of the charitable sector. We are very excited about the new legislation and look forward to assisting donors with their charitable giving over the coming year.” 

For a sample letter for a direct distribution from an IRA, click here.

November 21st, 2012

The pursuit of Olympic dreams is often accompanied by a hefty price tag. To support some of Alaska’s most highly regarded athletes, the Alaska Winter Olympians Scholarship, a fund of The Alaska Community Foundation, recently awarded $10,000 to five current and aspiring Alaskan winter Olympians. The awards will help cover expenses such as race entries, training program fees, travel, and equipment. 

For the press release and pictures of the athletes, click here.

Capacity Building for Charitable Organizations Grant Program Announces Grant Awards

This month, The Alaska Community Foundation awarded $15,990 to six nonprofits across Alaska. These grants are the result of the first round of grants from ACF’s Capacity Building for Charitable Organizations (CBCO) grant program.

Capacity building is a common term and a frequent request for assistance in the nonprofit world that refers to activities that improve and enhance a nonprofit’s ability to achieve its mission and sustain itself over time. Simply put, a nonprofit builds its capacity when it expands in areas like leadership development, community engagement, and program development in a way that improves the nonprofit’s effectiveness in achieving mission.

That is exactly what six Alaska nonprofits are doing as a result of the first round of grants from ACF’s Capacity Building for Charitable Organizations:

• The Kachemak Heritage Land Trust in Homer is using their grant award to organize a statewide meeting of Alaskan Land Trusts;

• Ninilchik Senior Citizens, Inc. is using funds to engage in strategic planning;

• Beans Café in Anchorage is using their funds for business planning;

• The Hiland Mountain Women’s String Orchestra in Eagle River will be increasing their social media outreach as a result;

• The Southern Peninsula Hospital in Homer will be purchasing software to facilitate the community health planning efforts of the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships of the Southern Kenai Peninsula; and

• The Nikiski Senior Center is using funds for board strategic planning.

CBCO grants fund projects that help nonprofit or equivalent organizations increase their capacity. Unlike traditional grant programs that fund projects or services, the CBCO program focuses on improving the skills of staff and board members as well as the infrastructure of an organization to increase the organization’s effectiveness in delivering programs and services.

The second round of applications for a CBCO grant is open now and ends on December 3, 2012 at 9:00 p.m. For grant guidelines, a list of potential capacity building activities and additional information visit www.alaskacf.org or call 907-334-6700. The Alaska Community Foundation would like to thank the Rasmuson Foundation for their generous support of the CBCO Program.

The Alaska Community Foundation partners to launch the Alaska Crib Swap

The Alaska Community Foundation (ACF) has partnered with thread to launch the Alaska Crib Swap as part of thread’s “Safe Sleep for Alaska’s Babies” campaign. The Alaska Crib Swap is a fundraising program to replace existing cribs in licensed child care homes and centers across Alaska with new cribs that meet federal safety standards. All donations will be matched by ACF dollar for dollar.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has previously warned parents and child care centers alike to the dangers of drop-side cribs. From 2005 to 2010, the commission announced 11 recalls involving more than 7 million drop-side cribs due to suffocation and strangulation hazards created by the drop side. The commission is aware of 32 infant and toddler suffocation and strangulation deaths and hundreds of incidents caused by, or related to, drop-side detachments in cribs between the years 2000 and 2010.

As a result, new federal standards on crib safety are taking effect, now requiring all child care centers and programs to replace old cribs with new, safer ones. Child care facilities across the state have a Dec. 28, 2012 deadline to replace existing unsafe cribs. In Alaska, more than 4,000 infants and toddlers are placed in cribs at child care centers or programs and hundreds of these programs still use drop-side cribs. The Alaska Community Foundation hopes to raise the funds necessary to help these communities meet the new safety standards.

“It costs real time and money for child care programs to replace this many unsafe cribs, and frankly, new cribs are often not even directly available in our rural communities,” said Candace Winkler, president and CEO of ACF. “We’re trying to help these communities comply with federal regulations and, more importantly, provide a safe place for Alaska’s babies to sleep.” The foundation’s main focus with the Alaska Crib Swap is to help thread raise funds for the new cribs.

thread, through the “Safe Sleep for Alaska’s Babies” campaign, will provide information and training for early educators and have available the applications for licensed child care programs to receive the new cribs. “What could be more important than creating safe sleep environments for Alaska’s babies,” asks Stephanie Berglund, thread’s CEO. “By replacing a crib for a crib in each child care program, we are hoping to support safe sleep for over 4,000 infants and toddlers who are cared for in Licensed Child Care programs throughout the state.”

ACF is currently collecting donations and the campaign will run through the end of the year. More information on the Alaska Crib Swap can be found here. Donations received to the Alaska Crib Swap Fund will help to ensure that Alaska’s babies are sleeping safely. 

Application information for child care programs is available through thread. Learn more about crib safety and new federal safety standards at www.CPSC.gov/cribs. 

The Alaska Community Foundation announces Neal Thorpe Memorial Scholarship recipients

ANCHORAGE – The Alaska Community Foundation recently awarded two Neal Thorpe Memorial Scholarships worth a total of $15,000 to Alaskan high school graduates that are the first in their immediate family to attend college.

Desirae Roehl of King Cove will apply her scholarship, worth $7,500, toward a degree in Sustainable Studies with a minor in Business Administration at Alaska Pacific University. Roehl graduated from King Cove High School in 1998 and now works for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium in Anchorage as a Tribal Environmental Program Manager.

“It was such a blessing to learn that I was selected as a recipient of the Neal Thorpe Memorial Scholarship. This generous gift means so much to me and will greatly contribute to the success of my educational journey. I currently work with people from across Alaska, helping to create healthier and more sustainable communities. This is my passion, and I’m confident that completing my degree will result in opportunities for me to contribute even further to the people and communities I work with.”

Stacy Halverson of Yakutat, now entering her sophomore year at George Fox University, received a Thorpe scholarship in 2011, which was renewed for 2012. A graduate of Edgecumbe High School, Halverson is currently pursuing a degree in social work.

“My ultimate goal is to work with teenagers that come from a background full of adversity. I want to work with the kids that have lost the sense of hope for their future and be the support I once needed. I am hoping to show teens that there are other ways to achieve in life regardless of what was handed to them,” Halverson said.

The other scholarship recipient from 2011, Jennifer Diep of Anchorage, graduated from Alaska Pacific University this spring with a degree in environmental science. She now works as an environmental scientist at the Bethel Native Corporation and eventually hopes to attend graduate school. 

The scholarship was created to honor Neal Thorpe, a trustee and executive director of the Murdock Charitable Trust. He had deep ties to the state and worked to improve the quality of life for Alaskans. Thorpe is remembered as a person of strong faith, deep personal integrity and deep love for his family. He believed we all stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us, and with each day we have the opportunity to be a blessing to those who will come after us. 

The scholarships will be paid directly to the applicant’s university for tuition assistance. 

Established in 1995, The Alaska Community Foundation has become a statewide platform for philanthropy. ACF currently holds over $55 million for the benefit of Alaskans, granting approximately $5 million each year to charitable projects and nonprofit organizations across the state. ACF is comprised of more than 280 funds and endowments, including five affiliate community funds, the Alaska Children’s Trust, and many others.

ACF’s mission is to grow philanthropy and connect people who care with causes that matter. The Alaska Community Foundation helps individuals, organizations and communities create funds that – like the Alaska Permanent Fund – provide financial resources to improve the quality of life in Alaska now and forever.