What's New at ACF

November 20 -- Nursing students committed to practicing in rural Alaska communities can apply for tuition assistance from the David E. Knox Memorial Nursing Fellowship offered by The Alaska Community Foundation. Deadline for the scholarship applications is February 1, 2010 with awards made in March. The Fellowship will award up to $2,500 and is available annually to a nursing student who agrees to practice as a nurse/RN in a small community within Alaska for a minimum of one year. Applications are available online or by calling 907/334-6700.
    Knox, a longtime Sitka resident and Sitka Community Hospital nurse understood the complex issues facing Alaska’s smaller communities and medical care. His wife and family created the fellowship in his memory, and as a way to provide continued support for the rural medical community. Successful candidates will embody the same nurturing compassion, detailed organization, high technical standards and devotion to health care for which Knox was known.

Dec. 23, 2009 -- Eagle, Alaska has been awarded an $8,000 grant from the Alaska Disaster Recovery Fund of Alaska Community Foundation, to help the rebuild efforts after the 2009 Spring floods.
 
Since June, 2009, ACF has awarded $16,000 to organizations helping Yukon River communities that suffered damage.
 
A community-based committee,  Rebuild Eagle Construction Team, is tasked with making decisions on how the grant is used. Most homes that were destroyed and damaged have been rebuilt and are livable for the winter, but septic systems will need to be replaced when the ground thaws in the spring. Eagle was by far the worst hit of the communities flooded.
 
The Alaska Disaster Recovery Fund was created to support the recovery efforts that continue long after a disaster has left the news cycle. As funds are available, grants are made to well-established groups working in the impacted communities. Alaska Community Foundation works closely with long-term recovery groups to assess needs.
 
"It's a time of year when people are remembering their blessings, and we are still hearing from those around the country who want to help Eagle, Alaska get through the winter," said Suzanne Yack, chief philanthropy officer of the Foundation. "It's inspiring to know people haven't forgotten."

Twelve teachers earn grants for classroom projects

November 19 -- Anchorage teachers have a new source of financial support for innovative projects that stand to enhance the success of their students. Anchorage Schools Foundation (ASF) has announced its very first grant awards; $5,291 has been distributed to 12 teachers for projects that include equipment for arts instruction, classroom supplies, field trips, and the development of new learning projects such as gardens. Complete list.

“We realize that many times, teachers will take money from their own pockets to purchase supplies or to cover costs to enhance their students’ educational experience,” said Karin Wanamaker, ASF advisory board  chair. “The Anchorage Schools Foundation is a way for parents and concerned citizens to put their support behind teachers and help them help our children.”
 
ASF was established with donations by a couple of parents who wanted to express their personal charitable giving in a way that had direct impact in public school classrooms.  
 
ASF is managed by a volunteer board of community advisors and works in concert with but is independent of the Anchorage School District. The advisory board prioritizes funding requests for  innovative classroom projects and  school needs  not supported by public funds. The Foundation’s assets are managed by the Alaska Community Foundation.  

The fund has attracted additional parents and teachers as donors and now, made its first grants to realize its mission of providing “community and private funding to enhance the success of students in the Anchorage School District.”    
 
A second round of grant availabilities will be announced in the new year.  Sign up for announcements.  To be a part of the Anchorage Schools Foundation, you can make a gift online.

Why does Anchorage need a school foundation?

Simple – to engage the community in a relationship with its public schools that creates more flexible funding and improves outcomes. Hospitals and universities have for decades grown affiliated foundations that have had immense impact in providing scholarships, supporting research, building new facilities, and advancing innovation. A school foundation can serve a similar role and be a conduit to channel private philanthropic funds into classrooms. 

    November 20 -- High school seniors and college students pursuing post-secondary school careers in technology can apply for the inaugural scholarship honoring H. A. “Red” Boucher. The Red Boucher Scholarship supports outstanding Alaskan candidates in the pursuit of technology education and/or training. Applications for the scholarship, offered by The Alaska Community Foundation, are due February 1, 2010 with the $1,000 scholarship winner announced in March. Applications are available online or by calling 907/334-6700.
    Red Boucher is recognized as one of the pioneers of the Information Age and a nationally recognized authority on the subject of computer mediated communication. In 1997, on his 76th birthday, Boucher became president of a new telecommunications company designed to improve the wireless connectivity in Alaska. He is well known in technology circles as a promoter and advocate for the state’s technology needs. Boucher also served as mayor of Fairbanks, lieutenant governor of Alaska under Gov. William Egan, and as a state representative from Anchorage. Boucher’s known among baseball enthusiasts as a key force in the founding of the Alaska Baseball League, for which he has been chosen for the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2009.

Eighteen groups, schools, villages and tribal councils serving the Bristol Bay area have been awarded grants totaling $591,901 from the Pebble Fund, a charitable fund created at The Alaska Community Foundation by The Pebble Partnership.

An independent advisory committee of leaders from the Bristol Bay region selected four primary areas of interest for grantmaking from the Pebble Fund: renewable resources/fish, energy, education, and community and economic development. Grant recipients were selected in a competitive process with the advisory board reviewing applications and selecting projects for awards.

Projects to be funded include a new dock crane in Pilot Point, band equipment for the Dillingham City Schools, first responder equipment in Twin Hills and a large burn box in Kohkanok. (See a complete list of grants) To date, The Pebble Fund has awarded $1,591,901 in support of nearly $10 million in community projects.

The Pebble Fund, which will distribute another $3.4 million to the Bristol Bay area over the coming three years, was created by The Pebble Partnership to fulfill a promise of $5 million over five years for projects in the Bristol Bay region.

Alaskans are encouraged to help American Samoans in our community trying to reach and aid families at home following the recent tsunami. Alaska is the home of many Samoans, most of whose families and friends have been impacted.
 
Monetary donations to the Alaska Disaster Recovery Fund go directly to helping families of Alaska residents who have relatives in American Samoa who were affected by the tsunami. These funds will assist long-term recovery organizations that are providing direct assistance to Samoan families for recovery, rebuilding and bereavement expenses.
 
The Alaska Community Foundation works closely with major relief and recovery groups across the country and is a member of Alaska Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. The Foundation cannot make grants directly to families, but is working closely with nonprofits and other groups who do provide these services.