The Alaska Community Foundation is pleased to announce grant awards totaling $262,633 to 6 organizations across Alaska. These grants were made through the Vocational Fund for Alaska’s Future (VFAF), a grant program designed to help Alaskans develop the skills needed to be competitive in the state’s resource-based economy. Applications were encouraged from Alaska nonprofits that focus on natural resource development training and skill-building, with a preference given to projects that benefit rural Alaska.
We are very pleased with the latest cycle of grant recipients from the Vocational Fund for Alaska’s Future and are excited to see the progress they make through these most recently funded programs. Vocational training is a critical need in Alaska’s communities, particularly those in rural areas, where the desire for locals to provide skilled labor for resource development projects is especially important. We are so happy to have the opportunity to support the organizations doing this critical work in Alaska.”
–Katie St. John, Director of Programs and Grants, The Alaska Community Foundation
Now in its second year of distributing grants, The Vocational Fund for Alaska’s Future is a Field of Interest fund at ACF established by Rio Tinto to support projects across Alaska that sharpen vocational skills and contribute to the competitiveness of Alaska’s natural resource development and overall economy.
Grant recipients and awards:
EXCEL Alaska, Inc – $50,000: EXCEL Alaska will provide training in technical skills and surface mining for up to 70 youth in Western Alaska.
Kawerak, Inc. – $46,024: Kawerak will support 20 residents of the Bering Straits region in becoming Heavy Equipment Operator certified.
University of Alaska Southeast – Ketchikan – $49,986: UAS Ketchikan will expand their successful Maritime & Multiskilled Worker, power technology and welding programs to provide more advanced level courses to students.
Alaska Vocational Technical Center – $50,000: AVTEC will purchase a marine engine simulator lab to train mariners for shipboard engineering duties.
Municipality of Anchorage – $36,623: Anchorage Public Libraries will offer employability and cross sector skills acquisition workshops at Loussac Library and throughout the Municipality of Anchorage.
Southeast Regional Conference – $30,000: Southeast Regional Conference will host career awareness and vocational training in the Juneau area.