ACF Announces Four New Affiliates

The Alaska Community Foundation Announces Four New Affiliate Community Foundations

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.