With the second round of CNRF grants, 172 organizations statewide have received over $28 million!
Autumn is traditionally a time for taking stock and storing up. The moose and caribou shed the velvet from their antlers; the salmon stop running; the bears hunker down, fat and happy, to wait out the cold. The leaves change, termination dust settles in the mountains, and Alaskans prepare for the quiet and privation of the coming winter – a winter which, this year, presents more unknown challenges than any in living memory due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, like the animals around us, Alaskans know how to ready ourselves for winter.
In partnership with the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), ACF has announced another round of Coronavirus Nonprofit Relief Fund (CNRF) grantees. Eighty-three organizations across Alaska have been awarded $10.7 million in this, the second of three rounds of distributions. The funds are from Alaska’s share of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. These grants are intended to help Alaskan nonprofit organizations weather the hardships brought on by COVID-19, so they may continue to provide critical support to their communities.
“Funding from the Coronavirus Nonprofit Relief Fund will help us ensure the impacts of COVID-19 to our children are minimal,” says Trevor Storrs, President/CEO of second round grant recipient Alaska Children’s Trust. “The team at the Children’s Trust gives DHSS a special thank you for their continued dedication to developing and strengthening the nonprofit sector. Together we can ensure Alaska’s children thrive!”
This funding comes immediately on the heels of the first round of CNRF grants, which closed July 29 and distributed $17.6 million to eighty-nine organizations statewide.
“These funds are greatly appreciated and will allow our organization to continue to provide food and emergency assistance to families in our community who have been impacted by COVID-19 and its side effects, such as job loss,” says Michelle Chase of first round grant recipient Emergency Assistance and Food Bank of Valdez. “In these uncertain times, this will help keep our community safe and stable.”
The team at ACF has worked closely with applicants to ensure their applications were eligible for CARES Act funding, and has taken great care to award the funding to those most in need. Now, with a total of over $28 million awarded to 172 Alaskan nonprofits statewide in just two months, DHSS and ACF are looking ahead to the next round of funding. The process thus far has enjoyed such success that DHSS has announced it will double the amount originally allocated for the third round.
“The partnership with The Alaska Community Foundation has worked very well,” says DHSS Commissioner Adam Crum. “The process has been thoughtful and comprehensive and has awarded grants across the state to address the needs of nonprofits who are working to mitigate the effects of COVID. DHSS is pleased with the distribution of funds and is providing another $5 million of CARES funds, above and beyond the original $35 million, for ACF to distribute to meet even more of the current nonprofit needs.”
The third round of applications will close on October 14, 2020. There is still time to gear up for winter.