The Alaska Community Foundation is committed to empowering the development and growth of nonprofit organizations that serve Alaska’s communities statewide. Through its grantmaking program, ACF provides essential funds for capacity building, organizational education, resource acquisition, and more, enabling nonprofit organizations to fulfill their mission. By leveraging strategic grants, programs, and partnerships, ACF connects people who care with causes that matter.
Camp Initiative Grant Recipients
Summer camps are a rite of passage for Alaskan youth and a vital part of Alaskan families’ childcare infrastructure. The Camp Initiative, a collaborative effort between ACF, Rasmuson Foundation, Mat-Su Health Foundation, the George and Stephanie Suddock Foundation, and other Alaskan donors, supports summer enrichment programming for Alaskan youth, including overnight and day camps.
| Organization Name | Amount Awarded | One Sentence Summary | Service Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calypso Farm & Ecology Center | $20,000.00 | Calypso offers farm immersive summer camps for children aged 5-15 years, including specialized camps for children from rural Alaska as well as children with disabilities. | Fairbanks |
| Old Harbor Alliance | $20,000.00 | Old Harbor Alliance will be providing summer day camps focusing on cultural activities, agriculture, subsistence and food preservation. | Kodiak Archipelago |
| Residential Youth Care, Inc. | $20,000.00 | The Ketchikan Afterschool Program will be offering daily lunch and snacks, outdoor physical activities including hiking, sports, as well as regular art and STEM activities which will foster learning, enrichment, and bonding. | Southeast Alaska |
| Girl Scouts of Alaska | $45,000.00 | In 2024 Girl Scouts of Alaska will be offering three main camp opportunities: Summer-long weekly sleep-over camp at Camp Togowoods and week-long day camps in 15 rural communities in Southeast and Southwest Alaska. | Statewide |
| Alaska's Healing Hearts | $7,050.00 | Alaska's Healing Heards will offer a youth focused Family oriented outdoor recreational retreats with direct services, interactive programs and education tools to help develop interpersonal communication skills and build strong bonds. | Southcentral Alaska |
| Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, Inc. | $20,000.00 | Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association's camp is an opportunity for community members to engage in Unangax̂ customs/traditions, create traditional art, prepare traditional foods, dance, learn the language and connect with each other. | Aleutian Chain & Southcentral Alaska |
| Tanalian Bible Camp | $45,000.00 | Tanalian Bible Camp offers overnight summer camp opportunities for youth ranging from third grade through 12th grades. | Bristol Bay;Yukon-Kuskokwim |
| Norton Sound Health Corporation | $10,000.00 | Norton Sound Health Corporation summer camps will provide health career education for young future health care leaders. | Bering Strait |
| Special Olympics Alaska Inc | $20,000.00 | Special Olympics Alaska will host Camp Shriver Alaska, a summer sports camp for middle and high school aged students with and without intellectual disabilities, at no cost to participate. | Statewide |
| Sitka Conservation Society | $16,650.00 | Sitka Conservation Society Camps will provide opportunities for youth from Sitka and other regional communities to connect with the land and community through place-based experiential education and outdoor recreation. | Southeast Alaska |
| Armed Services YMCA of Alaska | $20,000.00 | The Armed Services YMCA of Alaska collaborates with established camps in different regions of the state to ensure that military children have the opportunity to experience convenient to each duty location. | Statewide |
| Kenny Lake Public Library | $6,000.00 | Kenny Lake Public Library is offering a literacy week long day-camp for children of the Copper Basin region, aged 6 through 18. | Copper Center;Southcentral Alaska |
| Takshanuk Watershed Council | $13,320.00 | Takshanuk Watershed Council will provide 4 weeks of Gardening Camp, 2 weeks of Living Soil Kudziteeyí Tl’átk Camp, and 8 weeks of Watershed Studies. | Southeast Alaska |
| Usta-Pacific Northwest Section | $20,000.00 | Usta-Pacific Nortwest Section will be offering their RecTennis Summer Camps, an affordable, week-long day camps at five locations for 10-weeks throughout the summer for kids ages 5-17. | Anchorage MOA;Mat-Su Valley |
| Wrangell Institute for Science and Environment | $4,720.00 | Wrangell Institute for Science and Environment will be offering 6 science themed day hikes, 3 aquatic ecology days, and 2 multi-day Science camps: Geology Camp and Archaeology Camp | Copper Center |
| Sitka Fine Arts Camp | $45,000.00 | Sitka Fine Arts Camp provides Alaska’s only multidisciplinary arts camp serving over 700 youth from throughout Alaska annually. | Southeast Alaska |
| Hope Community Resources Inc | $20,000.00 | Hope Community Resources's Summer Camp offers inclusive opportunities to underserved youth, including those with intellectual or developmental disabilities, to engage in educational and recreational activities. | Northwest Arctic;Southcentral Alaska |
| SERRC - Alaska's Educational Resource Center | $20,000.00 | SERRC - Alaska's Educational Resource Center will be offering an Academic Decathlon that brings together high school teams to compete in ten subjects based on a yearly theme and builds valuable social and emotional skills while celebrating academic success. | Statewide |
| Delta Community Library | $6,435.00 | Delta Community Library will be offering the youth of the community literacy enrichment, outdoor opportunities, the chance to interact with peers, and as much learning but fun activities as possible. | Interior Alaska |
| Alaska Public Media KSKA KAKM | $15,000.00 | Alaska Public Media and local children's groups, will conduct day camps using PBS Kids educational curriculum in the communities of Seward and Fairbanks during summer 2024. | Statewide |
| VOA Alaska | $14,000.00 | VOA Alaska's summer camp, Camp Hope provides opportunities that focus on social emotional learning, engage in team-based recreation, art projects, field trips, and mindfulness activities. | Statewide |
| Four Winds Resource Center | $19,350.00 | Four Winds Resource Center will be offering a fine arts camp to encourage the growth of curiosity, skills, and creativity in local youths, aged 6-12. | Southeast Alaska |
| Camp Fire Alaska | $45,000.00 | Camp Fire Alaska will be providing an opportunity for outdoor recreation through hiking, kayaking, target sports, and swimming with an emphasizes on cultural activities and intergenerational connections specific to the Rural Program. | Anchorage MOA;Southcentral Alaska;Yukon-Kuskokwim |
| Girdwood Fine Arts Camp | $10,000.00 | Girdwood Fine Arte Camp will be offering a two week day camp divided into 3 sessions and a teen apprenticeship program, employing professional artists to teach their medium to campers aged 5-18 years old. | Anchorage MOA |
| Homer Council on the Arts | $8,000.00 | The Homer Council on the Arts will be providing two one-week sessions of "Art in the Park," for ages groups 6-12; one week of folk music camp ages 8-17; and one week-long session of Broadway Bootcamp for ages 12-18 | Southcentral Alaska |
| Valdez Swim Club, Inc. | $10,850.00 | Valdez Swim Club, Inc. will be providing a clinic that will give the swimmers of Valdez access to a swim program for this summer that they will otherwise be without. | Prince William Sound |
| Great Alaska Council Boy Scouts of America | $45,000.00 | Great Alaska Council Boy Scouts of America will be offering resident and day camps for youth at Camp Gorsuch in Chugiak, Eagle River Scout Camp in Juneau, and a Traveling Day Camp reaching 3-8 communities annually. | Aleutian Chain; Southcentral Alaska; Southeast Alaska |
| Global Partnership Ministries, Inc | $45,000.00 | Global Partnership Ministries, Inc. under their DBA GraceWorks, will provide camp activities in 15 locations around Anchorage, including meals, games, crafts, character development and Bible stories for children and youth in the surrounding communities. | Anchorage MOA;Mat-Su Valley |
| Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies | $20,000.00 | Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies will offer day camps for our local community and overnight camps for youth, teens, and families from all across Alaska. | Southcentral Alaska |
| Huslia Village | $14,500.00 | Huslia Village will be offering their Summer Culture Camp, creating an opportunity to bring young people together to learn skills, build resilience, reinforce connections, pass down traditions and stories. | Interior Alaska |
| Trailside Discovery Camp | $22,500.00 | Trailside Discovery Camp fosters a wide range of environmental ed programs to young Alaskans & creates opportunities for kids to develop leadership skills environmental literacy & sense of responsibility for the outdoors. | Southcentral Alaska |
| Covenant Youth of Alaska | $45,000.00 | Covenant Youth of Alaska will be providing their Summer Youth Camp, a remote rural camp upriver from the village of Unalakleet in western Alaska primarily geared for Alaska Native youth. | Bering Strait;Yukon-Kuskokwim |
| Challenge Alaska | $20,000.00 | Challenge Alaska will be offering an inclusive, fun, and adventure-based camp for youth living with autism transitioning to adulthood. There are currently no other camp opportunities for this demographic. | Southcentral Alaska; Fairbanks |
| Alaska Geographic | $20,000.00 | Alaska Geographic, in partnership with Alaska's federal land agencies, offers free backpacking and sea kayaking expeditions to diverse Alaskan teens to promote a lasting connection to public lands. | Anchorage MOA;Interior Alaska;Northwest Arctic;Prince William Sound;Southcentral Alaska |
| Qizhjeh Vena Alaska | $44,800.00 | Qizhjeh Vena Alaska will be offering a summer overnight and day camp for ages 11-18, and internships for ages 18-25. | Bristol Bay |
| Native Village of Ruby | $33,617.00 | The Native Village of Ruby will be providing a camp that connects young people to cultural and traditional activities that are fun and rewarding and brings youth and Elders together. | Interior Alaska |
| Alliance for the Support of American Legion Baseball in Anchorage | $15,000.00 | Alliance for the Support of American Legion Baseball in Anchorage will provide a 4 day summer baseball camp that features college coaches for players aged 7-18 in Anchorage and a 2 day camp in Fairbanks. | Interior Alaska;Southcentral Alaska;Southeast Alaska |
| Petersburg Medical Center | $20,000.00 | Petersburg Medical Center will offer three ORCA day camps for youth in our region and launch our first overnight camp for high schoolers, a multi-day strengths-based kayaking expedition with Onward & Upward. | Southeast Alaska |
| Kenai Mountains -Turnagain Arm National Heritage Corridor | $20,000.00 | Kenai Mountains - Turnagain Arm National Heritage Corridor runs a free and low-cost overnight and day youth outdoor programs that connect kids to nature, instilling in them a pride of place & enduring stewardship ethic for the spaces they live & recreate in. | Southcentral Alaska |
| Haa Tóoch Lichéesh | $20,000.00 | Haa Tóoch Lichéesh Coalition will offer a week long Healing Family Camp | Southeast Alaska |
| Chugach Heritage Foundation | $45,000.00 | Chugach Heritage Foundation will be offering their Nuuciq Spirit Camp, sharing cultural practices and knowledge with those living in the communities of Tatitlek, Valdez, Cordova, Chenega, Nanwalek, Port Graham, Seward and Anchorage. | Southcentral Alaska |
Community Food Security Through Gardening Grant
Funded by a generous legacy gift from Willow-based gardeners Gerald and Kathryn Freeley, the Gardening as Food Security Grant Program addresses food security issues by promoting and facilitating gardening projects in Alaska. This grant aims to fund projects that support a broad definition of food security, emphasizing access to safe, nutritious, and local food for healthy lifestyles.
| Organization Name | Amount Awarded | One Sentence Summary | Served Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunshine Community Health Center | $10,000.00 | Sunshine Community Health Center will work with partners to start a community garden on the Talkeetna clinic property to address food insecurities for Mat-Su Borough residents. | Mat-Su Valley |
| Alaska Farmland Trust | $10,000.00 | Alaska Farmland Trust will connect underserved/disadvantaged farmers with low, or no cost, agricultural land leases allow them to grow food/gardens. | Mat-Su Valley |
| Emergency Assistance and Food Bank of Valdez | $10,000.00 | Emergency Assistance and Food Bank of Valdez will educate community members on gardening in Southcentral AK as well as offer a garden plot, plants, seeds, soil, and tools to grow fresh vegetables. | Southcentral Alaska |
| Transition Sitka | $10,000.00 | Transition Sitka, with the Sitka Community Garden, will contribute to overall food security with ADA accessible garden space, mentored skills building and support for individuals and families. | Southeast Alaska |
| NeighborWorks Alaska | $10,000.00 | Through the Anchor Gardens community network, NeighborWorks Alaska will host hands-on workshops and trainings to promote local food, and build a community garden in a food desert. | Anchorage MOA |
| University of Alaska Fairbanks | $10,000.00 | The University of Alaska Fairbanks will diversify, broaden, and enhance the existing opportunities for the Community Garden and Garden to Heal program. | Mat-Su Valley |
| Ketchikan Wellness Coalition | $10,000.00 | Ketchikan Wellness Coalition Community Gardens with a focus on youth and community education for food security. | Southeast Alaska |
| Yakutat Tlingit Tribe | $9,441.00 | The Yakutat Tlingit Tribe will purchase soil amendments and teach gardeners to amend and nurture the soil, plants, and food sustainability skills. | Southeast Alaska |
| My House | $7,500.00 | My House will show clients how a simple seed can flourish into something beautiful & prosperous, in a peaceful environment while developing agricultural skills. | Mat-Su Valley |
| Friends of the Sutton Library | $5,200.00 | Friends of the Sutton Library will establish a community garden and greenhouse for learning together how to grow food in this climate. | Mat-Su Valley |
| Access Alaska Inc | $3,500.00 | Access Alaska Fairbanks will establish an onsite community garden to enhance food security for people with disabilities and seniors in the summer of 2024. | Fairbanks |
GCI Suicide Prevention Grant Recipients
The Alaska Community Foundation, in partnership with GCI, is proud to offer the GCI Suicide Prevention Grant Program, which funds projects and organizations whose goal is to reduce the rates of suicide in Alaska and promote mental wellness through strengthened community and personal connections.
| Organization Name | Amount Awarded | One Sentence Summary | Served Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aleut Community of St. Paul Island | $5,299.00 | The Aleut Community of St. Paul Island project supports the development of a comprehensive wellness program tailored to the unique needs of employees working with suicide, substance abuse, child abuse, and domestic violence cases. | Aleutian Chain |
| Annette Island School District | $10,000.00 | Annette Island School District will start a formal Suicide Prevention Awareness campaign for Metlakatla called "The Watchmen," during which people are given training in Youth Mental Health First Aid and are responsible to direct those that are contemplating suicide to national, state, and local resources. | Southeast Alaska |
| Big River Public Broadcasting | $5,000.00 | KIYU will broadcast 30 second pre-produced PSA announcements three times daily, seven days per week during the hours of 6am-Midnight, with extra airings as available. These announcements will consist of positive, inclusive messaging both personal and practical, as in spreading awareness of the 988 hotline. | Fairbanks and Yukon-Kuskokwim |
| Fairbanks North Star Borough School District | $10,000.00 | This project focuses on implementing the Sources of Strength (SOS) program in middle and high schools within the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. The SOS program includes early prevention initiatives, evidence-based intervention practices, and post-vention strategies to reduce suicide rates and promote mental wellness among students. | Fairbanks |
| Gold Star Peak, Inc. | $6,750.00 | Gold Star Peak, Inc. connects Gold Stars and Veterans (including our active duty service members and their families) with nature. | Anchorage MOA, Mat-Su Valley, and Statewide |
| Kawerak, Inc | $10,000.00 | Kawerak will host an annual camp for youth, and work with rural communities on outreach and education to prevent substance abuse and suicide and provide healthy activities for youth. | Bering Strait |
| Kenai Peninsula Borough School District | $2,500.00 | The Building Student Strengths program will increase peer leaders skills and resources so they can leverage their influence and social networks to promote positive cultural change, reduce stigma, and ensure their peers have access to support when struggling with mental health issues. | Southcentral Alaska |
| Kuspuk School District | $10,000.00 | Kuspuk Empowers seeks to ensure every student will access comprehensive, interconnected systems of academic, behavior, and social-emotional support and every teacher will grow in their trauma-informed practices to enhance individual outcomes, thereby strengthening our communities. | Yukon-Kuskokwim |
| Maniilaq Association | $10,000.00 | Teams undertake initiatives that increase protective factors or ‘positive childhood experiences’ by way of participating in the Hollywood Streetball Tour Project. | Northwest Arctic |
| NAMI Juneau | $10,000.00 | Nami Juneau supports SouthEeast AK communities by offering a 3-day suicide prevention training event in Juneau. | Juneau, Southeast Alaska, and Statewide |
| Native Village of Napaimute | $3,000.00 | Every summer the Native Village of Napaimute coordinates a week-long Culture Camp for youth from the middle-Kuskokwim. | Yukon-Kuskokwim |
| Norton Sound Health Corporation | $10,000.00 | Norton Sound Health Corporation Native Connections and Cultural Instructors will provide suicide prevention outreach and education as well as cultural activities to youths between 12-24 in Nome and up to 6-12 of 15 outlying villages. | Bering Strait |
| STAR | $9,491.00 | STAR will hire experts to train staff and crisis line volunteers on QPR suicide intervention and prevention, Mental Health First Aid, and Detangling Colonialism. | Statewide |
Strengthening Organizations Grant Recipients
The Strengthening Organizations Grant supports projects that strengthen the applicant organization, ensuring it has effective and efficient systems and experienced staff with the training and resources to provide services successfully. A partnership between ACF and Rasmuson Foundation makes these grants possible.
| Organization Name | Amount Awarded | One Sentence Summary | Service Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Girl Scouts of Alaska | $ 8,960.00 | Girl Scouts of Alaska will develop and implement a strategic multi-year fund development plan to help stabilize the organization. | Statewide |
| InfraGard Alaska Members Alliance, Inc. | $ 1,700.00 | InfraGard Alaska Members Alliance will be attending training provided by the Foraker Group to help establish a leadership culture that will provide organizational and financial resilience for years to come. | Statewide |
| Armed Services YMCA of Alaska | $ 4,750.00 | The ASYMCA is going to work with a contractor to realign the staffing model to better suit the changing needs to staff and the organization. | Statewide |
| Anchorage Senior Activity Center | $ 4,500.00 | Anchorage Senior Activity Center will be contracting a professional: The board and senior center management is resetting the Strategic Plan and setting new goals and objectives. | Anchorage MOA |
| Alaska Botanical Garden | $ 5,000.00 | Alaska Botanical Garden (ABG) will transition Quickbooks data entry from an operational contract with the Foraker Group to ABG staff responsibility and operations. | Anchorage MOA |
| Valley Mountain Bikers and Hikers | $ 500.00 | Valley Mountain Biker and Hikers will use funding to cover 1-year of Board Support Program at BoardSource.org, giving members access to an on-demand series "Certificate of Nonprofit Board Education". | Mat-Su Valley |
| Alaska Dance Theatre | $ 6,500.00 | Alaska Dance Theater will develop learning opportunities for staff to support strategic goals including mental health/wellness topics specific to young performers. | Anchorage MOA |
| Eldred Rock Lighthouse Preservation Association | $ 4,624.00 | Eldred Rock Lighthouse Preservation Associaltion will use the funding for their The Volunteer Caretaker Program (VCP). An educational program to train volunteers as temporary caretakers of Eldred Rock Lighthouse. | Southeast Alaska |
| Alaska Humanities Forum | $ 5,953.00 | The Alaska Humanities Forum plans to obtain training from The Management Center to build an equitable, sustainable, and results-driven culture and meet a priority defined in the Strategic Plan. | Statewide |
| Chugiak Aquatics Club Boosters | $ 4,000.00 | Chugiak Aquatics Club Boosters will provide training for high school age swimmers, to include lifeguard courses and junior swim coach courses. | Anchorage MOA |
| KHNS FM | $ 5,125.00 | KHNS FM is sending a staff engineer to a tower climbing course to learn troubleshooting and repair work. | Southeast Alaska |
| Alaska Center for the Performing Arts | $ 9,000.00 | The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts (ACPA) will be attending a two-day coaching clinic for 15 ACPA managers to build leadership, communication and engagement skills during their period of rapid organizational growth. | Anchorage MOA |
| Ketchikan Wellness Coalition | $ 4,416.40 | The Ketchikan Wellness Coalition Board of Directors and staff plan to conduct a 2 day retreat to review/evaluate their current strategic plan & then construct a new 5 year plan. | Southeast Alaska |
| Pratt Museum | $ 8,000.00 | Pratt Museum Board and Staff will be gathering to engage in a strategic planning process. | Southcentral Alaska |
| thread | $ 9,000.00 | thread will be contracting with an entity to help with the transition of thread's two Fairbanks offices/teams into one. | Statewide |
| KNOM Radio Mission | $ 8,950.00 | KNOM Radio Mission is going to be providing both onsite and online training for staff on RCS Zetta and G-Selector, ensuring staff system proficiency post AM and FM signal split. | Bering Strait |
| Arctic Slope Community Foundation | $ 9,000.00 | Arctic Slope Community Foundation will develop and implement a strategic plan in collaboration with Funding For Good, ensuring long-term success and sustainability. | Arctic Slope |
Trail Care Fund Grant Recipients
The Anchorage Trail Care Fund, established by Alaska cross-country skiing legends Jim and Sally Burkholder, is a lifeline for local soft surface trails, providing critical funding for maintenance, repair, and improvement projects. From clearing debris and repairing erosion damage to installing signage and improving accessibility, these efforts are vital in ensuring the longevity and sustainability of some of Alaska’s most beloved trails, from Eklutna to Girdwood.
| Organization Name | Amount Awarded | One Sentence Summary | Service Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Trails | $2,480.00 | Alaska Trails will improve the Flattop Sunnyside Trail with the work of their Alaska Trails paid crew and the Alaska Trails volunteer program | Anchorage MOA |
| Alaskan Sled Dog & Racing Association | $2,500.00 | The Alaskan Sled Dog & Racing Association will replace two wooden bridges and plywood decking on dog-musher trails within the Campbell Tract trail network. | Anchorage MOA |
| Girdwood Trails Committee (Girdwood Inc) | $2,032.00 | Girdwood Trails Committee will purchase tools to be used by volunteer trail maintainance workers in an effort to improve and maintain the Girdwood Middle Iditarod National Historic Trail and the Beaver Pond Trail | Girdwood |