Voices Across Alaska Fund Awards $2.9 Million to Support Public Media

The Alaska Community Foundation (ACF) has awarded $2.9 million in grants to Alaska’s public media stations through the Voices Across Alaska Fund, a rapid-response initiative created to sustain public broadcasting after the loss of critical federal funding.

Launched in July, the fund rallied donors statewide to protect a vital communication lifeline for Alaska’s communities. In just three months, 143 donors contributed more than $3.8 million, including major gifts from the Rasmuson Foundation and three national foundations. This fall ACF distributed grants to stations across the state, using a transparent formula to ensure equitable support for urban and rural communities.  

“This fund was created so every Alaskan can have access to information that keeps them safe and connected. no matter where they live,” said Alex McKay, CEO and President of the Alaska Community Foundation. “Public media is the heart of how that happens.” 

For many Alaskans, public radio and television are essential—not optional. During recent storms that devastated parts of the Northwest Arctic and Y-K Delta, local stations delivered real-time updates, weather alerts, and critical community information that helped keep people safe. As communities assess the damage, those same stations continue to provide the on-the-ground reporting no one else can. 

That lifeline was placed at risk this summer when the federal government eliminated key funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Alaska stations had received as much as $15 million annually through this support—nearly 28% of national system funding—reflecting the state’s vast geography and infrastructure challenges. Without that funding, local stations faced the possibility of closure or severe service reductions, particularly in regions where broadband access remains limited and costly. 

The Voices Across Alaska Fund demonstrated that philanthropy can move quickly when relationships and trust are already in place. Working with Alaska’s public media leaders, ACF created a statewide giving platform that complemented individual station campaigns and offered a simple way for donors, partners, and foundations to contribute to a collective solution. 

“This crucial support helped KSDP recover from the loss of CPB funding, creating a pathway for transformation and renewal,” said Austin Roof, general manager of KSDP in Sand Point. “With this investment, we are reimagining local public media to better serve the Aleutians and Alaska Peninsula – strengthening community journalism, amplifying local voices, and ensuring our region remains connected and informed.”

Grant amounts were determined using each station’s 2024 Community Service Grant allocation from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, creating a fair and transparent framework to distribute funds across Alaska’s diverse public media network. The following stations received funding through the Voices Across Alaska Fund: 

• KAKM-TV (Anchorage) – $517,073.58
• KTOO  TV Juneau – $296,242.25 
• KUAC-TV (Fairbanks) – $253,011.25
• KYUK TV Bethel – $354,436.00
• KBBI-AM (Homer) – $38,560.75
• KBRW-AM+ (Utqiagvik) – $88,324.75
• KCAW-FM (Sitka) – $39,915.00
• KCHU-AM (Valdez) – $34,361.00
• KCUK-FM+ (Chevak) – $56,661.00
• KDLG -AM (Dillingham) – $56,653.75
• KDLL-FM (Kenai) – $34,844.25
• KFSK-FM (Petersburg) – $37,319.50
• KHNS-FM (Haines) – $59,057.50
• KIYU-AM+ (Galena) – $57,870.75
• KMXT-FM (Kodiak) – $53,497.50
• KNBA-FM+ (Anchorage) – $101,692.25
• KNSA-AM+ (Unalakleet) – $56,606.50
• KOTZ-AM+ (Kotzebue) – $58,523.25
• KRBD-FM (Ketchikan) – $61,819.50
• KRFF-FM (Fairbanks) – $49,835.50
• KSDP-AM+ (Sand Point) – $57,136.25
• KSKA-FM (Anchorage) – $83,033.50
• KSKO-AM (McGrath) – $56,930.00
• KSTK-FM (Wrangell) – $35,772.75
• KTNA-FM (Talkeetna) – $40,942.25
• KTOO-FM (Juneau) – $45,274.50
• KUAC-FM (Fairbanks) – $47,961.00
• KUCB-FM (Unalaska) – $118,994.25
• KUHB-FM+ (St. Paul Island) – $56,773.75
• KYUK-AM+ (Bethel) – $82,788.25
• KZPA-AM+ (Fort Yukon) – $56,892.50 

“It’s really tremendous to have the help right away with the emergency fund, and it helps us stabilize as we think about how we’re going to transform in the future,” said Mariana Robertson, general manager of KCAW Raven Radio in Sitka. “I think that cry of support and that rallying around each other as a community…has been so inspiring and so important to us. So it’s not just the financial contribution, but it’s really the care for community radio and the investment in public media that it represents. That feels really special.” 

Public media is essential community infrastructure—connecting people, preserving culture, and providing life-saving information. These grants will help sustain: 

• Local journalism that informs and empowers communities.
• Educational programming that supports students and lifelong learners.
• Emergency alerts that save lives during storms, fires, and disasters.
• Cultural programming that preserves Indigenous languages and traditions.

In a state where bush planes and boats carry supplies, public media carries the message—reaching people where roads don’t. 

The Voices Across Alaska Fund filled an urgent gap and proved the power of Alaskans acting together. As stations adapt to new funding realities, ACF continues to work with partners to build lasting philanthropic support for Alaska’s local journalism and communication infrastructure. ACF will also work to ensure remaining funding is woven effectively with additional support available to public media, including $9 million in funding from the Bureau of Indian Affairs that many Alaska stations will be eligible for, and the Public Media Company Bridge Fund, which is strategizing how to support the most CBP-dependent stations across the country. These efforts underscore the importance of public media to communities across the nation.  

Together, we’re ensuring that every Alaskan—from Bethel to Haines to Unalaska—can stay connected. 

The Alaska Community Foundation grows philanthropy to strengthen Alaska’s communities. ACF manages more than 2,600 funds and partners with tribes, nonprofits, and local leaders to support community-driven solutions across the state. Since 1995, ACF has distributed more than $260 million in grants to Alaska communities.