July 1 marked the beginning of the new fiscal year for the State of Alaska, which means the rubber just hit the road for a process that began in December 2011 with the introduction of the Governor’s operating, capital, and mental health budget proposals, continued through the legislative session this spring as lawmakers made their mark on the bills, and culminated in mid-May with the bills’ signing.
The State capital budget this year contains support for numerous active Rasmuson Foundation awards. We’re never the sole funder for a project and in some cases we structure our awards as “top off” grants. As we assess our funding opportunities, we tend to look favorably on projects that have secured local commitments, grants, individual contributions, municipal bonds, you name it. From time to time, our grantees seek some portion of project costs from State government; as a consequence, Foundation support of nonprofit capital projects occasionally intersects with the state capital budget.
Here are some examples of Foundation grants that can now take steps forward as a result of enactment of this year’s State capital budget, Senate Bill 160 (SB160):
- Access Alaska – purchase / renovation of operations building
- Aiding Women in Abuse and Rape Emergencies – extended stay shelter
- Alaska Botanical Garden – completion of east garden
- Anchorage Community Land Trust – community gardens
- Anchorage Community Mental Health Services – day center expansion
- Anchorage Park Foundation – match for various projects
- Brother Francis Shelter Kodiak – homeless shelter expansion
- CampFire – Camp Kushtaka completion
- Community Connections – new building
- The Foraker Group – Pre-Development
- Haines Assisted Living – Sobeloff McRae Veterans Village
- City of Kaltag – Tribal health clinic
- Kodiak Area Native Association – dental facility expansion
- Matanuska-Susitna Borough – Talkeetna Library construction
- Matanuska-Susitna Service for Children and Adults – construction of administration building
- Retirement Community of Fairbanks – Phase II Raven’s Landing
- RurAL CAP – Anchorage Child Development Center
- Southcentral Foundation – Mat-Su Valley clinic construction
- Wrangell Cooperative Association – Chief Shakes House restoration
- Yuut Elitnaurviat – bunkhouse dorms
Several of the projects listed above also passed successfully through The Foraker Group’s Pre-Development Program, a rigorous technical assistance process, co-funded by Rasmuson Foundation, Denali Commission, the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, Mat-Su Health Foundation, and now the State of Alaska. Pre-D assists municipalities and nonprofit organizations plan successful, stress-tested capital projects by subjecting concepts to a third-party evaluation, which often results in lower overall costs and increased sustainability. This year marks the first year the state co-funded Pre-D in its capital budget.
The State of Alaska supports nonprofits in its budgets where one might expect to see local governments or private funders exclusively. Why? Our smallest communities lack a sufficient tax base to fund projects alone; hub communities require help providing services to entire regions; common ownership of natural resources creates a unique relationship between the state, its residents and their needs; and, perhaps most importantly, state government regularly partners with nonprofits to deliver much needed services.
Rasmuson Foundation considers it a privilege to support Alaska’s nonprofit sector and it is heartening and most welcome to highlight examples of the State of Alaska pulling in the same direction.
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1 Comment
Posted by Chris Kowalczewski
Jordan –
Great article on how the State and the private sector can work together. Thanks for all the good work you did with the Legislature in making much of the State funding a reality.