Louden Tribe & Hoonah Indian Association drive community impact

Photo description: The pool and activity center in Galena, Alaska. The Louden Tribe received a $130,000 grant in 2023 to upgrade the facility.

Hello Friends,

As many of you know, Rasmuson Foundation recently restructured our core grantmaking, improving operations and increasing award sizes. Part of that change was replacing our Tier 2 grant with the Community Support and Legacy grants. The new Community Support grant covers awards up to $250,000 for capital and programmatic projects . Recipients of these grants think big, and the organizations deliver results for their communities. I want to share how two Tribes used the former Tier 2 grant at this funding level — what would now be a Community Support grant — to confront systemic issues facing their communities.

In 2023, the Louden Tribe approached Rasmuson Foundation with a request for a $130,000 grant to upgrade Galena’s swimming pool and activity center. Galena is on the north shore of the Yukon River, the third-longest river in the nation, known for fast currents and freezing temperatures. While the river is central to the ways of life for the communities that surround it, it can also pose a real threat: drowning.

When the Yukon River flooded the only pool, costs for the already-slated improvements increased. The Tribe worked closely with the City of Galena and the Galena School District on a solution, demonstrating the community’s priority. The Foundation was able to invest as part of the project’s large capital request funding upgrades to the mechanical room, ventilation system, controllers, corroded copper pipes, and valves.

With an investment in an existing pool, the Louden Tribe was able to maintain a vital service that enhanced the quality of life for residents. But grants at this level can also be used to fund new projects, like another 2023 grant that is being used to build a greenhouse and commercial kitchen in Hoonah.

In Hoonah, the largest Tlingit village in Alaska, a head of cabbage can cost as much as $18. Four-out-of-five residents there rely on stores for more than half of their food.

Hoonah Indian Association saw a solution to this cost issue. It asked Rasmuson Foundation for $250,000 to help construct a greenhouse and commercial kitchen. In the greenhouse, fresh produce can be grown year-round. The licensed commercial kitchen will allow the Tribe to sell the produce to local retailers directly, slashing costs for consumers. They also plan to donate a quarter of the food grown in the greenhouse to charitable causes, like school lunches or meals for Elders. This project is still underway, but locals are already excited about the changes this can bring to their community.

As we evaluate Community Support grants, we are excited to learn and invest in nonprofit partners and local government entities, including Tribes, throughout the state. We look for projects aligned with our mission: to empower Alaskans to help each other. Every day, we learn more about the wonderful work across Alaska. These stories drive our work.