Workers process kelp at Kodiak Island Wildsource, a small processing plant owned by Sun’aq Tribe. (Photo courtesy of Sun’aq Tribe.)
Rasmuson Foundation’s board of directors approved $6.7 million in investments at its December meeting. Additionally, the board extended its Housing and Homelessness Initiative through 2030 with an additional $5 million investment. These decisions bring the Foundation’s 2025 investment total to more than $27.8 million.
The Foundation’s new investments support community efforts across the state, from the Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak’s construction of a mariculture facility for kelp processing, to an effort to promote cycling in the Homer area with a new bike-friendly trail network. One grant will provide funding for two cohorts of Renewable Energy Alaska Project’s “People in Power” program, a statewide workforce development program that provides in-community, customized training and support to standalone rural utility operators.
The Foundation’s PRIs are typically structured as loans and are meant to support a project or activity. This year, a $250,000 PRI goes to Sitka Community Land Trust’s effort to build affordable housing in response to the high cost of homeownership in Alaska.
“Every one of these efforts is an example of Alaskans’ ability to tackle challenges with ingenuity and persistence,” said Rasmuson Foundation President and CEO Gretchen Guess. “We’re proud to stand alongside our partners and neighbors as they demonstrate what’s possible when we invest in our communities and in each other.”
December project approvals:
Legacy grants:
- Alaska Addiction Rehabilitation Services – $500,000 to expand a residential substance use disorder treatment center outside of Wasilla.
- Alaska Arts Southeast – $750,000 to upgrade facilities on the Sitka Fine Arts Campus.
- Alaska Community Foundation – $1.7 million to subsidize ACF’s Affiliate Program, which operates in 11 communities, working to increase individual philanthropy in Alaska, grow permanent charitable assets for nonprofits, and encourage local leadership to identify problems and invest in solutions.
- Anchorage Park Foundation – $478,063 to support 10 to 20 community-led projects in Anchorage, Eagle River and Girdwood, and a 1:1 challenge grant of up to $500,000 to redesign and renovate Anchorage’s Town Square Park.
- Bethel Family Clinic – $400,000 to renovate its facility and expand clinic capacity.
- Iliuliuk Family and Health Services – $500,00 to renovate and expand an Unalaska community clinic.
- Lubavitch Jewish Center of Alaska – $350,000 to support a new indoor playground in Anchorage that serves children aged 15 months to five years.
- Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak – $500,000 to support construction of a mariculture facility for kelp processing.
Program-Related Investment:
- Sitka Community Land Trust – $250,000 loan to construct affordable housing units in Sitka.
Community Support grants:
- Homer Cycling Club – $250,000 to construct the Cottonwood East Trail in Kachemak Bay State Park.
- Renewable Energy Alaska Project – $250,000 to People in Power, a statewide workforce development program that provides in-community, customized training and support to standalone rural utility operators.
- Sitka Conservation Society – $243,001 to expand a pilot youth workforce development program from Sitka to additional Southeast communities.
Housing and Homelessness Initiative:
Rasmuson Foundation helps leaders work toward community systems that enable homelessness to be a rare, brief, and one-time experience for Alaskans. This initiative is extended through 2030 with an additional $5 million investment, bringing the overall investment to $30 million since 2018.
Share This Post