In 1998, the United Way of Anchorage surveyed its agencies to determine what services they needed and would be willing to use in a pooled organization. Their initial list was long, but the four highest demands were assistance in fundraising, planned giving, finance and technology. A model was developed based on a concept of sharing these four resources under one nonprofit umbrella, thereby helping other organizations afford these services which are often beyond their budgets. This model is The Foraker Group.

The Foraker Group officially began offering shared services to the Alaska nonprofit sector in January 2001, after it secured the major financial support of the United Way of Anchorage, The Rasmuson Foundation, The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, ConocoPhillips Alaska and BP Exploration (Alaska), Inc.

Today, The Foraker Group offers a wide range of services, training and educational opportunities that help assure the success of Alaska's nonprofit organizations.