The Foraker Group

In partnership with the Atwood Foundation, we are offering considerable discounts on COVID relief services to Anchorage arts, culture, and humanities organizations. Your organization may be eligible if:

-Your mission is focused on arts, culture, or humanities
-You are based in Anchorage
-You are in need of one of the following services to help you recover and find your way forward from the pandemic:

Financial scenario planning
Grant writing
Adapting fundraising strategies
Crisis communication
Human resources counseling
Strategic restructure/merger
Tracking federal relief in accounting systems
Review and modification of strategic plan
Review and modification of current operational plan

If your organization is interested in learning more please fill out this application and send it to Monica Garcia-Itchoak at mitchoak@forakergroup.org.

Thanks to the many generous Alaskans who continued to support causes they care about through Pick.Click.Give despite the challenges of COVID-19. This year’s campaign raised $2,934,200 — more than the total from last year, and that’s with a smaller PFD. Once again, our fellow citizens demonstrated how much they care for their neighbors, their communities, and the organizations that provide quality of life here. We are extremely proud of our work with PCG and grateful for the support of more than 25,000 Alaskans who gave through the program.

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) has announced a grant program for Alaska nonprofits that will be funded with $35 million from the CARES Act. The program is being administered by the Alaska Community Foundation (ACF). You can learn more about the program in this DHSS press release. To review the guidelines to determine if your organization is eligible and to apply, please go to the Coronavirus Nonprofit Relief Fund page on the ACF website.

If you need assistance on compliance or help applying, let us know. Send us a note at info@forakergroup.org, or call us at 907-743-1200. We have services that can help you including assistance with grant writing.

Foraker President/CEO pointed out to the committee that the current rule that says nonprofits and small businesses cannot access the AK CARES program because they have received assistance through PPP or EIDL is “disastrous.” She continued: “Allowing groups access to AK CARES who get other types of funding like PPP or EIDL or local government funds are critical ingredients to a recipe for fixing what is broken. We strongly encourage changes that support nonprofits to get back on their feet.”

Laurie’s full testimony is here.

We are pleased that media in both Alaska and around the country are reporting on the impact COVID-19 is having on the nonprofit sector and the many organizations that continue as best they can to serve their communities. On this page, we will share the reports of how we and our partner the National Council of Nonprofits are working to ensure that the sector is part of both state and federal relief programs. And we’ll share with you some stories of ways that Foraker Partners and other Alaska nonprofits are managing the crisis.

Foraker testimony, House Labor Committee hearing on COVID relief — July 9, 2020. Laurie Wolf says to the committee: “Allowing groups access to AK CARES who get other types of funding like PPP or EIDL or local government funds are critical ingredients to a recipe for fixing what is broken. We strongly encourage changes that support nonprofits to get back on their feet.”

Nonprofits get creative amid pandemic — KDLL, June 15, 2020. Read about the strategies being adopted by Hospice of the Central Peninsula.

State working to get $290M CARES Act funds to small businesses, nonprofits — KTVA, May 21, 2020. This week the Alaska State Legislature cleared the way for more than $1 billion in funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act — also known as the CARES Act.

Alaska’s Nonprofits Support Swift Disbursement of CARES Act Relief Funding — Laurie Wolf testimony to the Senate Finance Committee, May 18, 2020.

To the House Labor and Commerce Committee: Include Nonprofits in the State’s Disbursement of CARES Relief Funding — Laurie Wolf testimony, April 25, 2020.

Alaska Humanities Forum to distribute emergency funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to support Alaska’s cultural organizations — Anchorage Press, April 23, 2020. Grants of up to $10,000 will be available to cover operational costs and financial duress caused by COVID-19 closures and cancellations, and the resulting loss of earned revenue.

Alaskans join to create $1 million fund in support of COVID-19 recovery — Press release from Rasmuson Foundation, April 23, 2020. Individual Alaskans, corporations, and other organizations have contributed $1.4 million so far to AK Can Do fund.

$484B More in Stimulus Funds Headed for Release: What’s Included, What’s Not — Nonprofit Quarterly, April 22, 2020. Bill passes the Senate and is expected to be voted on in the House today.

Fairbanks Community Food Bank meets increased demand during COVID-19 pandemic — KTVF, April 13, 2020. The Fairbanks Community Food Bank (FCFB) has adjusted its operations amid increased demand and social distancing guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

How life inside a mental health treatment facility changed in a COVID-19 world — KTUU, April 12, 2020. Programs at nonprofits like Akeela are finding ways to continue serving residents.

Donors asked to contribute $500,000 to feed children and families in Anchorage — Anchorage Daily News, April 9, 2020. Bean’s Cafe and The Children’s Lunchbox are spearheading the campaign.

Many team up on new “AK Can Do” Fund — Anchorage Press, April 9, 2020. A new statewide fund connects donors in every Alaska community with families and organizations facing dire economic hardships from the coronavirus pandemic.

$16M funneled into Alaska healthcare system via CARES Act — KTUU, April 8, 2020. Announcement from Alaska’s congressional delegation. Will go to variety of Alaska nonprofits and tribes.

How Alaska’s nonprofits are feeling the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic — Alaska Public Media, April 8, 2020. Interview with Laurie Wolf.

Foraker head talks about challenges faced by nonprofits due to COVID-19 — Anchorage Press, April 6, 2020. Interview with Laurie Wolf.

The unique struggles of nonprofits during COVID-19 — KTUU, April 3, 2020. Interviews with Foraker President/CEO Laurie Wolf and Rasmuson Foundation President/CEO Diane Kaplan.

Camp Fire to offer child care for healthcare workers and first responders starting Monday — Alaska Public Media, April 3, 2020.

The $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill encourages Americans to donate to charity — MarketWatch, March 31, 2020. Interview with Rick Cohen, National Council of Nonprofits.

Foraker survey reveals dire straits due to COVID-19 crisis — Anchorage Press, March 27, 2020. Report on Foraker’s recent survey that measured the impact of the crisis on Alaska nonprofits.

Congress put together a $2 trillion relief package. What happens next? — Talk of Alaska, Alaska Public Media, March 27, 2020. Program features a question and comments from Laurie Wolf on support for nonprofits.

A New Mission for Nonprofits During the Outbreak: Survival — New York Times, March 27, 2020. Interview with National Council of Nonprofits CEO Tim Delaney.

COVID-19 puts Alaska nonprofits at risk — March 27, 2020. Press release reporting on a Foraker survey conducted March 16-24. Over 450 organizations from every segment of the nonprofit community and every part of the state confirmed that their ability to deliver services is deeply impacted as a result of the pandemic.