The Foraker Group

The AK CARES grant application is live and has received 800 applications totaling $37 million in its first week. Credit Union 1 continues to process the applications they received before the portal went live. If your organization applied to CU1, there is no need to reapply. CU1 has approved 500 applications for a total of $24 million. A few tips for filling out the application: Gather all your documents before beginning the application. Once the portal application has been started, you cannot save your application and return later. The portal will not time out, so you can leave it open as long as you need. When a supporting document is uploaded, there is a text box allowing the applicant to leave a note regarding the document if explanation is needed…. Read more »

The Census Bureau put out an official statement that 2020’s count will be cut short a month, ending on September 30. The devastating consequences on Alaska will be felt for at least a decade. The Alaska Congressional Delegation needs to keep hear from you. Please join us in encouraging them to take action. Senator Lisa Murkowski: https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/contact/email Senator Dan Sullivan: https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/contact/email Representative Don Young: https://donyoung.house.gov/contact/ Draft paragraphs to copy & paste: We are concerned by this week’s changes to the timeline of the Census. Alaska currently has the lowest Census self-response rate in the nation. If the count is cut short now, we will suffer the largest consequences of any state, which will be reflected by a loss of billions of dollars flowing into our economy over the next decade. Responding… Read more »

A global pandemic – a childcare/educational crisis – escalating economic loss – a sector under siege or boarded up while adapting to the needs of our communities. This is beyond the disasters that Alaskans know of like earthquakes, floods, and fires. These disasters come quickly, leaving us devastated, but a clear path forward soon emerges. Our current crisis is the longest marathon at sprint pace most of us have known. Adjusting is an understatement. Recovery is a faraway place as we live in the here and now and do our best to put the puzzle pieces of relief together. What we know is that as a sector we are the safety net. We are fire service, childcare, and food security. We are human support. We are human spirit. We are… Read more »

Now more than ever we face a multitude of challenges in our communities and our economy, and we know that not everyone is being impacted in the same way. Already existing disparities in economic status are exacerbated by the pandemic, and the same is true for the gender pay gap. Economists are now predicting that as women take on more responsibilities with children at home, the pay gap will widen. With that in mind, now is the time to reflect on what we can do to end the gender pay gap in Alaska. Our latest report specifically details pay inequity in the state’s nonprofit sector, and guess what? We have work to do – and we believe the nonprofit sector can lead the way. But first, a brief moment of… Read more »

Mission Driven is a good-news series highlighting the many ways in which Alaska’s nonprofit sector is moving forward during the pandemic. Hosted by Foraker President/CEO Laurie Wolf, these recorded chats feature inspiring tales of resilience from nonprofit leaders in our state.   RBI Alaska’s Founder/CEO, Jamar Hill, has had a storied baseball career. These days, he’s finding new ways to teach kids about the sport he loves. His takeaway: kids are resilient Michele Girault hit the ground running in her first 100-days as Executive Director at Hope Community Resources. Her focus in a distanced environment has revolved around deepening personal connections and maintaining flexible systems. How are nonprofit leaders gathering and using data to chart their way forward during a pandemic? For Anchorage Concert Association’s Executive Director, Jason Hodges, the process… Read more »

We know many of you have questions about the next federal relief packages.  Thanks to the National Council of Nonprofits for putting together this chart to document how nonprofits could be impacted in the various bills being proposed.  We are monitoring these options closely and will keep you informed as we continue to learn more…. Read more »

We are thrilled with Mayor Berkowitz’s appointment of Heather Harris as Anchorage Health Department Director. Heather has been part of the Foraker family in many and varied ways. She worked on staff, graduated from Certificate and Catalyst, teaches for us, and joyfully mentors many emerging nonprofit leaders. She has been dedicated to our success and the success of nonprofits around the state. We know she will be successful in her new and important role at the municipality. We send her all our good wishes. You can read the announcement from the mayor here…. Read more »

Do you think this isn’t your issue? Think again. Every nonprofit mission, every community, every economy relies on an accurate census count. From ensuring voting rights to safe roads, to food security, to public education, to airports, to grocery stores – and for every federal dollar that comes directly and indirectly to your mission – the census matters. There is so much you can do, and now more than ever we need your action. In a recent interview on Alaska Public Media, Gabe Layman of the Alaska Census Working Group explains why. Listen here…. Read more »

We send our congratulations to the Rasmuson family and to the board and staff of Rasmuson Foundation who are celebrating 65 years of service to Alaska. In their annual Letter to Alaskans, Foundation Chairman Ed Rasmuson and President/CEO Diane Kaplan look back at the family’s rich history of “giving back” to Alaska communities. We encourage you to read the letter and learn more about the amazing work the foundation has accomplished over the years. We especially appreciate Rasmuson’s partnership in starting The Foraker Group and for their continued support of our work. Thank you for everything you do to make Alaska better for all of us…. Read more »

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…. Read more »