The Foraker Group

Last night the Small Business Administration issued an interim final rule explaining details about the Paycheck Protection Program that starts today, Friday, April 3. The regulations address timely and recurring questions, which are highlighted below. Interest rate Contrary to earlier announcements from SBA, the interest rate for PPP loans has now been set at 1.0 percent, up from the 0.5 percent reported earlier this week. Application Borrowers must complete the SBA Form 2483 (Paycheck Protection Program Application Form) and provide payroll documentation. Alaska lenders We recommend that you work with your preferred financial institution. Currently, not all of them are set up to provide these loans, but they are working fast to make sure they can do that soon. You’ll find a list here of Alaska lenders that was current as… Read more »

Whew! This past week was the week where every day felt like six all rolled into one – where we adapted and created and shifted and laughed and, yes, even cried. I did all of those things with my family and my team. I bet you did, too. Every day since this crisis elevated itself and asked us to all be home to keep each other safe, I have watched our nonprofit leaders (board, staff and volunteers) step up in remarkable ways to advocate to government, to lead your teams, and to just figure out how to help people. WOW! We had nearly 100 people a day come to our COVID-19 Response webinars, all looking for the next step and to connect with others. We saw leaders join local government… Read more »

Update: Foraker staff will be canceling all sessions requiring travel until April 21 in accordance with the Governor’s mandate to limit interstate travel.  Dear Nonprofit Leaders: Starting today, Foraker staff will be working remotely.  Our plan is to keep the office closed until April 15, at which time we will reevaluate the situation to see what is necessary for public health. I do not make this decision lightly. I am concerned not only for the health of our staff and consultant team but for the public’s health.  The more we self-quarantine and practice social distancing the better off we will all be as a community. We are staying ready and able to serve the nonprofit sector.  While we are working to reschedule all in-person meetings, we are still available to… Read more »

Update: The survey will close tomorrow – March 24 – at 12:00 pm.   Dear Alaska Nonprofit Leader: We care deeply about you, the people and communities you serve, and about the overall welfare of every Alaskan. We know these are unprecedented times and that you are each doing your best to navigate with every new piece of information on COVID-19. We are monitoring the impact of this virus on our sector closely, and we need to hear from you to understand what you need and what questions you have as we move forward together. Please take just a few moments to complete a brief survey and talk among your team so that only one person answers this survey for each organization. The responses will be used to help Foraker provide… Read more »

In partnership with the Atwood Foundation, we are offering considerable discounts on capacity building services to Anchorage arts, culture, and humanities organizations. Your organization may be eligible: Are you focused on arts, culture, and humanities? Are you based in Anchorage? Do you need help with strategic or annual planning, fundraising, organizational assessments or other capacity building services? If so, please fill out this application and send it to Monica Garcia-Itchoak at mitchoak@forakergroup.org…. Read more »

We are seeking leaders who are committed to a career in Alaska’s nonprofit sector to apply for the 2020 Certificate in Nonprofit Management cohort! The courses are designed to immediately apply what you learn in class to your workplace. Certificate is for nonprofit professionals across the state – no matter whether you’re leading a large organization or a small one, or if you have been in the field for decades or only a year, this program is designed to meet you where you are in your career. Learn more here…. Read more »

To date, there have been no reports of coronavirus in Alaska. However, we are aware of the growing number of incidents in other parts of the country, including deaths in California and Washington state. So this is a good time for nonprofit leaders to learn what they can do to protect the people they serve, their staff, and the community at large. It’s time to move into action now and plan ahead. Fortunately, disease control experts have been busy posting information to help us with planning and prevention. No doubt you have looked at a number of websites that offer excellent guidance. We’ve gathered some we believe are especially helpful and list them below. From the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, a webpage with general and Alaska specific… Read more »

On Febraury 11, 2020 BP officially handed over the keys to the BP Energy Center to The Alaska Community Foundation. At the event, Laurie Wolf gave a tribute to the building, and to BP for their generosity. Here are her comments:  On behalf of the nonprofit sector and the hundreds of organizations and civic groups who use this facility every year, thank you. And thank you for inviting me to say a few words about this place and this gift to Alaska nonprofits. We are here today to celebrate this remarkable gift as it transfers hands and keeps its promised intent for Alaska’s nonprofits. We are grateful as nonprofits not only for the gift of this space, but for the many gifts of financial investment, employee time and engagement, and… Read more »

Let’s take a quiz. What do these three things have in common? The 6th line in the United States Constitution Only 10 questions 18% of federal dollars flow directly into Alaska nonprofits every year Did you guess it right? Well if you said the U.S. Census – then you sure did. Just what is the census? As I alluded to above, the census is enshrined in our constitution and requires the federal government to count every person living in the United States every ten years. Remarkably, it is the single largest peacetime mobilization by the federal government and while it is the job of the census bureau to do all the counting, we sure can make their efforts a little bit easier by helping Alaskans know the facts, know their… Read more »

Foraker is pleased to announce the addition of Kimberly Waller to our team. Kim is the first-ever Director of Sultana, our fiscal sponsorship program. Sultana exists to support groups and projects in the preliminary stages of their development, offering opportunities to incubate ideas, employ staff, and provide the stability that funders need to make initial investments. As the Director of Sultana, Kim will support opportunities for new collaboratives and grassroots initiatives to germinate. She will also take on the role of a Foraker Lead Capacity Builder and join a team of facilitators who are responsible for strengthening Alaska organizations and tribes. Kim will be focused on collaborative efforts by fostering cross-sector partnerships to maximize missions across Alaska. Kimberly Waller, Director of Sultana/Lead Capacity Builder Kimberly was born in Fairbanks and… Read more »