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 »

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 »

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 »

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…. Read more »

Congress is expected to pass another piece of COVID-19 legislation by the end of this month. It is important to reinforce with our Alaska delegation and other members of Congress that nonprofit policy solutions need to be included in each relief and recovery effort. We are essential to a healthy economy. You can make your voice heard by signing the new Nonprofit Community Letter sponsored by the National Council of Nonprofits. Foraker has signed, and we urge all Alaska nonprofits to join us and your colleagues from around the country to do the same. The CARES Act enacted by Congress in March extended economic relief programs to some nonprofits, but the law fell short in many areas. The Nonprofit Community Letter calls for improving the Paycheck Protection Program, providing loans to mid-sized… Read more »

Foraker President/CEO Laurie Wolf called on the Senate Finance Committee to move critical CARES Act funds to Alaska’s nonprofits and small businesses as fast as possible. “We need it today so we can be here tomorrow,” she said. Read her full testimony here…. Read more »

The federal government will soon send $1.25 billion in CARES relief funding to state and local governments. Nonprofits are an essential part of Alaska life, and we strongly believe they should be included at every level of funding. As part of her testimony before the House Labor and Commerce Committee on April 25, 2020, Foraker President/CEO Laurie Wolf presented three considerations and seven requests related to funding and strongly encouraged Alaska leaders to implement them in their policies and procedures. You can read her full testimony here. Three considerations for relief First – We must plan for the future we want to see in our recovery and beyond. Second – Time is critical, and support must occur in at least two phases. Third – Recognize that many avenues are present… Read more »

Congress is moving quickly to draft a fourth economic stimulus bill that will expand on the CARES Act that was enacted in late March. We have been pleased that the original CARES Act included the nonprofit sector – a first in federal relief legislation. However, according to our partner the National Council of Nonprofits, many implementation challenges have arisen with federal agencies and private entities that undermine the intent of the law to provide economic relief for nonprofits. Negotiations on the new legislation are going on right now. While the Council is working the issue with congressional leaders in Washington D.C., Foraker has been talking with the Alaska delegation about including certain provisions to benefit nonprofits. Those include: Expanding access to credit by designating funding exclusively for nonprofits within the two principal… 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 »

An invitation from the Alaska Census Working Group Recognizing both the importance of the census for our state and the many risks of an undercount in 2020, the working group has launched a statewide education and outreach initiative called Alaska Counts, which has four areas of focus: Mobilize a statewide nonpartisan multi-sector effort Create a statewide education effort Help recruit people for census jobs to support the census and build trust in communities Conduct localized outreach with partners like YOU Those who engage in promoting the census are our Census Champions. Central to our initiative is the website, which serves as an information hub with a wide variety of excellent – and free – resources. You’ll find many Alaska-made products, material for social media, and messages from trusted Alaska voices…. Read more »