There will be harm and unimaginable grief from the lack of an override today, but know that the fight is not over. The Legislature still has options and there will be action to take in the coming days and weeks. These are unprecedented times in our state and for our sector. And while I understand all too well the obstacles in front of us, I want to say how very proud and impressed I am with every nonprofit that has mobilized – not just standing up for their mission and the people they serve, but also standing up for the sector and for Alaska. This could have been a moment that divided us, pitting organization against organization and mission against mission. Instead, day after day I have seen solidarity. This… Read more »

Yesterday the House Finance Committee heard from many – including Foraker’s President/CEO Laurie Wolf, Diane Kaplan (Rasmuson Foundation), Jim Johnson (UAA), Becky Hultberg (Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association), Melanie Bahnke (Kawerak), and more – testifying on the impact of the Governor’s vetoes. You can listen to the recording here. You can read Laurie’s testimony here…. Read more »

The 2020 Census is just around the corner. More than two years ago, Foraker convened the Alaska Census Working Group (ACWG) to advocate for a fair and accurate count of all Alaskans in the census. The ACWG is a nonpartisan, multi-sector collaboration with representation from business, local, state, and federal governments, nonprofits, Alaska Native organizations, the University of Alaska, and others. We’re pleased that Mayor Ethan Berkowitz recently appointed Foraker President/CEO Laurie Wolf and ACWG Chair and Foraker Operations Board member Gabe Layman to the Anchorage Census Complete Count Commission. These appointments give Laurie and Gabe more opportunity to advocate for a successful census and ensure that all Alaskans are counted. Learn more about the Alaska Census Working Group here…. Read more »

Yesterday we hosted a conference call for Alaska’s nonprofits to talk about how we amplify the nonprofit community response to the line-item vetoes in Governor Dunleavy’s budget. Our message was clear. As a nonprofit, including 501(c)(3) organizations, you have a responsibility to stand for your mission and engage in public policy. There has never been a more important time to engage on behalf of all Alaskans you serve. If you are worried about lobbying restrictions, call us. But don’t sit this one out. Your strongest voices will come from your board and your stakeholders (donors, volunteers, participants). Engage them all. If we divide, we will all fall. We must stand together to override the budget vetoes. We have very little time to make this happen. Celebrate our democracy this weekend… Read more »

Yesterday we hosted a conference call for nonprofits to talk about how we amplify the nonprofit community response to the line-item vetoes in Governor Dunleavy’s budget. We heard from you that you need tools to navigate the next steps. To that end, we have crafted a message template for you to use as a guide. We encourage you to use it to create a message to share with your board and others to help them when they contact their legislators. Call to Action – Please follow these steps: Step 1 – Gather your stakeholders: board, staff, donors, volunteers, participants. Step 2 – Provide them with a contact list of all the legislators. Start with your own district and then move on to the whole list – it is essential to… Read more »

A message from Laurie Wolf, President and CEO Today, Governor Dunleavy used his line-item veto to cut over $400 million from the FY2020 state budget, adding to $280 million in cuts already made by the legislature. These cuts represent some of the largest we have seen to health and human services in our state’s history. And these figures do not take into account the loss of $22 million in matching federal funds. Let’s be clear, these cumulative cuts will have an impact on every Alaskan. As we have been saying for some time now, Alaska only truly works when we work together – nonprofits, business, and government. These cuts will mean the loss of essential services, and our most vulnerable will be the most harmed. More people will go without… Read more »

A message from Foraker’s President/CEO Laurie Wolf: As nonprofit leaders we make difficult financial decisions every day and are driven to do what is best for the communities and people we serve. We know that the essential services we provide, the gifts we create for our communities, and the economic opportunities that are derived from our sector all work because we do it as partners with government, business and industry, and individual philanthropists. No one operates in a vacuum, and we need each other. Even if your organization receives no direct government funding, each decision by our policy makers has an impact on the people and places we serve. This is Alaska – we are all connected. When faced with a drastic budget proposal earlier this year, Alaskans spoke up… Read more »

To Alaska Nonprofit Leaders: This morning the Governor’s office released its proposed Fiscal Year 2020 budget. All budget documents can be found on the website for the Office of Management and Budget. I encourage you to examine the proposed budget and understand what it can mean to your mission and your organization. I also encourage you to keep three important points in mind: Please know that the work you do matters. Remember that this is a proposal. There is a long road ahead of us before a final budget is approved. The legislature is the only branch of government with the power to appropriate money, which it does through a comprehensive budget bill. When the governor receives this bill, he can veto all or portions of it (the line-item veto),… Read more »

Last week members of the Alaska Census Working Group met with the Interim Director of the US Census Bureau, Dr. Ron Jarmin, at the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention.  Jarmin announced on stage that Toksook Bay, Alaska will be the first community in the United States to be counted in the 2020 Census, a significant gesture that highlights the importance of reaching remote and hard to count populations. The Census Bureau also launched recruitment efforts to hire Alaskans for the 2020 Census. Are you interested in working on ensuring a fair and accurate count in Alaska?  Learn more about the job openings below: Area Manager (covering Alaska) (Anchorage, GG-13) Area Manager (covering Alaska) (Anchorage, GG-11 to 12) Partnership Specialist (Mat-Su, GG-7 to 12) Partnership Specialist (Fairbanks NSB, GG-7 to 12)… Read more »

There has been a new development in the ongoing efforts to dismantle the Johnson Amendment. Here’s the scoop from the National Council of Nonprofits: “The U.S. Senate approved with broad bipartisan support its version of a $154.2 billion, four-bill fiscal 2019 spending package that does not include the anti-Johnson amendment language adopted in the House-passed bill. That House provision would effectively prohibit the Internal Revenue Service from enforcing the Johnson Amendment against churches for even the most egregious violations.” Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski has been appointed to the conference committee working on a compromise budget proposal and she is in position to play a pivotal role in helping protect the Johnson Amendment.  We ask Alaska nonprofits to join us in preserving nonprofit nonpartisanship by contacting Senator Murkowski with this short but powerful message: “Partisanship has… Read more »