On November 4, 2021, OSHA released Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) regarding vaccine mandates for employers with 100 or more employees. Since last week’s release, the ETS has been challenged. Although a federal appeals court issued an order to stop the ETS, we encourage nonprofits with 100 or more employees to prepare to implement the ETS by its first deadline on January 4, 2022. The National Council of Nonprofits prepared a summary intended to answer most questions and provide assistance to nonprofit employers seeking to determine whether their organization is covered by the mandate and if so, to comply with the standard…. Read more »

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) is directing significant funds to Alaska. There may be an opportunity for your nonprofit to apply for federal funds. In this video, Foraker’s Rachel Morse will walk you through how to find details about the funds in order to determine if your organization is eligible. You can contact Rachel directly at rmorse@forakergroup.org for specific questions on ARPA funds. We also encourage you to sign up for the Alaska ARPA email alerts and updates to stay in the know. As a reminder, one of the funding opportunities currently available is through a partnership with the State of Alaska and The Alaska Community Foundation. The ARPA Nonprofit Recovery Fund will have two rounds of applications – the first round is due November 19…. Read more »

Our approach every day at Foraker is to focus on strengths – strengths of the people, the places, and the missions we serve. Fault, blame, and shame have no place in our work as they rarely, if ever lead to resolution or learning. Instead, they only serve to polarize and shut people down from learning the very thing they set out seeking. It is, then, with a heavy heart that we are listening, watching, and reading the blatant anti-Semitism, racism, anti-LGBTQ, anti-science rhetoric happening in Anchorage. We recognize or perhaps just hope that this is a fringe set of voices designed to drown out the vast majority of people who are too upset, distracted, or eliminated from the conversation to hear their voices in what should be a civil public… Read more »

Responding to a number of inquiries from Alaska nonprofits, Foraker has been in productive discussions with leadership of the Alaska Department of Health and Human Services to reduce the financial impact from a recent cyberattack. We commend department leaders who are working to navigate fallout from the incident, which has resulted in late disbursement of grant funding to many nonprofits, some of whom have been waiting for several months to receive their funds. Understandably, this has caused financial difficulty for them. Foraker is working with the department to identify organizations that are facing significant financial hardship and have had to or are considering actions such as tapping into dwindling reserves, accessing and/or pursuing a line of credit to cover payroll and other expenses, letting staff go, or at the most… Read more »

Alaska law requires charitable organizations to register with the Department of Law prior to soliciting donations in Alaska (including organizations participating Pick.Click.Give.). The deadline to register as a charitable organization or paid solicitor is September 1 of each year. To renew a registration, a charitable organization must file a registration form with the required attachments and pay a $40 filing fee…. Read more »

On May 5, the Alaska House Labor and Commerce Committee heard testimony on the status of gender pay equity in Alaska. Foraker President/CEO Laurie Wolf presented research conducted by Foraker on behalf of the nonprofit sector. Thank you, Representative Spohnholz and Representative Fields. I am Laurie Wolf, President/CEO of The Foraker Group, which serves as the state nonprofit association for Alaska and the nonprofit capacity builder. As the voice for the nonprofit sector, Foraker appreciates the opportunity to speak before the committee on a topic we are truly dedicated to in our daily work and for the long haul. Part of our commitment to the sector is to be a source of research that can be turned into action to improve the lives of Alaskans and the communities where we… Read more »

Below is the testimony Laurie Wolf delivered on April 1, 2021, to the House Tribal Affairs Committee, chaired by Representative Tiffany Zulkosky: For the record, I am Laurie Wolf, President/CEO of The Foraker Group, which serves as the state nonprofit association for Alaska and nonprofit capacity builder across the state. Today I am speaking to you from Dena’ina land. As the voice for the nonprofit sector, I appreciate the opportunity to speak before the committee in support of HB 123. Foraker is honored to stand with Alaska’s indigenous people and all Alaska tribes. I am driven to be here today as I reflect and live our core values as an organization. Rather than just saying “Alaska” as our value, we specifically call out our value as Urban/Rural/Native/Non-Native to acknowledge the… Read more »

On March 11, 2021 President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) into law – it’s the latest federal COVID relief package.  The far-reaching ARPA is packed with financial assistance for nonprofits, individuals, local governments, states, and small businesses.  Thanks to the tireless advocacy of the National Council of Nonprofits for ensuring nonprofits are included in the law.  We know Alaska nonprofits are wanting to learn more about specific parts of the ARPA that affect their organizations, their staff and volunteers, their clients and customers, their communities. 2020 was a tough year, and 2021 presents even more pressing challenges in responding to the global pandemic, and charting a solid, strategic path to long-term recovery.  The ARPA is a significant part of relief and recovery. In the summary below we identify… Read more »

The American Rescue Plan Act was signed by President Biden on March 11 and has many components to support nonprofits and the people and places we serve. This is the sixth major federal COVID-relief bill enacted, and nonprofits have been included in all of them. A summary of the key provisions affecting nonprofits has been prepared by our partner, the National Council of Nonprofits, and can be found here. Of particular note to nonprofits: An additional $7.25 billion is available for the Paycheck Protection Program and eligibility is expanded to additional nonprofits and digital news services. Additional funds are allocated for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program, and organizations are now allowed to apply for both a PPP loan after Dec. 27, 2020, and the SVOG. An additional $15 billion is provided for Targeted Economic Injury Disaster Loan… Read more »

On March 4, the Alaska House Health and Social Services Committee took testimony on HB 76, a measure that would extend the COVID-19 Disaster Declaration for the state. Foraker President/CEO Laurie Wolf offered this testimony on behalf of the nonprofit sector. ******** Thank you Representative Zulkosky and Representative Snyder. I am Laurie Wolf, President/CEO of The Foraker Group, which serves as the state nonprofit association for Alaska and the nonprofit capacity building organization for nonprofits across the state. As the voice for the nonprofit sector, I appreciate the opportunity to speak before the committee in support of House Bill 76, extending the Disaster Declaration for Alaska. I join my colleagues from across the state that you have heard from today and many others in support of a renewed disaster declaration… Read more »