The SBA is processing very few PPP loan forgiveness applications and banks across the nation are waiting to hear from congress. There is increasing pressure on congress to automatically forgive loans less than $150,000, but it is unclear when and if that will happen. Most banks in Alaska are not accepting PPP loan forgiveness applications. That being said, when the banks are accepting the applications – you’ll want to understand the process. To that end, the SBA Alaska District Office is hosting free webinars on September 23 & September 30 from 1:00-3:00 pm to review PPP loan forgiveness, including an overview of the forgiveness requirements, a walkthrough of PPP forgiveness applications, and the appeals process. Register here…. Read more »

The National Council of Nonprofits provided the following information on the executive order that was issued by the President on August 8. “The Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service has issued a three-page guidance implementing the Presidential Memorandum allowing employers to defer withholding and payment of the employee’s portion of the Social Security tax. Notice 2020-65, posted on August 31 on IRS.gov, makes relief available for employers and generally applies to wages paid starting Sept. 1, 2020, through Dec. 31, 2020. The employee Social Security tax deferral may apply to payments of taxable wages to an employee that are less than $4,000 during a bi-weekly pay period, with each pay period considered separately. No deferral is available for any payment to an employee of taxable wages of $4,000 or… Read more »

The state has made important changes to the AK CARES grant program. Starting on August 31, 2020, 501(c)3, 501(c)6, and 501(c)19 nonprofits that received any amount of PPP/EIDL funding will become eligible.  AIDEA has developed an online application portal that is available at www.akcaresonline.org. All applications must now be made through the portal. Please note, there is no option to save and come back to the grant application. Do not start the application until you have reviewed the FAQs/Checklist and have all supporting documents ready for upload. The funds will go quick – so if you plan to apply you’ll need to prepare now. Join us on Monday at 1:00 to learn more…. Read more »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) has announced a grant program for Alaska nonprofits that will be funded with $35 million from the CARES Act. The program is being administered by the Alaska Community Foundation (ACF). You can learn more about the program in this DHSS press release. To review the guidelines to determine if your organization is eligible and to apply, please go to the Coronavirus Nonprofit Relief Fund page on the ACF website. If you need assistance on compliance or help applying, let us know. Send us a note at info@forakergroup.org, or call us at 907-743-1200. We have services that can help you including assistance with grant writing…. 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 »