The Foraker Group

The National Council of Nonprofits reports that changes proposed by the Biden administration to the rules governing federal grantmaking would “correct longstanding challenges that have limited nonprofit effectiveness, discouraged qualified organizations from seeking and performing under federal grants, and wasted billions of dollars and countless hours in needlessly complex reporting requirements.” In announcing the reforms, the administration said that the “proposal will materially decrease the burden on recipients of federal financial assistance, advance equity and job growth across the country, and meaningfully improve the administration of federal financial assistance.” The proposal would amend rules for grantmaking to charitable nonprofits, state, local, and tribal governments, and others. Public comments on the changes will be taken until December 4, 2023. Read more from the Council here…. Read more »

The 2018 federal government shutdown lasted 35 days. Today we are standing on the precipice of another shutdown. To avoid a “partial shutdown,” Congress must pass a stopgap bill known as a continuing resolution – the CR – by tomorrow to provide temporary funding to run the government. A federal shutdown translates to real and potentially devastating impacts on people, communities, and nonprofits that Americans rely on every day. Previous shutdowns proved in too many ways that nonprofits will once again be called on to provide a safety net for individuals who are without a paycheck. These same nonprofits already are operating within fragile systems with too few employees and fewer volunteers and philanthropic investments, which are the result of pandemic shifts and a lack of funding from state governments… Read more »

As many are aware, the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on loan forgiveness will impact current and future employees of the nonprofit sector. Many years ago our colleagues at CalNonprofits identified student loan debt as one of the largest contributing factors in attracting and retaining a robust workforce.  They developed tools like The Nonprofit Student Debt Toolkit  and a number of other California specific loan tools.  Alaska’s workforce is no different–  we know that the need to pay loan debt is a deciding factor about one’s ability to participate and stay in the nonprofit workforce.  We encourage you to understand the impact of student loan debt as a contributing factor to attracting and retaining your workforce.  Our partners at the National Council of Nonprofits provided a recap of the Supreme Court’s… Read more »

Do you have an opinion on the state’s proposed changes to Medicaid payment rates for select hospital and long-term care facilities? Then don’t miss this opportunity to speak up, and your voices heard! The State of Alaska Department of Health will be holding a public hearing on its proposed payment rates at 10:00 a.m. on June 23, 2023: http://notice.alaska.gov/211175 Need more information on proposed rates? Learn more here: https://health.alaska.gov/…/RateReview/Rate-Setting.aspx… Read more »

At Foraker, we often talk about nonprofit sector data as BAD or best available data. Unfortunately, most data aren’t even BAD, but instead are anecdotal based on a small survey or a narrow, unrepresentative sample. Even worse, it is data that grabs you with a “click bait” title and results in trying to sell our sector something. I crave representative data and find myself skipping to the end of every report to see how the data was collected and if Alaska was even included in “national research.” Sadly, it often is not. For these reasons, we are committed to working with Partners to gather the very best data we can from a variety of trusted sources to produce Alaska’s Nonprofit Sector: Generating Economic Impact. It is a big lift, so… Read more »

We’re partnering with the National Council of Nonprofits to learn more about the workforce shortage in the nonprofit sector. Is your nonprofit struggling with unfilled vacancies, long waiting lists of people seeking services, chronic burnout, and other challenges like employee turnover? Or is the crisis of nonprofit workforce shortages a thing of the past? A major survey and report in late 2021 identified the scope of the problems related to nonprofit workforce shortages and identified both public policy and practical solutions that have helped organizations hire and retain the staff they need to advance their missions. We invite you to complete the survey and help the nonprofit sector tell its story…. Read more »

Are you getting spam emails and phone calls about the Employee Retention Tax Credit?  While we don’t recommend engaging with the marketing calls, we DO recommend finding a trusted source to see if your nonprofit is eligible. If your organization experienced a shut-down due to COVID-19 in 2020 or 2021, and revenues declined as a result, you may be eligible.  The program is active through April 2024 for 2020 credits, and April 2025 for 2021 credits.  We recommend contacting your CPA firm (perhaps the one who prepares your 990) to help you determine if your organization is eligible, and assist with the filing.  These services will come with a fee, which could be calculated as a percentage of the credit received…. Read more »

As Alaska’s nonprofit state association, we connect with policy makers, businesses, and other nonprofits to highlight the positive impacts nonprofits have on our state. Positioning the sector as a credible voice is a role we take seriously. Each year a joint committee representing Foraker’s Governance and Operations Boards analyzes issues affecting the Alaska nonprofit sector. In addition to ensuring that we are nonpartisan, Foraker’s Public Policy Committee uses four criteria (see How does Foraker decide which issues to focus on?) to analyze issues and recommend annual priorities. We are excited to work together on reaching our 2023 advocacy objectives. We invite you to join us in advocating for the following issues that have an impact on your mission and the sector – you can learn more about each of these objectives here…. Read more »

In any given year, or month, or day we face challenges to doing our missions well. These challenges aren’t new, but the tsunami of so many hitting at the same time prevents us from performing at the level our missions require – and that must change. It was with these thoughts in mind that I addressed the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee last month. I briefed legislators on the contributions nonprofits make to the Alaska economy, along with some of the challenges facing the sector and actions they can take to help us meet these challenges. I encourage you to listen to this recording of the committee hearing. Questions after my presentation provide important insights to how the committee members think about the issues facing Alaska. In my testimony I… Read more »

If you’re considering applying for federal funds or have general questions about federal funding resources, we’re offering individual appointments with Zoe Olson, our Federal Funding Navigator. In these sessions, Zoe can help you navigate technical application questions and connect you with resources for learning about federal grant opportunities and grant writing resources as well as general questions about reporting and compliance. Use our contact form to inquire about scheduling a 30 minute meeting. Please include a few sentences about your interest in federal grants…. Read more »