Contact: Jeff Clarke
Foundation announces $10.3 million in awards
Anchorage - The Rasmuson Foundation awarded $7.56 million in grants to 14 nonprofits across the state and $2.77 million for Foundation-initiated projects.
The Alaska Housing Trust pilot project, which will establish training and materials for the social service and housing provider network, program evaluation, and housing with supportive services for families, received $1 million. The Alaska Housing Trust will provide safe, stable, and affordable housing that includes supportive services for individuals who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
Native Village of Eagle received $250,000 for construction of a multi-purpose community building. Located six miles west of the Alaska-Canadian border, the village has planned for a community center/health clinic for ten years. Current facilities lack water and sewer. The facility will house community activities such as potlatches, sewing activities and traditional dance.
Alaska Family Services received $600,000 for construction of a behavioral health building for substance abuse outpatient treatment. The Behavioral Health Treatment Center will be located between Wasilla and Palmer, serving the fastest growing region in the state. Alaska Family Services is currently providing outpatient substance abuse treatment services in a leased aging facility in need of repair. The new center will save operational costs and will allow family services to be provided in a building designed for that purpose.
The Foundation Board complimented recent investments in oral health care by approving $170,000 for Foundation-specified projects. Since 2002, the Foundation made four grants to the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium for oral health care services. Two large grants were awarded in 2002 and 2006 to support the dental health aide therapist program. The new initiative includes a series of projects to inform policy makers, organized dentistry and other stakeholder groups of the issues in rural oral health care and the dental health aide therapist program; to develop a comprehensive oral health delivery plan for the Bristol Bay region; and to create an internship program for out-of-state fourth-year dental students in rural Alaska.
Alaska Immigration Justice Project received $450,000 for development of a Language Interpreter Center to train, certify, and recruit interpreters in Alaska. Alaska Immigration Justice Project, located in Anchorage, is the only agency in Alaska that provides low-cost legal services to low-income immigrants and refugees. They've served over 500 clients since their incorporation in 2006.
Access to affordable health insurance is growing concern nationally and in Alaska. The Foundation Board approved $100,000 to build upon earlier work through a public opinion survey and additional research as next steps to understand and identify opportunities for improving access to health care to uninsured and under-insured Alaskans, specifically in the non-profit sector. Since 2002, the Foundation supported research in expanding affordable health insurance for employees of the Alaskan non-profit sector.
Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation (BBAHC) received $325,000 for a boiler plant project at Kanakanak Hospital in Dillingham. BBAHC is the regional health care provider for 34 villages, operating 29 village clinics which are tele-networked to Kanakanak Hospital and the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage. Kanakanak Hospital is at capacity for the heating system and cannot expand until additional boilers are brought online. BBAHC plans to expand the hospital to add 30,000 square-feet of space for primary care services including a new dental wing. The boilers will be purchased this summer so they can be barged to Dillingham in 2008.
The Foraker Group received $1.5 million over three years to strengthen and expand technical assistance opportunities. The Foraker Group, which has established itself as a convener, planner, and technical assistance provider to the nonprofit sector, leads the effort to build sustainable Alaskan nonprofit and tribal organizations.
REACH received $107,000 for building renovation to accommodate a community arts center. Located in Juneau, REACH serves children and adults who experience developmental disabilities. They employ over 200 people and serve 400 individuals. The center will include a gallery, pottery shop with kilns, open studio workshop, and a small café.
Salvation Army – Alaska Division received $870,000 for furnishings and equipment for shelters for family and children. The project is to construct the Salvation Army Family Enrichment (SAFE) Center in Anchorage. SAFE will house the McKinnell House and the Cares for Kids program. Both programs suffer a lack of space and resources. The new building will significantly enhance the care that is available to children in Alaska.
United Nonprofits received $800,000 for the purchase of a shared facility in Anchorage. Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association (Four A's), Standing Together Against Rape (STAR), and Alaska Community Services make up United Nonprofits. The purchase will allow United Nonprofits to own and manage the building, thereby maintaining the rent at an affordable rate for nonprofit tenants.
Other projects receiving support include Kodiak Baranof Productions (Kodiak) for the Gerald C. Wilson Auditorium stage; Hope Counseling Center (Fairbanks) for the purchase and renovation of a leased building for mental health treatment services; Alaska Moving Image Preservation Association in Anchorage for production of a documentary on Alaska's statehood; City and Borough of Juneau – Zach Gordon Youth Center for the construction of a covered outdoor play area; Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation (YKHC) for a CT scanner for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Regional Hospital in Bethel; and the Native Village of Chignik for the construction of a health clinic in Chignik Bay, located on the eastern coast of the Alaska Peninsula.
A complete list of June awards is attached at the end of this release.
Click here to view a complete list of all 2007 Tier 2 awards.
Press Event announced
What: Announcement on new Rasmuson Foundation support for Anchorage – area parks, trails and recreation
When: Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Time: 11 AM
Where: Dave Rose Park (formerly Conifer Park) soccer field
Address: 201 Lane St
Link to Google Maps directions
About the Foundation
The Rasmuson Foundation was created in May 1955 by Jenny Rasmuson to honor her late husband "E.A." Rasmuson. The Foundation is a catalyst to promote a better life for all Alaskans.
07/17/2010
June 2007 Awards
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