At this time each year, the Rasmuson Foundation offices are buzzing with activity related to the annual application process for the Individual Artist Awards. When the awards are announced in mid-May, one artist will be named the Rasmuson Foundation Distinguished Artist.
Each year since 2004, the Rasmuson Foundation Distinguished Artist Award has celebrated the excellence, achievements, talent, and skill of one Alaskan artist. Those who have received this recognition are: sculptor and carver Sylvester Ayek of Nome (2004); literary artist John Haines of Fairbanks (2005); Haida weaver Delores Churchill of Ketchikan (2006); visual artist Rie Muñoz of Juneau (2007), visual artist Ron Senungetuk of Homer (2008); and Tlingit carver Nathan Jackson of Ketchikan (2009). Every time I look over this list, I am in awe and incredibly grateful that these terrific people make Alaska their home.
The slideshow below shows some of the amazing artists and their creative work the Foundation recognized with awards in 2009.
Sabbatical (noun): Any extended period of leave from one’s customary work, esp. for rest, to acquire new skills or training, etc.
What could you do with three months away from your day-to-day work? How would your nonprofit manage? You may be surprised. A national study released in mid-January finds that sabbaticals can actually strengthen nonprofit organizations as well as rejuvenate nonprofit leaders.
For instance, the study found that leaders who took a sabbatical were more likely to stay longer, and they came back with fresh ideas and vision for their organizations. And the organizations themselves benefited from the process of planning for an executive director’s sabbatical. In many organizations, succession planning, governance, and the skills of the management team all improved from the sabbatical experience. Executive directors themselves realized they were not indispensable—and came back to work with more confidence. The Creative Disruption report provides emerging evidence that sabbaticals—when they are well-planned and implemented—can be good for the long-term health of the organization.
In June 2009, the Rasmuson Foundation convened 20 of the state’s leaders for a two-day retreat on substance abuse and addiction issues in Alaska. The discussion was facilitated by Victor Capoccia who directs the Open Society Institute’s “Closing the Treatment Gap” initiative and who is also a senior scientist at the University of Wisconsin. (Read the post about the retreat, and the blog comments here.)
What made this retreat particularly unique and exciting was the wide range of people that agreed to participate in the process—judges, nonprofit leaders, a state commissioner, youth advocates, a police chief, legislators and mental health clinicians, amongst others. Some knew each other well, others had never met—but all had much in common in that they routinely deal with ramifications from one of Alaska’s largest social issues—substance abuse and addiction. Read the rest of this entry »
As 2010 begins, we look back at 2009 as a year of challenge for individuals, families and communities here in Alaska, and across both the country and the globe. True, the investment markets rebounded strongly from one of the worst performances in 70 years, but the psychological impact of the downturn itself, combined with both realized and unrealized losses likely mean that 2010 is the dawn of a “new normal.” What that might look like is anyone’s guess, but the days of double digit investment returns, financial leverage as a core strategy, and easy consumer credit will change. With consumer demand shifting, capital markets in the process of healing, and employers responding quickly with deep cost reductions, the economy will take some time to heal before individuals and families feel any tangible relief. As a result, demand for safety net services here in Alaska, which is already high, is expected to continue to rise.
Philanthropy’s “new normal,” both within the state and across the country, can best be described as refocusing on core interests. From an investment perspective, improved market conditions allow us to make some cautious adjustments to our 2010 grantmaking strategy. The intent of today’s post is to share this information as early as possible in hopes that it helps your organization plan for the year.
Perspective can be a powerful tool for some; for others it can be the beginning of stigmatization. For example, some have the perspective that an individual who is homeless has made a choice and who would see their housing situation improve if they just tried a little harder. What this perspective doesn’t allow is the realization that the road out of homelessness can have more chutes than ladders.
Many who experience homelessness juggle employment and family responsibilities while seeking assistance from a multitude of organizations scattered throughout Anchorage. Homeless individuals can travel up to 50 miles a day going from one organization to the next; when that person is dependent on public transportation, the total time and distance of travel can double. It is not long before individuals lose hope and find themselves no further ahead in winning the game. Some just give up completely.
Welcome to 2010! The new year is in full swing as evidenced by media coverage of Pick.Click.Give and the 2010 US Cross Country Skiing National Championships / 2010 Vancouver Olympics tryouts. A Substance Abuse Work Group meeting convenes later this week to build upon the dialogue that began in 2009. Speaking of 2009, last month in fact, Rasmuson staff attended the bi-annual West Coast PRI Makers Forum hosted by The David & Lucille Packard Foundation in Palo Alto, CA. Connecting Alaska with the rest of the country and the broader philanthropic sector is one of the core objectives of our work.
As the end of 2009 draws to a close and 2010 hovers on the horizon, we’d like to take a moment to reflect back on a tumultuous but important year. I skimmed a year’s worth of blog posts that are available on our website. Here are the top 10 themes that reflect what’s happened at Rasmuson Foundation this year. Enjoy!
1.) Economic downturn effects Foundation grant-making
The worst economic downturn in a generation impacted all Alaskans and emerged as an important topic of conversation throughout the nonprofit community. The Foundation’s assets were effected and the Foundation acted quickly by reducing overall grant-making activities in 2009. In February 2009, Foundation CEO and President Diane Kaplan hit the road to talk with the nonprofit community about the new world order in the philanthropic sector as a whole and at the Foundation. With reductions in institution giving, we urged nonprofits to prioritize donations from individual donors, starting with the board of directors.
March 2009 had the Foundation carefully studying the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), also known as the “economic stimulus package,” for potential funding streams for Alaskan organizations. Denali Commission announced the formation of a clearinghouse so Alaskan organizations would be prepared to take advantage of ARRA funds. The Alaska Clearinghouse was comprised of staff members from the Denali Commission, Alaska State Legislature, Rasmuson Foundation and other Federal Agencies with people on hand to answer questions from nonprofit organizations and tribal entities.
posted by Cassandra Stalzer, Communications Manager
While we have been trumpeting with pride about the incredible accomplishment that is the new Tundra Women’s Coalition (TWC) Domestic Violence Crisis Center and Shelter in Bethel, it is not without the recognition that the need for a newer, better facility is a sad commentary about Alaska.
The new $9 million facility provides a safer and more secure environment for women and children escaping domestic abuse in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region. The new shelter boasts a number of security and technology improvements like security cameras, a key monitoring system, and the ability to send the building into lockdown.
United States Artists (USA) has released details of upcoming artist residencies supported through the Alaska AIR (Artist in Residency) program. With a $1 million investment from Rasmuson Foundation, artists who have already received a fellowship from USA can apply to participate in the program, which partners them with an Alaska arts organization for 30 days of learning, creating, collaborating and sharing.
I will be leaving the Foundation soon for a position with the Denali Commission – the start date has not yet been set, hence my departure date from the Foundation is fluid. It has been one of my professional highlights to serve as a Foundation Program Officer for the past five years and to have been the point person on Rasmuson Foundation’s investments in the dental health aide therapy workforce model. (History of the Foundation’s support can be found here, here, here , here, and here.)
MySpace...
Facebook
Flickr: Rasmuson...
Twitter
Delicious