Contact: Jeff Clarke
Sabbatical program for leaders of Alaska health and human service agencies announced
Anchorage - The Rasmuson Foundation will offer a new program designed to provide time away from the office for professional growth and personal renewal for Executive Directors and Chief Executive Officers of health and human service agencies in Alaska.
“Too often our nonprofit leaders can’t function at top performance because of job-related stress and burn-out,” Diane Kaplan, President of the Rasmuson Foundation, said in announcing the program. “We want to give them a break to rest and refresh themselves, learn more about their profession, travel, or just spend time with their families.”
Kaplan said the sabbatical program recognizes the value the foundation places on high-performing and accomplished organization leaders. The program not only is a reward for achievement, she added, it is a motivating factor to keep the best people working in the field.
The foundation will award three to four grants in 2005, each up to $30,000. To be eligible an organization must be a nonprofit in the health and human services field. Grants will be used to cover the executive’s salary and expenses during the sabbatical which may run from two to six continuous months.
Kaplan stressed that applicants will be selected based on two primary criteria:
- The benefit of the sabbatical to both the organization and the executive
- The demonstrated ability of the organization to sustain itself during the executive’s absence
“We have many deserving executives who have committed extraordinary time and energy to serving their organizations and Alaskans,” Kaplan said. “This is one way we can recognize them and give them a break from their daily routine.”
Deadline for applications is November 15, 2004, for 2005 sabbaticals. Program details, guidelines and applications are available here on the Rasmuson Foundation website under Apply / Initiatives, or by calling (907) 297-2700, or toll-free in Alaska (877) 366-2700.
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