Rasmuson Foundation Resumes Grantmaking, Issues $5.75M for UA, Housing, and Cultural Projects
Photo Credit: Olivier Le Moal | iStock
Jumping back into action, the Rasmuson Foundation ended a months-long grantmaking pause with an announcement that it awarded $5.75 million to strengthen the UA Arctic Leadership Initiative, assist in providing housing in Juneau, and collect oral histories through a US Bureau of Indian Affairs traveling museum exhibit.
The foundation also announced plans to expand its grantmaking programs to increase award sizes, expedite award schedules, and broaden eligibility for grant-funded projects.
Supporting Arctic Leaders, Housing, and Culture
The UA System receives $5 million over five years to strengthen its Arctic Leadership Initiative, investing in future Alaskan leaders and problem solvers. The Juneau Housing First Collaborative was awarded $500,000 for permanent supportive housing at Forget-Me-Not Manor, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs receives $250,000 toward the collection of oral histories, curation of a traveling museum exhibit, and creation of a memorial to the negative impacts of Indian boarding schools. The Rasmuson Foundation board of directors approved the grants at its summer board meeting in Kenai.
“Each of these projects represent the strength and power of Alaskans coming together to serve Alaska,” says Rasmuson Foundation president and CEO Gretchen Guess. “We are blessed to invest in each organization and project and thank them for the work they do each day.”
The $5 million grant to support the Arctic Leadership Initiative follows from the foundation asking UA president Pat Pitney in 2021 for big ideas to catalyze. In 2022, the foundation provided seed money to put the initiative into action. Now, the foundation is an early investor.
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“It’s an ambitious strategic endeavor intended to reshape Alaska’s role in the Arctic and make significant contributions to people living in the Arctic region,” says Tasha Pineda, vice president of strategy for Rasmuson Foundation. “As residents of our nation’s only Arctic state, younger Alaskans are uniquely positioned to lead into the future. This funding will accelerate the development of solutions, innovations, and new economic opportunities for Alaskans across the state.”
In addition to approving grants, the board meeting in Kenai set the foundation’s mission, vision, values, strategies, and priorities for the next three years. A pause in grantmaking since January, concurrent with board-led strategic planning, allowed the organization to assess and improve its internal processes.
“We have grown rapidly in recent years and decided to make a strategic pause in giving to reflect, refine, and recalibrate,” says Chris Perez, vice president of programs for the foundation. “The changes are intended to bring greater transparency and flexibility to our core programs, so our partners are well-supported in a variety of ways as they carry out their important work serving and supporting Alaskans.”
The foundation restructured its program slightly to address differing levels of need. Its Tier 1 grant level is a core program, known for fast funding of capital needs. In addition to a 40 percent increase in the maximum award size, from $25,000 to $35,000, the program now allows organizations to apply up to 15 percent of an award toward programmatic or administrative costs. More than 175 of these grants are awarded yearly. The application period will start on August 15.
A new category, the Community Support grant, will support requests between $35,000 and $250,000. The rebranded Legacy grants, which replace Tier 2 grants, are intended for requests that exceed $250,000. Individual Artist Awards will return in early 2025, with program details to be released later this year.
The Legacy grant program is closely aligned to the former Tier 2 in its grant size, application process, and review schedule. This funding supports programmatic and capital needs of eligible organizations. Organizations with an immediate need are highly encouraged to contact a program officer as soon as possible, which may be done online through a scheduling link. Program officers provide guidance throughout the process and can help an organization understand whether a project qualifies for funding and how to best prepare an application.
“Our mission is to empower Alaskans to help each other,” says Guess. “The program changes reflect the foundation’s focus on making resources accessible and responsive to the needs of Alaska-based nonprofits, government entities, and tribal organizations.”
Established by the owners of the former National Bank of Alaska in 1955, the Rasmuson Foundation has funded nearly 11,000 projects with more than $533 million.
“Elmer Rasmuson often said, ‘helping others is an Alaska tradition’ and we’re proud to live up to this tradition and to support others in the community who are doing the same,” Guess says.
