Home > Grant Opportunities > Alaska Native Fund

Alaska Native Fund 

Advancing Alaska Native Priorities for Protecting the Land and Sustaining Our Ways of Life

Overview

Alaska Conservation Foundation (ACF), in partnership with an Alaska Native Steering Committee, launched the Alaska Native Fund in 2011. The purpose of the Fund is to advance Alaska Native priorities for protecting our land and sustaining our ways of life.  The Fund provides an Indigenous framework for impacting critical environmental issues while promoting innovative strategies to strengthen the capacity of Alaska Native organizations and communities. The goals of the fund are to:

1) Leverage more foundation and donor resources for Alaska Native organizations;

2) Support Alaska Native strategies and solutions on environmental issues; and

3) Build relationships that will grow and strengthen the conservation movement in Alaska.

The Alaska Native Fund will provide annual grants to qualifying Alaska Native nonprofit organizations and individuals. In addition, through the fund we will host annual or bi-annual Gatherings for Alaska Native Fund grant recipients and foundations to address emerging environmental issues of significance and develop collaborative strategies.

2012 Funding Criteria

Alaska Native Fund Framework (click to enlarge)

The Alaska Native Fund Steering Committee has identified environmental issues and strategies to be supported by the fund. Indigenous Knowledge is at the center of the Fund’s framework, reflecting the powerful connection that Alaska Natives have with their surroundings.

2012 Priority Environmental Issues: For the 2012 grantmaking cycle, work in the following arenas will be supported:

  • Climate Change: Alaska Natives are already feeling the impacts of climate change at an alarming rate, including the threats of erosion and reduced sea ice, and the impact of warming temperatures upon migration patterns/food sources. The Fund will support the protection of cultures and communities from future climate change impacts.  
  • Food Security:  Food security is threatened by unsustainable development, in particular large-scale industrial fishing.  The Fund will support Alaska Native stewardship of marine resources, in particular fish (salmon are a key species) and marine mammals.
  • Sustainable Economies: Oil, gas, timber, and mining have had siginficant impacts upon Alaska Native communities. The Fund will support Alaska Native strategies to protect their communities and health from the impacts of extractive industries and to transition to more sustainable communities and development.  
  • Energy:  Skyrocketing energy costs threaten the very existence of rural Alaska Native villages, pushing many people to relocate in urban centers. The Fund will support renewable energy and energy conservation projects that build local economies and sustain Alaska Native cultures.
  • Holistic Wellness:  Alaska Natives are at higher risk from toxic substances that bio-accumulate (like Persistent Organic Pollutants) due to their intense reliance upon their surroundings. The Fund will support work that draws upon this connection in an effort to protect Alaska Native health and improve environmental health.

2012 Core Strategies Supported: All qualifying Alaska Native organizations or individuals engaged in the priority issues above must incorporate at least one of the following strategies:

  • Policy Development: research and application of Indigenous Knowledge to impact policy
  • Leadership: emerging leaders, Elder voices, exchanges, and mentoring
  • Communication & Technology: using tools to connect people and inspire change 
  • Art and Expression: connecting cultural and environmental preservation
  • Gathering: bringing people together to share strategies, success stories, and collaborate on issues of common concern (This is separate from the ANF Gathering)

New for 2012! Youth Organizing Grants: The Alaska Native Fund will provide up to three grants for qualifying applicants implementing Youth Organizing strategies on our priority environmental issues.  Youth Organizing is a process that empowers young people to create meaningful change in their communities- through this process, young leaders are identifying problems they want to address, learning strategies for addressing these problems, and carrying out activities to meet their goals. In the process, they are empowered and develop leadership skills. Youth Organizing is NOT environmental education or service activities designed by adults and directed AT youth. The Alaska Native Fund defines “Youth” as ages 15-30, and is interested in strategies that engage young leaders from different age groups within this range.

Grant Range

In 2012, the Alaska Native Fund anticipates a round of grants totaling $120,000.

  • Organization Grant Range: $10,000-$20,000
  • Individual Grant Range: up to $10,000
  • Youth Organizing Grants: up to $5,000

The Alaska Native Fund provides general support for organizations with an annual budget of $300,000 or less, in addition to project support (no budget range).

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for an Alaska Native Fund grant, an individual or organization must perform work that aligns with the priority environmental issues and core strategies supported by the Fund. In addition, eligible applicants must:

  • Be an Alaska Native individual, Tribe or other Alaska Native nonprofit organization (with Alaska Native majority on the Council or Board of Directors); and
  • Conduct work that has an impact at the community level.

Organizations or individuals that engage Alaska Native communities but do not have Alaska Native leadership (defined above) are not eligible for ANF funding.

Current Alaska Native Fund grant recipients are eligible to apply for a second year of support in 2012, upon satisfactory completion of a progress report. 

Timeline

Interested applicants must submit a brief Letter of Inquiry (LOI) before being considered by the Alaska Native Fund Steering Committee for a proposal invitation. Submit a completed LOI to grants@alaskaconservation.org or via fax to (907) 274-4145. We anticipate receiving many more LOI’s for quality projects than we will be able to fund.

  • July 15, 2012: Letter of Inquiry due
  • September 1, 2012:  Invitations for Full Proposals & Declined LOI’s communicated
  • October 15, 2012:  Full Proposals Due
  • Early December 2012:  Grant Awards Communicated

Questions?

Please review all Alaska Native Fund guidelines and materials before contacting us with any questions you may have. Questions may be directed to Program Officer Polly Carr (pcarr@alaskaconservation.org) or (907) 276-1917. Please allow several days for a response.

Resources

Additional tools and information regarding foundation fundraising are available from the following organizations on ACF’s Community Capacity resources webpage: