Overview, Mission & Values

Building support

Founded in 1980, the Alaska Conservation Foundation is the only public foundation solely dedicated to conservation in Alaska, connecting thousands of committed donors and businesses worldwide with more than a hundred grassroots conservation organizations in Alaska.

Investing for the future

Alaska Conservation Foundation serves as funder and supportive resource for a diverse community of nonprofits working to protect and wisely manage Alaska’s natural resources. Over the last four decades, Alaska Conservation Foundation has awarded more than $60 million in grants to hundreds of Alaskan organizations and individuals. Through strategic funding, Alaska Conservation Foundation supports Alaska’s most critical issues, fosters problem-solving and innovation, and protects Alaska’s incredible yet vulnerable ecosystems, communities and economies.

Our Land Acknowledgment

Our office is located on the traditional territories of the Dena’ina Peoples, and we work throughout the unceded territories of the Indigenous Peoples of Alaska. We uphold their connections to the land and give thanks for the opportunity to share in Alaska’s bounty and to participate in its stewardship. 

Our Mission

We protect Alaska’s unique landscapes and ways of life by supporting conservation leaders, organizations, and initiatives.

Our Vision

We envision a future where Alaska’s lands, waters, wildlife, and ways of life are sustained by and for countless generations.

Our Values & Guiding Principles

• Reverence: We are guided by our love for Alaska and our enduring commitment to protect what sustains us.
• Interconnectedness: Our work recognizes and prioritizes the relationships between Alaska’s unique landscapes and peoples. 
• Integrity: We approach our work with honesty, humility, and commitment.
• Inclusion: In everything we do, and who we are, we commit to be fair and representative of Alaska’s cultures, communities, and individuals.
• Collaboration: We prioritize enduring partnerships founded in deep respect and trust to build a stronger, more sustainable future for Alaska.
• Innovation: We are adaptable and open; we seek forward-looking and creative solutions to address Alaska’s conservation challenges.

Inclusivity Statement

Our Intention and Acknowledgment
We are adaptable and open; we seek forward-looking and creative solutions to address Alaska’s conservation challenges. Alaska Conservation Foundation envisions a future where Alaska’s lands and waters, wildlife, and ways of life are sustained by and for generations. We believe a healthy environment is necessary for all people to thrive. We acknowledge that not all cultures, communities, and individuals have benefited equitably from conservation in Alaska, including the work of Alaska Conservation Foundation.

Our Commitments
Alaska Conservation Foundation commits to being intentional in how we conduct our work so that all people, lands, waters, wildlife, and ways of life in Alaska are recognized and valued. We further commit to:

● Creating an inclusive and diverse work environment that encourages ongoing learning, cultural awareness, respect, humility, sharing, and understanding; and

● Uplifting voices of Indigenous peoples who have distinct values, priorities, and ways of knowing, and whose voices have historically been excluded from conservation decision-making; and

● Seeking diversity in our staff, Board of Trustees, and the organizations and individuals we collaborate with and support to elevate diverse perspectives and worldviews.

We will hold ourselves accountable to these commitments because they will strengthen our organization and make us a better ally for continually promoting social justice in our conservation work. We understand that this work is perpetual, and we welcome others to guide and join us as we continue this essential work.

To understand why the issue of equity is so vital and specific to our work, particularly with Alaska Native partners, please read more.