Rasmuson Foundation invests $11.7 million in Alaska

Rasmuson Foundation’s board of directors recently approved $6.7 million in investments at its December meeting. Additionally, the board extended its Housing and Homeless Initiative through 2030 with an additional $5 million investment. These decisions bring the Foundation’s 2025 investment total to more than $27.6 million.

The Foundation’s new investments support community efforts across the state, from the Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak’s construction of a mariculture facility for kelp processing, to an effort to promote cycling in the Homer area with a new bike-friendly trail network. One grant will provide funding for two cohorts of Renewable Energy Alaska Project’s “People in Power” program, a statewide workforce development program that provides in-community, customized training and support to standalone rural utility operators.

The Foundation’s PRIs are typically structured as loans and are meant to support a project or activity. This year, a $250,000 PRI goes to Sitka Community Land Trust’s effort to build affordable housing in response to the high cost of homeownership in Alaska.

“Every one of these efforts is an example of Alaskans’ ability to tackle challenges with ingenuity and persistence,” said Rasmuson Foundation President and CEO Gretchen Guess. “We’re proud to stand alongside our partners and neighbors as they demonstrate what’s possible when we invest in our communities and in each other.”

Here in the Mat-Su, Alaska Addiction Rehabilitation Services (AARS) received $500,000 to expand a residential substance use disorder treatment center outside of Wasilla.

The Anchorage Park Foundation received $478,063 to support 10 to 20 community-led projects in Anchorage, Eagle River and Girdwood, and a 1:1 challenge grant of up to $500,000 to redesign and renovate Anchorage’s Town Square Park.

A Community Support grant was awarded to Renewable Energy Alaska Project, giving $250,000 to People in Power, a statewide workforce development program that provides in-community, customized training and support to standalone rural utility operators.

The Rasmuson Foundation helps leaders work toward community systems that enable homelessness to be a rare, brief, and one-time experience for Alaskans. This initiative is extended through 2030 with an additional $5 million investment, bringing the overall investment to $30 million since 2018.