Valley organizations receive grants from Alaska Mental Health Trust

WASILLA — Several Valley organizations such as Alaska Family Services, Mat-Su Health Foundation, and Valley Charities received grants from the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, which awarded over $430,000 in grants to 12 different organizations across the state.

The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority is a state corporation that administers the Mental Health Trust, a perpetual trust created to ensure that Alaska has a comprehensive mental health program to support people experiencing mental illness, intellectual and developmental disabilities, substance use disorders, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia, and traumatic brain injuries. The Trust is fully self-funded and is overseen by a seven-member board of trustees.

The Trust awards about $25 million throughout the year to Alaskan nonprofits, tribal entities, state and local government agencies, and service providers whose work serves Trust beneficiaries and aligns with their core mission and values, according to a recent press release.

“Trust efforts to improve access to service and our system of care would not be possible without our network of partners across Alaska,” Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority CEO Mike Abbott stated in the press release.

Alaskans who experience mental illness, substance use disorders, intellectual and developmental disabilities, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia, and traumatic brain injuries are some examples of beneficiaries.

“We are pleased to be able to provide grant funding to our partners and appreciate their continued passion for improving the lives and circumstances of Trust beneficiaries,” Abbot stated in the press release.

This recent grant distribution is for the first quarter of the fiscal year with an approximate total of 1.9 million going to Alaskan organizations.

Valley Charities received $50,000 for their Mat-Su Reentry Housing Project. According to the press release, numerous Trust beneficiaries who are exiting the criminal justice system have difficulty accessing a safe and stable place to live.

The Trust aims to overcome housing barriers by supporting organizations such as Valley Charities in their efforts to offer housing supports and peer support services to ensure those participating in the program have safe and secure housing, aiding in their successful reentry into society.

Alaska Family Services received $87,350 for its Behavioral Health Treatment Center Sustainability project.

LINKS Mat-Su Parent Resource Center received $100,000 for its High Utilizer Mat-Su Program to support Mat-Su Regional Hospital clients with severe mental illness and/or substance use disorders to reduce emergency room visits.

The Mat-Su Health Foundation received a $21,550 grant for its marketing and integrated fund management plan for Alaska’s SHARP Program.

SHARP is a statewide support-for-service effort that provides partial financial support to healthcare practitioners in medical, dental, behavioral health, and other fields.

It functions as a public and private partnership that aims to improve the recruitment, retention, and distribution of health professionals across the state, offering education loan repayments and direct incentives to practitioners in support of their work, especially among the priority populations.

For more information about this quarter’s grant recipients and their projects, visit alaskamentalhealthtrust.org.

For more information about SHARP, visit dhss.alaska.gov/dph/emergency/pages/healthcare/sharp.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com