The Rasmuson Foundation has released the Fall 2022 grant award recipients and the Boys & Girls Club of the Kenai Peninsula, the Tsalteshi Trails and other Kenai Peninsula projects are among 30 organizations and projects that will share more than $16 million in grants from the Rasmuson Foundation.
Boys & Girls Club of the Kenai Peninsula
The Rasmuson Foundation has committed $1 million to the Boys and Girls Club of the Kenai Peninsula toward a permanent campus, just one of dozens of projects moving forward with Foundation support.
Mike Navarre, board member on the Rasmuson Foundation and board member for the Boys & Girls Club of the Kenai Peninsula explained the Rasmuson funding.
“We applied for a grant with the Rasmuson Foundation, I happen to serve on the Rasmuson Foundation board-have for five years, alerted them for the past five years that we (KP boys and girls club) were going to be coming in for a request. The request was for $1,000,000. They gave us a $500,000 outright grant and a $500,000 challenge grant, which means we have to raise $500,000 in order to get the additional $500,000. It’s basically $1,000,000 that we will leverage to $1,5000,000 with the support of the community and the community has been incredibly supportive in the past; and it is to address facility needs in both Kenai and Soldotna and throughout the Peninsula.”
The Boys and Girls Club of the Kenai Peninsula has been awarded an outright grant of $500,000 and a 1-to-1 challenge grant of up to $500,000 toward a permanent campus to include: a clubhouse, offices, a playground, soccer fields and a greenhouse/garden. The project will consolidate programs and operations that had been spread among multiple offices into a community hub for children and families, with meals, sports, enrichment and more.
Navarre addressed a number of project needs.
“The Boys & Girls Club has a number of projects that are going on. We (the club) are trying to acquire a new facility in Kenai, we have a facility and will have to do some expansion and some renovation there. We are also looking at Soldotna, long-term plan is to try to address the very real need that the Boys & Girls Clubs meet in the community. We mostly operate out of schools. In some cases we are being pushed out like in the case of the old territorial school where Boys & Girls Club was in Kenai; we have been pushed out of there over time because of the expansion of the charter school. In other schools we’re seeing some changes also. It’s an attempt to address our long-term needs and the Rasmuson Foundation does an incredible job throughout the state for a lot of non-profits; it’s a very unique organization that is 100% invested in Alaska.”
Tsalteshi Trail Association
The Tsalteshi Trails Association also received a grant of $185,380 to construct a maintenance building and storage yard in the Soldotna area. The trails association maintains more than 21 miles of trails for skiing, single-track and multi-use.
Other Kenai Peninsula projects receiving funds include:
Seldovia Village Tribe: $250,000 to expand the Homer health and wellness clinic. The tribe serves the Kachemak Bay area including Seldovia, Homer and Anchor Point.
Alaska Huts: $350,000 to help build the Spencer Glacier Hut, which will be part of a linked, three-hut system in the backcountry of the Kenai Mountains along the Alaska Railroad’s Whistle Stop corridor.
Rasmuson 2022 Fall Grant Projects
According to the Rasmuson Foundation, projects (requesting grants) are more ambitious, but the Foundation’s commitment to Alaska is as strong as ever.
The Foundation’s board and staff recently approved 30 projects, programs and initiatives totaling more than $16 million. A marketplace in downtown Kodiak, new opportunities for Alaska fishermen and two more seasons of the PBS animated children’s show “Molly of Denali” are among the projects moving forward. With the recent grant awards, Rasmuson Foundation’s total investment in Alaska communities and people since our 1955 beginnings will top $500 million.
“Alaska’s nonprofits, tribes and local governments work hard every day to help their neighbors and make life better in immeasurable ways. We are so proud to partner with organizations that build clinics to ensure quality health care, that help children grow and thrive with playgrounds and sports fields, that take care of those who are unhoused and can get on their feet with a little support,” said Diane Kaplan, Rasmuson Foundation president and CEO.
Master List of 2022 Grant Recipients: Click Here