The Pick.Click.Give season is also upon us as many Alaskans have begun applying for their PFD checks.
There are now 54 charities relating to the Kenai Peninsula that PFD Applicants can give to, including places like Alaska’s Extended Life Animal Sanctuary and the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank.
House Bill 75, sponsored by Representative Paul Seaton and Senator Peter Micciche, passed the legislature unanimously in 2014, opening the program up to a wider variety of smaller charities.
Rep. Seaton(R-Homer): “So what this bill does is say: if you’re required to do a federal audit, you must submit that to the state with your application, but other than that you don’t have to do an audit. Now, what has happened in the meantime between the time the program started, the non-profit status under the IRS is now a 12-page 990. So, it’s a very in-depth certification of a lot of technical details of your organization.”
That bill made it simpler and more cost effective for small charities to receive donations through the annual program.
As of December 2014, nearly $11 million has been contributed using the uniquely Alaska statewide giving program.
