OUR WORK

Grants

Alaska Children’s Trust awards grants to organizations in Alaska that work towards the prevention of child abuse and neglect.

GRANTS

With the generous support of our donors, we have invested more than $10 million in programs that support Alaska’s children and families.

Alaska has struggled for decades with some of the highest rates (per capita) of child abuse and neglect in the nation. Our future is influenced greatly by the types and level of trauma our children are exposed to and the protective factors with which they are equipped with to handle and process trauma.

Alaska Children’s Trust believes in the strong role communities play in the prevention of child abuse and neglect, and we know that to be effective in achieving our mission, we must utilize our resources in a strategic and sustainable manner and ensure that solutions and prevention methods are community-driven.

To equip our state with the tools and supports necessary to successfully ensure our children live in safe, stable, and nurturing environments, Alaska Children’s Trust is committed to investing in communities across Alaska.

Our annual Tier 1 Grant awards up to $10,000. There are additional grants dependent on the year, like our Cultural Activities Grant, Child Abuse Prevention Month grant, Vote for Kids mini grants, conference sponsorship, and the Million Girls Moonshot - Engineering Mindset Grant.

One way to strengthen your organization’s application is to incorporate data on children and families. Learn more about how Alaska’s children are doing by referencing Kids Count data or information from the Economic Cost of Child Abuse and Neglect or Alaska Children’s Budget.

How Do I Apply?

1. After you have determined that your organization is eligible and read the guidelines for the grant you wish to apply for and are ready to apply, click here.

3. Then, create a login. First-time users, select “Create New Account” and complete the requested information. If you have previously applied for Alaska Children’s Trust grants, log in with your username and password.

4. From the Application Status Page, select “Apply” on the left side of the screen to access the list of available grants. Select the grant you wish to apply for.

5. Begin the application. Note the specific instructions for each question, as well as the character limit for responses (characters DO include spaces). File upload questions also have file size limits. Be sure to save your progress often; the grant portal times out after 40 minutes of inactivity. You may save your application as a draft and log back in at any time to edit.

6. Submit the application. Select “Submit Form” at the bottom of the application. Before doing so, make sure you’ve edited your application and it is free of errors. Once you submit your application, you can no longer edit it.

Please direct questions about grants to grants@alaskachildrenstrust.org. Please direct questions regarding the ACT Grant Portal to 907-248-7676.

TIER 1 (Up to $10,000) - OPEN April 4 - May 2, 2025

Positive Indigenous Parenting Implementation Grants

This year, ACT’s Tier 1 grants will support implementation of the National Indian Child Welfare Association's Positive Indigenous Parenting (PIP) curriculum. With this funding, ACT hopes to strengthen organizations' capacity to offer PIP classes in their communities, increasing access to this culturally relevant parenting class statewide.

This opportunity is open to Alaskan organizations based outside of Anchorage with at least one PIP facilitator on staff.

Organizations can apply for funding to implement one (or more) of the following activities:

  • Offer PIP classes

  • Train additional PIP facilitators

  • Improve current PIP class offerings

Organizations with at least one trained PIP facilitator are eligible to apply for up to $10,000 in funding to support these activities.

Please read the eligibility requirements carefully to see if your organization is eligible to apply for this opportunity.

Eligibility:

Organizations not based in Anchorage with at least PIP facilitator on staff (or that will have at least one trained facilitator by the start of the grant period) are eligible to apply.

Applications will be accepted from qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, or equivalent organizations located in the state of Alaska. Equivalent organizations may include tribes, local or state governments, schools, or Regional Educational Attendance Areas.

Organizations that have received past awards and are in good standing are eligible to apply. Applicants with open ACT grants must be current on all grant reporting. Applications from organizations with outstanding grant reports will not be accepted. 

Note: Each applicant must have their own fiscal sponsor at the time of award. ACT will not be able to serve as the fiscal sponsor for any grant recipients.

RFP Release:

April 4, 2025

Total Award Available:

ACT will distribute $170,000 in total funding under this RFP. Proposals are limited to a maximum of $10,000.

Deadline:

Friday, May 2, 2025 (11:59 p.m. AKST)

Award Announcement:  

No later than June 30, 2024

Grant Cycle:

One year (July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026)

Process:

  • One application per organization.

  • All applications must be submitted through Alaska Children’s Trust grant portal. Only completed applications that meet the basic eligibility criteria will be considered. No Letter of Inquiry is required.

  • If a proposal is declined, organizations may call Alaska Children Trust staff for feedback.

Expectations:

  • Awardees will be invited to attend ACT’s bimonthly PIP implementation calls, which take place on the first full Thursday of the month from 1-2 pm, ever other month.

  • A final report will be required.

Youth Cultural Activities Grants (up to $1,000 in funding) CLOSED

Children and youth are less than 25% of Alaska’s population, but they are 100% of our future. Investing in their mental health today helps our communities thrive for generations. Promoting access to cultural activities helps strengthen two of the strongest protective factors associated with youth mental wellbeing: (1) a connection to one’s culture and community and (2) the presence of a caring adult outside of one’s immediate family.

Promoting protective factors can also be fun! From organizing fun events to help youth celebrate cultural holidays to hosting Alaska Native youth dance groups, organizations across Alaska are finding exciting ways to promote mental wellbeing, strengthen youths’ cultural connectedness, and build healthy relationships.

Building the protective factors that strengthen youth mental health is especially important today. Alaska’s high school students report rising levels of sadness and hopelessness, and Alaska’s teen suicide rate is increasing. To strengthen mental wellbeing and increase protective factors for youth, the Alaska Children’s Trust will provide up to $1,000 to support work that engages youth in cultural activities. Project ideas include (but are not limited to) activities that:

  • Engage youth in subsistence activities;

  • Teach youth traditional arts and crafts;

  • Promote language learning;

  • Engage youth in cultural celebrations.

Eligibility:

Applications are accepted from qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, or equivalent organizations located in the state of Alaska. Equivalent organizations may include tribes, local or state governments, schools, or regional educational attendance areas. Individuals, for-profit, 501(c)(4) or (c)(6) organizations, non-Alaska based organizations, and federal government agencies are not eligible for competitive grants. Applicants with outstanding and past due grant requirements are ineligible for funding.

Deadline:

Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 28. Decisions regarding funding will be made by no later than April 4, 2025.

Grant amount:

Applicant can apply for up to $1,000 in funding.

Reporting:

Grantees will submit a short final report including the number of youths served and project successes, due by December 31, 2025. ACT also encourages grantees to submit photos.

Advocacy for Children, Youth, and Families Grant CLOSED

As the statewide lead organization focused on the prevention of child abuse and neglect, Alaska Children’s Trust (ACT) recognizes that policies and systems exert a profound effect on children, youth, and families. Policies and systems can either perpetuate or reduce risk factors leading to child abuse and neglect (CAN). Therefore, advocacy is a critical pathway toward safeguarding Alaskan children and families and building resilience at a community-wide level. 
 
To grow and strengthen advocacy for children and families in Alaska, ACT will award up to ten grants, at up to $5,000 each, to support eligible organizations to engage in advocacy in the 2025 legislative session focused on issues impacting children, youth, and families. Advocacy activities may include defending existing statutes or funding, proactively developing and moving new legislation forward, making a budget request, and actively preventing legislation that would harm children, youth, and families. 
 
Eligibility 
Applications will be accepted from qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. Organizations that have received past awards and are in good standing are eligible to apply.  Applicants with open ACT grants must be current on all grant reporting. Applications from organizations with outstanding grant reports will not be accepted. Note: If an organization does not have 501(c)3 status, they are required to obtain their own fiscal sponsor who has 501(c)3 status by the time of award. ACT will not be able to serve as the fiscal sponsor for any grant recipients. 
 
Allowable Activities 

  • Advocating for Alaska specific legislation and state budget items that directly impact children, youth, and families. 

  • Travel to Juneau 

  • Development of outreach materials 

  • Lobbying (it is the responsibility of each awardee to ensure they comply with all IRS and State of Alaska requirements regarding lobbying activities) 

  • Compensation for lived experience participation 

  • Constituent outreach or engagement activities 

 
Ineligible Activities 

  • Advocating for non-Alaska specific legislation and state budget items or legislation/state budget items that do not directly impact children, youth, and families. 

  • Endorsement of candidates 

  • Electoral activities 

  • Activities focused on local or federal policies or systems 

Expectations 

  • Awardees will be expected to have at least one individual participate in ACT’s Advocacy and Lobbying 101 training (Thursday, January 9, 11am-1pm) and ACT’s Legislative Session Orientation (Thursday, January 16, 11-12pm). Both of these will be offered via Zoom. 

  • Awardees will be expected to have at least one individual participate in biweekly group calls from beginning of February through mid-May to share updates on their legislative work, strategize with other advocates, and engage in learning opportunities.  

  • Awardees will complete a final report at the end of the grant period, including stories and data about the impact of the grant funds.  

 
Timeline 

RFP Released – Wednesday, November 13, 2024 

Proposal Due Date – Wednesday, December 4, 2024 

Funding Available 
ACT anticipates awarding a total of $50,000 under this RFP (Request for Proposal). Proposals are limited to a maximum of $5,000. 
 
Grant Period 
The period of performance will be upon execution of the grant agreement through 31 May 2025. 
 
For questions related to the request for proposals, please contact: 
Jen Griffis 
907-202-9322 
jgriffis@alaskachildrenstrust.org 
 
For questions related to the on-line application system, please contact: 
grants@alaskachildrenstrust.org 

Conference/Training Sponsorship (Up to $1,000)

To support the exchange of information and professional development of individuals working towards ensuring children and families live in safe, stable and nurturing communities, Alaska Children’s Trust provides a limited number of sponsorship grants for conferences/trainings. These grants do not support individual training or attendance to a conference.

Eligibility:

Any individual, organization (nonprofit, religious, or tribal), community/neighborhood associations or coalition is eligible to apply. No 501(c)(3) status is required. Only one grant per organization per year.

Grant Amount:

Applicants can apply for up to $1,000. Funds can be used for venue/equipment rental, food, scholarships, outreach materials or other supplies needed for the conference/training.

Deadline:

Rolling deadline that is open until all funds have been dispersed.

Process:

  • All applications must be submitted through Alaska Children’s Trust grant portal. Only completed applications that meet the basic eligibility criteria will be considered. No Letter of Inquiry is required.

  • Applicants are welcome to contact Alaska Children Trust staff prior to applying.

  • If a proposal is declined, organizations may call Alaska Children Trust staff for feedback.

Reporting

Tier 1 reports are due by the last day of the month after the end date as indicated on your grant agreement. All reports must be submitted through our grant portal.

Questions about the report, due dates, or non-expending funds, contact Alaska Children's Trust directly. Contact Trevor Storrs at tstorrs@alaskachildrenstrust.org or (907) 248-7676.

Amendments

For all grant amendments, please complete the Grant Amendment Request Form and forward it to Trevor Storrs, tstorrs@alaskachildrenstrust.org.

Grant Recipients

Preventing child abuse and neglect does not look the same in every part of Alaska, and ACT is focused on investing in community-driven solutions with upstream approaches to prevention. Explore ACT's Tier 1 Community Prevention Grants since 2016 by using your mouse to click on projects across the state.

Please note, the location of the pin is representative of where the organization is headquartered, not necessarily where the prevention activities took place, frequently organizations have locations in Anchorage or Juneau but serve communities in more rural areas of the state.