Juneau Community Foundation, partnering with CBJ, awards $1.8 million to local nonprofits

The Juneau Community Foundation has awarded $1,830,378 in grants to local nonprofit organizations following several months of coordinated effort to identify priority social service needs and review applications.

These grants are provided through a unified process that includes funding from the Juneau Community Foundation’s Hope Endowment Fund ($1,053,978) and the City & Borough of Juneau’s Social Service Funds ($776,400). In addition, the CBJ Utility Waiver Program is providing $47,500 in utility waivers to nonprofits that house people as part of their mission. And, Avista Corporation contributed $10,000 to the Hope Endowment Fund.

The purpose of these grants is to help Juneau’s most vulnerable residents, by increasing support for nonprofit service providers in the areas of homelessness, food security, substance abuse disorders, domestic violence, suicide prevention, senior care, hospice, mental and physical health, education and income stability.

The grants were determined based on input from local nonprofit social service organizations, community members, and the Juneau Community Foundation’s Professional Advisory Committee*. The grant process is designed to encourage coordination and collaboration among social service programs and bring multiple funders together to support community needs in Juneau.

“For five years, the Foundation has worked closely with community leaders and social services providers to identify gaps and prioritize the greatest needs, including supporting additional residential substance use disorder treatment, expanding navigation services for people who experience or are at-risk of homelessness, ensuring a universal breakfast program in all elementary schools, and increasing access to civil legal assistance,” stated Kate Burkhart, a member of the Professional Advisory Committee.

An example of successful collaborative work is the Juneau Coalition on Housing and Homelessness, which is in its third year of deciding together on where funds are most needed to best help their clients. This collaboration resulted in Housing First Phase 1, which provides housing for 32 people, and based upon that success, efforts are underway to raise funds to double the number of rooms (Phase 2). Another noteworthy collaboration is the combined efforts of agencies addressing substance use disorder resulting in a more robust continuum of care. They identified the need for a residential treatment facility three years ago. Gastineau Human Services successfully took on the program. And, now provides sober living housing options as well.

“Through a lot of hard work and dedication, Juneau’s social service organizations provide a web of support for so many of our friends, family and neighbors. The Foundation’s grant process helps to make the web even stronger,” Juneau Mayor Beth Weldon said.

A total of 26 grants will be awarded to 25 organizations. In addition, 9 nonprofits that provide housing will receive CBJ Utility Waiver support.

These grants will address some of the priority social service issues facing our community including:

• supporting emergency, transitional, and permanent housing assistance for homeless individuals and families
• providing trauma care and resiliency building for children and youth
• connecting people to mental health and substance abuse services, and providing re-entry services
• enhancing access to civil legal assistance and social security disability insurance
• identifying and preventing youth behavioral health crises, and supporting youth aging out of foster care
• ensuring crisis intervention training for our police
• increasing assistance to women and children suffering domestic abuse
• augmenting food programs to address student in-school and weekend hunger
• providing mentoring, job training, and adult education
• supporting seniors and their families
• educating the community on suicide prevention

“We are grateful to provide this level of support, however, the need is much greater than existing funds can support. For example, this year our front-line providers, the people and organizations that our community depends on, identified almost $450,000 in needs unmet by these grants. Continued individual and business support for these organizations is critical. Thankfully, we live in a giving community.” said Amy Skilbred, Juneau Community Foundation Executive Director.

The Juneau Hope Endowment Fund was established in 2014 and is managed by the Juneau Community Foundation to provide social service grants on an annual basis. This is the fourth year that the Foundation has provided a combined grant process that includes CBJ Social Service Grants. Uniting these funding sources with others in our community in one grant process amplifies the local impact and reduces grant management for grantees.

For more information or to find out how you can support social services for our most vulnerable residents in Juneau, contact Amy Skilbred at the Juneau Community Foundation office at 523-5450 or [email protected]. A list of grantees, programs and grant amounts is attached.

(Photo by Michael Penn)

Organizations and Programs Receiving 2019 Juneau Hope Endowment and CBJ Social Service Grants

Alaska Legal Services  – Legal Equity Project: $70,138

Alaska AIDS Assistance Association – Syringe Access Program & HIV Prevention: $15,000

AWARE – Trauma Informed Domestic Violence/Sexual Abuse Survivor Services: $80,000

Big Brothers Big Sisters – Juneau Mentoring Program: $35,000

Catholic Community Services – Hospice Program: $125,000

Catholic Community Services – Senior Services Programs: $85,000

Disability Law Center – Social Security Disability Income Specialist: $50,000

Facing Foster Care Alaska – Juneau Chapter: $5,000

Family Promise – Assistance to Homeless Families: $15,000

Feeding Juneau’s Future – Weekend Back Pack Youth Food Program: $25,000

Gastineau Human Services – Substance Use Disorder Programs (Residential, Outpatient, and Sober Living): $278,740

Haven House – Peer Recovery and Reentry Services: $42,500

Juneau Coalition on Housing and Homelessness Collaborative ($285,000) Funding for the Following:

– Alaska Development Corporation – Respite Housing for Homeless: $5,000

– Housing First – Operating Funds: $90,000

– Gastineau Human Services – Flexible Funding Housing Program: $100,000

– SAIL – Adaptive Housing Program: $15,000

– St. Vincent de Paul – Navigator Program: $60,000

– Zach Gordon – Navigator Program: $15,000

Juneau Family Birth Center – Donated Healthcare Program: $10,000

Juneau Housing First Collaborative – Additional Operating Support: $30,000

Juneau Police Department – Crisis Intervention Team & Domestic Violence Expert Training: $18,500

Juneau School District – Universal Breakfast Program & H.S. Reduced Fee Meals: $18,000

Juneau School District – Title I Elementary School Social Workers: $48,500

Juneau Suicide Prevention Coalition – Suicide Prevention and Early Intervention: $90,000

Juneau Youth Services – Emergency & Transitional Youth Services and CHOICE: $50,000

JUMPP Program – Dropout and Behavioral Health Crisis Prevention: $30,000

National Alliance on Mental Illness – Outreach & Program Coordinator: $12,000

SAIL – Inspiring Personal Independence Programs: $95,000

St. Vincent de Paul – Navigator Personnel to Assist All Social Service Agency Clients: $150,000

SERRC – GED and Adult Basic Education Program: $77,000

The Glory Hall – Emergency Homeless Shelter Services: $90,000

Organizations receiving CBJ Utility Waiver assistance

AWARE: $7,300

Gastineau Human Services: $4,000

Haven House: $400

Juneau Youth Services: $1,500

St. Vincent de Paul Society: $10,000

The Glory Hall: $5,600

Wildflower: $10,000

* Professional Advisory Committee Members: Katie Baldwin, Kate Burkhart, Terri Campbell, Bud Carpeneti, Scott Ciambor, Joanne Gartenberg, Rosemary Gruening, Lindy Jones, Jannette Lacey, Sam Muse, Todd Shenk, Katie St. John, Wayne Stevens, Trevor Storrs, Stacy Toner, Cris Waste