Kuicuat Sustainability Forum

Ventures

A community-led effort strengthening Indigenous sovereignty and sustainability across the Little Rivers (Kuicuat) region of Western Alaska.

The Kuicuat Sustainability Forum unites the Yup’ik communities of Quinhagak, Goodnews Bay and Platinum around shared goals in emergency preparedness, sustainability and cultural stewardship. By building collaboration and advancing Indigenous-led planning, the Forum supports community wellbeing, safeguards traditional homelands and strengthens Tribal sovereignty.

Rooted in Sovereignty, Building for the Future

The Kuicuat region—where tundra rivers flow into Kuskokwim Bay—is on the frontlines of climate change. Rising seas, stronger storms and wildfires once rare in this landscape now threaten homes, food security, and traditional ways of life. The Kuicuat Sustainability Forum is responding with Indigenous-led solutions, rooted in sovereignty and community priorities.

**Living at the Frontlines of Change:** The Kuicuat region is experiencing rapid climate impacts—from eroding coastlines to thawing permafrost and stronger storms. **Photo:** Jacqueline Cleveland

**Facing Fire Risk Together:** Once rare in the tundra, wildfires are now spreading across the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Communities are planning and training to protect people and land. **Photo:** Rick Kenecht

**Three Communities, One Vision:** Quinhagak, Goodnews Bay and Platinum are uniting around shared goals of resilience, sovereignty and sustainability. **Photo:** Jacqueline Cleveland

**Prepared for Tomorrow:** Community-led planning strengthens readiness for disasters, weaving together climate adaptation with traditional knowledge. **Photo:** Jacqueline Cleveland

**Sovereignty in Action:** Yup’ik place names and traditional territory maps affirm Indigenous leadership in caring for lands and waters. **Photo:** Jacqueline Cleveland

**Sustainable Infrastructure:** The project is shaping investments in housing, transportation, and renewable energy to meet community needs and future challenges. **Photo:** Jacqueline Cleveland

**Stronger Together:** Community gatherings bring residents and Tribal leaders together to exchange knowledge, set priorities and collaborate across the Kuicuat region. **Photo:** Jacqueline Cleveland

Our Focus

The project is advancing work across four interconnected areas:

Emergency Preparedness

Building resilience to climate impacts and disasters through community-driven planning and training.

Sustainable Infrastructure

Assessing and shaping investment in housing, transportation and renewable energy that aligns with Indigenous values and long-term community needs.

Cultural Stewardship and Data Sovereignty

Mapping traditional territories, producing Yupik language place-names, and ensuring Tribal leadership over data, knowledge and co-management frameworks.

Education and Communications

Sharing stories, resources and values with local residents and the wider public to strengthen respect for the land and amplify Indigenous leadership.

Place-Based Investment

Alaska Venture Fund supports the Kuicuat Sustainability Forum as part of our deep place-based investment strategy. Similar to our work alongside local leaders in Bristol Bay, the Chilkat Valley, and Igiugig, we are investing in the Little Rivers region to help communities shape their own futures.

These communities, together with other AVF grantees, partners and groups, are part of a growing network of exchange developing across Alaska—where communities share lessons, regional coalitions are developed and the collective strength is leveraged. By linking local innovation with regional collaboration and advocacy, we are working to advance Indigenous leadership, community wellbeing and Native nation-building—not only at the local level, but across the state and beyond.

Our communities have always been connected—by our homelands, our rivers, our language and our families. We’re also connected by the challenges we face. This partnership builds trust and shared purpose, helping us work together to shape the future on our own terms.

Nalikutaar, Jacqueline Cleveland Project Manager, Kuinerraq Sustainable Future Project

Looking Ahead

Though still early in its development, the Kuicuat Sustainability Forum is already weaving together communities, partners and resources to advance local leadership and priorities. From training local mappers to producing cultural education tools to piloting emergency planning and improving local housing, these efforts strengthen the foundations for a more sustainable future.