| Hello Friends, |
As winter settles in across Alaska, the season brings its familiar shifts in pace and light, reminding us that meaningful work often moves steadily, not quickly. That same steady momentum is reflected in many of our efforts across the state – work driven by local leadership, strengthened through partnership and guided by a long view of what sustainability can look like. This month, we share a few of the ways that persistence, care and community are reshaping what is possible.
Thank you for being part of this work. If you would like to talk about any of the projects mentioned in this email, please drop us a line.
The Alaska Venture Fund Team |
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| Alaska Venture Fund - News & Views |
| Project updates, stories and perspectives that inspire our work. |
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| Our Beavers and Cranes Approach: Where Local Action Meets Transformative Change |
Real change begins in the places that people call home — and in the hands of the people experiencing its challenges and possibilities. This sits at the heart of Alaska Venture Fund’s “beaver and crane” approach: beavers build where they live and make things work, cranes connect local successes to statewide policy, national investment and global learning to help others do the same.
This model allows us to create meaningful change: rooted in community, carried by conviction and scaled through partnership. In our latest article, our Managing Partner Erin Dovichin shares more about this approach, and how Alaska’s vastness and interconnectedness make it both a strength and a necessity for our work. |
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| Fire, Knowledge and Community: Jeff Ennenga on Leading Alaska’s Wildfire Resilience Initiative |
When Jeff Ennenga joined the Girdwood volunteer fire department, wildfires in Alaska rarely made headlines. But in the years since, Alaska’s wildfire risk has become one of the most pressing challenges facing communities across the state.
Today, Jeff leads AVF’s Alaska Wildfire Resilience Initiative (AWRI), drawing on his first hand experience fighting wildland fires and deep relationships across Alaska to guide AWRI’s work at both the micro and macro level.
AVF’s Maggie Bryan sat down with Jeff and other AWRI team members to discuss his approach to building wildfire resilience and the impact it is having in communities across the state. |
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| Commentary: How Carbon Credits Can Be a Game Changer for Southeast Alaska |
In 2022, the State of Alaska identified 76,900 acres in the Haines State Forest as a prime opportunity for carbon credit generation. The effort was projected to bring in $103 million, or $1,351 per acre — far more than potential timber revenue from the same land.
As global demand for carbon credits grows, Alaska has an opportunity to harness its forests as a powerful economic and climate asset. Read more in this new op-ed, written in partnership with AVF and published in the Alaska Beacon. |
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| Congratulations Nalikutaar, Jacqueline Cleveland |
| We are proud to congratulate our friend and colleague Jackie Cleveland, who was recently elected President of the Native Village of Kwinhagak. Jackie brings deep commitment, cultural knowledge and care to everything she takes on. We’re grateful to work alongside her in her role as Project Manager of the Kuinerraq Sustainable Future Project and as an advisor for Aywaa Storyhouse. Her dedication to her community comes through in all that she does, and we are excited to support her as she takes on this new role. Congratulations, Jacki! |
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| ANBC is an "Action for Women’s Health" Awardee |
We are thrilled to share that the Alaska Native Birthworkers Community (ANBC) has been selected as an awardee of Action for Women’s Health, supporting organizations improving women’s mental and physical health around the world. Action for Women’s Health is a $250 million global open call funded by Pivotal Ventures and managed by Lever for Change. More than 4,000 organizations from 119 countries applied, and ANBC is among the 80+ awardees identified through a thoughtful peer and expert review process.
We are deeply proud of ANBC’s work — and grateful that this recognition will support the culturally rooted services they provide to communities across the state. |
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After the Storm: Analysis and reporting on the Aftermath of Western Alaska Flooding
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| As recovery efforts continue in Western Alaska after October’s historic storm, new stories are underscoring the long-term implications for communities, cultural heritage and the state’s economic future. Here are a few stories that deepen the picture.
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| In Case You Missed It |
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Listen: In this episode of Native America Calling, Alaska Wildfire Resilience Initiative partners share the impacts and the opportunities for Indigenous communities experiencing wildfire in boreal and tundra landscapes.
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Kimberley Strong, president of Chilkat Indian Village, raises concerns about how the Palmer Mine Project could affect the economy and subsistence-based ways of life in the Chilkat River Valley.
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A local farm in Haines has been growing thousands of pounds of currants, broccoli, brussels sprouts and other fresh produce to share with the community — a bright spot for the local food system.
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Listen: The new Portugal. The Man album is an ode to Alaska |
With their newest work, the Grammy Award-winning band Portugal. The Man presents an ode to their home state of Alaska. The album Shish, the title a nod to the community of Shishmaref, shares songs with titles and lyrics rooted in community and place—including “Denali,” “Mush,” “Angoon” and more. You can listen to a song from their album, “Tyonek,” here.
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