Igiugig Sustainable Future

Ventures

A tribally led blueprint for sustainability and sovereignty.

The Igiugig Sustainable Future Project is a tribally-led effort bringing community vision and values to life. From renewable energy to cultural revitalization, land stewardship to food security, Igiugig is demonstrating how self-determination and innovation can strengthen communities while building a model of sustainability for Alaska and beyond. Read more in this PDF.

Our Work: A Future Shaped by Sovereignty

The Village of Igiugig is a mixed heritage Yup’ik, Aleut and Dena’ina community of about 70 people at the mouth of the Kvichak River in Bristol Bay. Tribal sovereignty and stewardship shape daily life here, where access to healthy lands and waters are inseparable from cultural survival, food security and community wellbeing. Today, Igiugig is shaping its future on its own terms.

Through the Igiugig Village Council, the community created a consensus-based plan that reflects shared values and long-term priorities. Renewable energy reduces reliance on polluting diesel. Language and cultural programs strengthen identity. Local food systems improve resilience. Supported by Alaska Venture Fund’s deep place-based investment strategy, these initiatives are securing the village’s future while offering a model of tribally led innovation for communities across Alaska.

Igiugig, population ~70, is one of Alaska’s most remote communities—accessible only by air or water—and deeply rooted in Yup’ik, Aleut and Dena’ina values. **Photo:** Nathaniel Wilder

Igiugig’s first RivGen hydrokinetic turbine began operating in 2019—one of the first commercial deployments in the U.S.—to cut dependence on diesel and power homes from river currents. Two RivGen devices now help run the village microgrid, allowing the community to aim toward a “diesels off” future with clean, flowing energy. **Photo:** courtesy ORPC

Traditional language, Subsistence is central: most Igiugig residents fish, hunt, gather berries and plants—in all seasons—with elders teaching youth how to prepare and preserve traditional foods. **Photo:** Nathaniel Wilder

Greenhouse, eggs, and chickens: local food programs in Igiugig supplement those subsistence harvests, reduce dependence on flown-in groceries, and strengthen food sovereignty. **Photo:** Nathaniel Wilder

Traditional language, intergenerational storytelling and culture remain vibrant in Igiugig: the Village Council has invested in language nests and cultural preservation to sustain identity for the next generation. **Photo:** Nathaniel Wilder

Igiugig–meaning ‘the place where the river swallows the lake’–sits at the outflow of Lake Iliamna where it enters the Kvichak River, a landscape of rich subsistence hunting, fishing and gathering. **Photo:** Nathaniel Wilder

Turning Vision Into Action

The Igiugig Sustainable Future Project puts self-determination into practice. Guided by community priorities and shared values, these efforts are shaping the village’s path forward on its own terms.

Stewarding Community Homelands

Safeguarding access to Igiugig’s traditional lands and waters through Tribal stewardship, and ensuring that ecosystems continue to thrive and subsistence resources remain abundant and accessible for future generations.

Energy Transition

Reducing dependence on imported diesel through tribally led deployment of solar, wind and hydrokinetic power—building energy sovereignty and resilience.

Centering Cultural and Values

Revitalizing Indigenous languages and supporting the intergenerational transmission of culture and identity through community-wide programs centering Indigenous knowledge and intergenerational learning.

Policy and Leadership

Exercising sovereignty by advocating for policies that reflect Indigenous priorities and sharing learnings with other Alaska Native communities and regions.

Policy and Leadership

Exercising sovereignty by advocating for policies that reflect Indigenous priorities and sharing learnings with other Alaska Native communities and regions.

Our Impact

Lower Cost, Clean Local Energy

Diesel dependence is falling as renewable increasingly provide power for homes and businesses.

Food Sovereignty

A village-based agriculture hub brings fresh produce to families year-round, reducing reliance on flown-in groceries.

Cultural Continuity

Language and cultural programs keep Yup’ik and Dena’ina traditions alive for future generations.

Leadership Beyond Igiugig

Igiugig’s innovations are informing peers across Alaska and influencing policy.

Igiugig has promoted itself to be a model, because we want to be an example of how Indigenous leadership and innovation can sustain our culture, lands, and community for the future.

AlexAnna Salmon Igiugig Village Council President, Alaska Venture Fund Partner