(July 23, 2021) – The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority (Trust) awarded more than $1.98 million in grants to organizations across the state in the fourth and final quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2021.
Trust grants are awarded throughout the year to Alaska nonprofits, Tribal entities, state and local government agencies, and service providers that serve Trust beneficiaries. Beneficiaries include Alaskans who experience mental illness, substance use disorders, intellectual and developmental disabilities, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, and traumatic brain injuries. This quarter’s grants, part of the Trust’s approximately $25 million annual grant program, fund beneficiary-supporting programs and initiatives that align with the Trust’s mission and values.
“With these grants, Trust funds are meeting their intended purpose of working to improve the lives and circumstances of Trust beneficiaries,” said Mike Abbott, CEO of the Trust. “With Trust funding, our grantees are helping beneficiaries better access addiction treatment and behavioral health services, attain housing, live self-directed lives in their home communities, and more. We are grateful that we can use Trust resources to meaningfully support organizations across Alaska that are providing essential services and improving the continuum of care.”
Many of the projects that are awarded Trust grants will also receive funding from the philanthropic community, private donations, earned revenue, and other community support. The total value of the projects funded by the Trust this quarter is approximately $12.3 million.
Among the grants awarded in the fourth quarter of FY 2021:
Coordinated Street Outreach
City and Borough of Juneau: $33,800
This coordinated effort will provide unsheltered persons immediate access to services and access to monthly community case conferencing meetings with the goal of supporting them along pathways toward housing stability. Street outreach will be arranged at least twice a month, with a team of trained staff from partner homelessness service providers. Trust beneficiaries who are living outside often need consistent outreach before accepting housing or services.
Community Transportation Capacity Building
Alaska Mobility Coalition: $20,600
Safe and dependable transportation allows Trust beneficiaries who experience disabilities easier access to employment opportunities and services and supports they need to live their best possible lives. The Alaska Mobility Coalition will leverage Trust funds to build capacity and advocacy efforts and to explore opportunities to emulate other successful state coalitions that are improving mobility and transportation options for Trust beneficiaries.
Seldovia Clinic Construction Phase 1
Seldovia Village Tribe: $50,000
Seldovia Village Tribe (SVT) is the primary healthcare provider in Seldovia through their federally qualified community health center model, SVT Health & Wellness. Trust funds will support phase 1 of the Seldovia Clinic Construction Project and assist with the completion of a 3,900 square-foot stand-alone health center in the community. The new facility will allow for additional space and services to better accommodate patients’ healthcare, wellness, and behavioral health needs locally. The Trust is a partner funder for this phase, with a U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration grant providing a majority of the funding.
Below is a complete list of Trust grants awarded in the last quarter. You can learn more about the grants in a quarterly grant report posted online.
| Organization Name | Project Title | Grant Amount |
| The Foraker Group | Leadership Summit 2021 | $2,500 |
| Catholic Social Services | Consulting for Medicaid 1115 Waiver | $33,250 |
| Ionia, Inc. | Strengthening Ionia Phase 3 | $5,000 |
| Out North | Mental Health Mosaics | $40,600 |
| Interior Alaska Center for Non-Violent Living | The Bridge Encampment Outreach Project | $75,000 |
| Interior Alaska Center for Non-Violent Living | Reentry Housing | $80,000 |
| Interior Alaska Center for Non-Violent Living | Careline Operations Expansion | $100,000 |
| All Alaska Pediatric Partnership | Alaska Early Childhood Development “Amazing Books” | $5,090 |
| Volunteers of America Alaska | Clinical Skill Development – VOA Youth Treatment Services | $100,000 |
| Alaska Mobility Coalition | Community Transportation Capacity Building | $20,600 |
| Mat-Su Health Foundation | Mat-Su Community Development Coordinator | $100,000 |
| FOCUS, Inc. | Summer Camp 2021 | $4,000 |
| New Life Development Inc. | Residential Reentry Services Program | $50,000 |
| CCS Early Learning | Expanding Mental Health Services in Head Start | $50,000 |
| Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness | Anchorage Homelessness Communications Plan | $20,000 |
| Programs for Infants & Children, Inc. | Infant Learning Without Walls | $100,000 |
| City and Borough of Juneau | Coordinated Street Outreach | $33,800 |
| Seldovia Village Tribe | Seldovia Clinic Construction Project Phase 1 | $50,000 |
| Girdwood Health Clinic, Inc. | Girdwood Health Clinic Replacement | $50,000 |
| University Of Alaska Anchorage | Curriculum for Authentic Rural Transitions to Adulthood | $65,935 |
| University Of Alaska Anchorage | Peer Support & Peer-Centered Crisis Response Statewide Training Development | $33,308 |
| Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments | Arctic Village Clinic Replacement | $50,000 |
| Alaska Center for Pediatrics | Creating Access for Adolescent Depression Screening and Follow-up During the COVID-19 Pandemic | $61,000 |
| Tanaina Child Development Center | Tanaina Playground Installation | $18,200 |
| Story Works Alaska | Stories Work: Telling, Listening, & Building Healthy Connections at McLaughlin Youth Center | $10,000 |
| 23rd Veteran | 23V Recon Group X | $50,000 |
| REACH, Inc. | Integrating Infant Mental Health Approaches in Early Intervention | $50,000 |
| Alaska Public Media | Deep-Dive Mental Health Projects | $80,000 |
| University Of Alaska Anchorage | My Place Rapid Rehousing Evaluation | $99,976 |
| JAMHI Health & Wellness, Inc. | Alaska Prisoner Reentry Initiative: Reentry Coalition Capacity Development – Juneau | $100,000 |
| Interior Alaska Center for Non- Violent Living | Alaska Prisoner Reentry Initiative: Reentry Coalition Capacity Development – Fairbanks | $100,000 |
| Valley Charities, Inc. | Alaska Prisoner Reentry Initiative: Reentry Coalition Capacity Development – Mat-Su | $100,000 |
| NeighborWorks Alaska | Alaska Prisoner Reentry Initiative: Reentry Coalition Capacity Development – Anchorage | $100,000 |
| Alaska Association for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health | Project Compass: Leading the Way in Workforce Development for Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Services in Alaska | $50,000 |
| Concussion Legacy Foundation Inc. | CLF Patient Services Project Alaska | $100,000 |