Rasmuson Foundation News and Information

Nonprofit health insurance initiative

Cassandra Stalzer 907 334-0520 — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:13:32 +0100

The Foraker Group, along with the Rasmuson Foundation, unveiled a new health insurance program today that is designed to create a healthier nonprofit sector in Alaska. The program offers two options that will help expand coverage to underinsured individuals and families or those who currently have no insurance.

"This health insurance initiative is a first for any association in the Northwest, and possibly the nation," said Dennis McMillian, President and CEO of The Foraker Group. "The initiative provides very real financial incentives to promote healthier lifestyles. We know that healthier employees mean lower health care costs and higher productivity. We hope that ultimately our success will provide an example of how other business sectors can offer insurance for their employees at a stable, affordable cost."

A recent survey showed that 23 percent of Alaska adults are uninsured, above the national average of 20 percent. Alaska's nonprofit sector has struggled to attract and retain top-level employees because it has been increasingly difficult for them to offer adequate benefits, such as health insurance. More than 10 percent of Alaska's workforce is employed in the nonprofit sector.

Under the Foraker insurance initiative, two options are available � a high deductible plan ($1,500 deductible) with a health savings account (HSA), or a catastrophic indemnity plan ($2,500 deductible). Both plans offer options for preventive care and prescription benefits.

The high deductible/HSA plan is unique in that it requires the employer to contribute at least half the annual deductible level into an individual's HSA. Both options also incorporate an individual and family wellness program that is intended to reduce the need for medical care and keep down the cost of claims. The program is available through Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska.

The Rasmuson Foundation is supporting the initiative through incentives that will encourage early enrollment by providing additional value to an employee's health savings account. It will also be used to enhance a comprehensive Health Risk Management (HRM) program and to manage and evaluate the effectiveness of the insurance plan.

In the coming weeks, The Foraker Group will begin working with its nonprofit partner organizations to get a minimum of 1,500 Alaskans enrolled in the insurance program by this fall. Learn more about the initiative at www.forakergroup.org.

About the Rasmuson Foundation

The Rasmuson Foundation was created in May 1955 by Jenny Rasmuson to honor her late husband E.A. Rasmuson. The Foundation is a catalyst to promote a better life for all Alaskans.

Helping Alaskans Give More

Cassandra Stalzer, 907-334-0520 — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:19:33 +0100

June 17, 2008 � Research shows that Alaskans in higher income brackets give less to charity than similar wage earners across the nation, yet Alaska has more charities per capita than any other state. Last week the State of Alaska, with support from Rasmuson Foundation, rolled out a powerful tool to confront the challenge of getting Alaskans to give more.

Governor Sarah Palin signed House Bill 166, the Permanent Fund Check-Off, during a ceremony at the Rasmuson Foundation. HB166 will allow Alaskans to donate a portion or all of their Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) to qualifying charitable organizations, educational institutions and community foundations. The ceremonial signing was attended by legislators, Foundation staff and board, and leaders who work to strengthen Alaska's nonprofit community.

Standing (from left): Dr. Greg Kimura, Joy Atrops-Kimura, Jon Ross, Jaclyn Sallee, Carrie Irwin Brown, Jim Maley, David Hardenbergh, Diane Kaplan, Governor Sarah Palin, Rep. Lindsey Holmes, Sen. Lesil McGuire and son Grayson, Sen. Johnny Ellis, Mary Barber, Jim Caldarola, Dennis McMillian, Steve Lindbeck, Fran Ulmer, Randy Hagenstein, Karla Jutzi. Seated (from left): John Grimes, Alison Kear, Jenni Ragland, Cathy Rasmuson, Ed Rasmuson, Michele Brown, Peggy Owens, and Susan Ruddy. Photo Credit: Flavin Photography

Each year every Alaska resident receives a dividend check from the state's Permanent Fund that was created from oil revenues to benefit current and future generations of Alaskans. The amount of the annual pay out has ranged from $300 to $1,900 per person. A recent study shows that up to one-third of Alaskans would be willing to donate a portion of their PFD if an easy check-off option were implemented on the electronic application form.

Improving charitable giving among Alaskans has been a long-term goal of Rasmuson Foundation and its partners The Foraker Group and United Way of Anchorage. Alaska's nonprofit sector, which is very dependent on public funds, provides essential services across a vast and culturally-diverse geography. The concern the partners share is that the nonprofit sector, and the vital services it provides, will not be sustainable without increasing revenue from private donations.

Rasmuson Foundation authorized up to $900,000 to implement the PFD Check-Off program for the first three years. The funds will defray the state's cost of adapting the PFD application process to accommodate the new check-off options, the cost of processing nonprofit applications, and an education campaign targeted at Alaskans.

"Rasmuson Foundation sees this as a unique opportunity," said Rasmuson Foundation President Diane Kaplan. "We have 50 years of philanthropy experience in Alaska, and by funding the PFD check-off, the Foundation can help individual Alaskans experience the rewards of giving.

"Paying for the implementation of the PFD check-off program will ensure that 100 percent of the funds donors earmark from their PFD will go to the charity of their choice, and we hope that will encourage giving. If every Alaskan gave just a small part of their PFD to worthy organizations � whether it be senior centers, parks and trails, summer camps for kids, public radio stations, health clinics or women's shelters � the impact on the quality of life in our state will be palpable.

"Our goal is for the PFD check-off to inspire life-long philanthropy," said Kaplan.

The postmark deadline for nonprofits to apply to be listed on the PFD application form passed last week, and initial reports show more than 300 groups around the state have submitted applications and more are destined to arrive with each day's mail. Later this year the Alaska Giving Coalition, which is an affiliation of nonprofit leaders, development professionals, and grantmakers, will launch a statewide communications campaign to educate Alaskans about why and how they can give through the PFD check-off program.

The opportunity to wonder and connect

Steve Haycox — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 12:00:01 +0100

There's something magic about standing beside a historical artifact: it's the sense of being connected to other human beings, maybe famous ones, maybe not, who lived, worked and loved in a different time, a time that helped to shape our own.

I remember the first time I stood before the Declaration of Independence in that small, marble entrance hall in the National Archives building in Washington, D.C. and saw the actual parchment Thomas Jefferson wrote those extraordinary words on: "We hold these truths

Mission Statement
Museums Alaska

To provide opportunities for improving museum services in Alaska and enhancing public understanding of the purposes and functions of Alaska's museums.

to be self-evident, that all men are created equal . . .."
That's the same document he held in his own hands, the same paper from which he read to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1776. It was an exhilarating and astonishing experience for me.

I get something like the same feeling when I sit in an archive or a presidential library and read the letters of an Alaska pioneer or the office memorandum of a federal official grappling with whether to create the Arctic National Wildlife Range (its original name). It's almost like being there as a participant, watching someone make a decision or formulate an observation that shaped the way we live and understand our world today. It is awesome.

A trip through the Alaska Gallery in the Anchorage Museum of History and Art always does that for me. To examine an atlatl used by an Inuit hunter on the Bering Sea or the Arctic Ocean a hundred years ago is to imagine him aiming carefully but quickly at a swimming seal, or perhaps a Sperm Whale, hurling his harpoon at just the right moment, striking home, and later bringing prized, needed food to his village. I know I don't have those skills, and if they depended on me, my fellow villagers would starve. But I can vicariously experience, albeit dimly, the responsibility that rested on his shoulders, and celebrate with the village his prowess and his success.

To stand in the Sheldon Jackson Museum in Sitka before a silken, gold-embroidered robe worn by a Russian Orthodox bishop in the early years of the 19th century is to marvel at that man's courage and patience, serving a scattered community of faithful spread across a vast maritime parish. It's also to wonder at the dedication of the handful of Russians � 823 was the largest number of Russians ever in Russian America at one time � who lived out their lives in small remote places � Unalaska, Kodiak, St. Michael, Sitka, ministering to the faithful and building for the future, our present.

The people who staff the more than sixty member institutions of Museums Alaska give me, give us all, these opportunities to connect with the people of our past in the most tangible way, through the very things they used and fashioned, things that are now the artifacts of our history, collected and preserved by the staffs of those museums. They also hand off that legacy to the future, to Alaskans yet unborn who will have the same opportunity to wonder and connect, and become part of the greater, transcending community of all us who have lived here, yesterday, today and tomorrow.

It's irreplaceable, that magic, and I thank the people who first collected the letters and the memoranda and the artifacts, and the ones today who continue to hold and care for them. They help me remember who I am, and where I have the remarkable fortune to be.

PFD "Check-off": June 14 deadline

Cassandra Stalzer — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:32:54 +0100

June 14, 2008, is the postmark deadline for Alaska nonprofits to apply by mail to be listed in 2009 as eligible charitable organizations under the new PFD "Check-off" program administered by the Permanent Fund Dividend Division of the Alaska State Department of Revenue. House Bill 166, recently signed into law by Governor Sarah Palin, provides Alaskans with a mechanism for making charitable donations to their favorite nonprofits. Nonprofits must apply annually to be qualified under the law.

Rasmuson Foundation strongly recommends Alaska nonprofits visit The Foraker Group website to review the eligibility criteria and frequently asked questions, link to the statute and download the official agency application. The Foraker Group has established a toll-free PFD information hotline and dedicated email address to assist organizations during this very quick application period. Call 1-888-785-GIFT (4438) or email pfdinfo@forakergroup.org for more information.

Organizations that miss the June 14 deadline will have another opportunity to qualify next year.

Rasmuson Foundation, a private family foundation funding nonprofits in every corner of the state, will pay for all start-up and initial operating costs associated with the proposed legislation, to include state time necessary to process the donations.

About the Foundation

The Rasmuson Foundation was created in May 1955 by Jenny Rasmuson to honor her late husband "E.A." Rasmuson. The Foundation is a catalyst to promote a better life for all Alaskans.

Mountain and Sea

Salty Hanes — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 12:00:02 +0100

Salty Hanes
Mountain and Sea
Cotton, glass
2005
Juneau-Douglas City Museum

The Dream Bag

Kate Boyan — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 12:00:01 +0100

Kate Boyan
The Dream Bag
Glass beads, leather
2001
Pratt Museum

Sabbatical Program expanded

Cassandra Stalzer — Fri, 30 May 2008 15:12:21 +0100

This year executives from tribes and all nonprofit sectors will be eligible to apply for the 2009 Rasmuson Foundation Sabbatical Program that is designed to provide time away from the office for rest, personal renewal and professional growth. The postmark deadline for applications is Oct. 1, 2008.

Those who hold the positions of CEO, president, executive director or tribal administrator can apply by downloading application materials from the Rasmuson Foundation website. In addition, anyone knowing a nonprofit or tribal leader that would benefit from a Sabbatical can nominate that person online at the website, and an application package will be mailed to their nominee.

"Leaders of Alaska's nonprofits and tribal governments shoulder incredible responsibility for the health and well-being of their communities," said Rasmuson Foundation President Diane Kaplan. "The hours are long, the demands intense and the resources are sometimes scarce. We believe that by giving these leaders a chance to rest, renew and recharge, their organizations will be stronger and Alaskans will reap the benefits."

Many participants who have completed the program credit their sabbatical with preventing professional and emotional burn-out. Sabbatical program recipients have spent time reconnecting with family, traveling, and pursuing personal interests. Organizations have also benefited as boards and staff members assume additional responsibility during their leaders' absence.

There have been 20 sabbatical recipients since the program began in 2004. Sabbaticals can run from two to six continuous months. Each grant awarded can total up to $30,000 to cover salary and expenses incurred during the sabbatical. The application requires a written plan for how the organization will be managed in the leader's absence and a letter from the organization's board endorsing their executive's decision to apply for the sabbatical.

"For five years the Foundation exclusively awarded sabbaticals to individuals serving health and social service organizations," explained program officer Sammye Pokryfki. "As the program matured it became clear that sabbaticals would be beneficial to organizations and individuals from across the entire nonprofit sector. So for the first time this year, the Sabbatical Program will be available to all Alaska nonprofit CEOs and tribal leaders."

The two primary criteria for selection are the benefit of the sabbatical for the individual and the organization, and the demonstrated ability of the organization to sustain itself in the executive's absence. Personal interviews with finalists play a major role in the decision process.

Guidelines and application materials are available at the Foundation's website or by calling (907) 297-2700 or toll free (within Alaska) at 1-877-366-2700.

About the Foundation

The Rasmuson Foundation was created in May 1955 by Jenny Rasmuson to honor her late husband "E.A." Rasmuson. The Foundation is a catalyst to promote a better life for all Alaskans.

Hosed

Mark Daughhetee — Sun, 18 May 2008 12:00:02 +0100

Mark Daughhetee
Hosed
Silver gelatin, matt
2004
University of Alaska Museum of the North

Senungetuk Named Distinguished Artist

Victoria Lord — Mon, 12 May 2008 11:24:39 +0100

Ron Senungetuk, visual artist, curator, Inupiaq scholar, and former University of Alaska Fairbanks professor of Art and Design has been named 2008 Rasmuson Foundation Distinguished Artist. Artist Photo.jpg, Artist Bio.pdf

Ron Senungetuk

Senungetuk's artwork reflects a progressive interpretation of Alaska Native influences and an exploration of new forms. He is widely recognized and his work has been exhibited and purchased for collections throughout Alaska and the lower 48. Dipytch Seals.jpg, Reindeer Herd.jpg, Aurora Borealis I II III.jpg

The Distinguished Artist Award provides $25,000 in unrestricted funds to allow artists to concentrate and reflect on their work, to immerse themselves in a creative endeavor, or to experiment, explore and develop their artistry more fully.

Six artists have been selected to receive $12,000 Fellowship Awards:

Carl Battreall, photographer (Anchorage).
Nicholas Galanin, multidiscipline artist working in performance art, video installation, film, sculpture, painting and photography (Sitka).
Sonya Kelliher-Combs, visual artist working in mixed-media creating two and three dimensional works (Anchorage).
Philip Munger music composer (Wasilla).
Linda Smogor, photographer (Homer).
Vladimir Zhikhartsev, plein air watercolor painter (Fairbanks).

In addition, Individual Artist Project grants have been awarded to:

Audrey Armstrong, $5,000, folk/traditional artist working with fish skin (Anchorage).
Michael Engelhard, $5,000, literary artist (Fairbanks).
Clara Haley, $5,000, folk/traditional artist Northwest Coast cedar bark weaver (Wrangell).
Denise Heimel, $5,000, visual artist working in clay to create sculptural forms (Wasilla).
Caroline Kroll, $5,000, folk/traditional artist, wood carver, weaver (Anchorage).
Rosemary McGuire, $3,145, literary artist (Cordova).
Christopher Miller, $4,999, photographer (Juneau).
Leslie Hsu Oh, $5,000, literary artist (Eagle River).
Roswell Schaeffer Sr., $5,000, folk/traditional artist working with wood, ivory and bone craft (Kotzebue).
Teresa Shannon, $5,000, craft artist working in clay (Fairbanks).
Ruth Sorensen, $5,000, oil painter (Anchorage).
Tasha Walen, $5,000, craft artist working in glass (Juneau).
Sheila Wyne, $5,000, multidiscipline, multi-media artist (Anchorage).

"Diptych Seals" by Ron Senungetuk

Born in Wales, Alaska, on the western tip of the Seward Peninsula, Senungetuk grew up with traditional Inupiaq values, surrounded by a rich cultural heritage. His creative talents and intellect were recognized at an early age and he was sent to study at the Bureau of Indian Affairs high school in Sitka, Alaska. Senungetuk then went on to received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School for American Craftsman at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and a degree from Statens Handverks og Kunstindustri Skole, Oslo, Norway, where he studied sculpture and metalsmithing. He is the recipient of many distinguished honors and awards including a Fullbright Scholarship to study in Oslo, Norway, 1960 - 1961; the State of Alaska Governor's Award for the Arts, 1979; and named Professor of Art, Emeritus, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1986.

Dedicated to the creative spirit and an objective to provide educational opportunities for young Native artists, Senungetuk founded and directed the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Native Arts Center (1965-1986) and was head of the UAF Art Department from 1977 until his retirement in 1986. He has been a teacher, mentor, and supporter of talented Alaska Native students who might not have otherwise had the aspiration or opportunity to attend college. During his UAF tenure, he advocated to keep the center active for both established and emerging Native artists who did not necessarily meet the typical university enrollment requirements.

Senungetuk continues to produce art while living in Homer with his wife Turid. He regularly serves on public art committees and national and local art and craft advisory boards. He is a frequent speaker, presenter, and panelist addressing subjects including cultural identity, contemporary Native art, and traditional Alaska Native art.

The Individual Artist Awards is a program of the Arts and Culture Initiative, a ten-year $20 million investment to increase the impact of arts in Alaska. The awards are intended to provide artists with the resources to concentrate and reflect on their work, to immerse themselves in a creative endeavor, and to experiment, explore, and develop their artistry more fully. The Foundation funds artists at various stages in their career whose work is defined by excellence and accomplishment in the arts. To date, the Foundation has awarded $962,621 to 132 artists; five artists have been selected as recipients of the Distinguished Artist Award. Click here to view all Individual Artist Award recipients.

The next deadline for Project Award applications is September 1, 2008 (postmark deadline). More information is available at the Foundation's website or by calling Victoria Lord at 907-297-2827 or toll-free 1-877-366-2700.

About the Foundation

The Rasmuson Foundation was created in May 1955 by Jenny Rasmuson to honor her late husband "E.A." Rasmuson. The Foundation is a catalyst to promote a better life for all Alaskans.

Atauciq, Malruq, Pingayun — ...

Don J. Rearden — Sun, 11 May 2008 12:00:02 +0100

One: Atauciq

Cup'aq rides on her mother's back
Down the slippery boardwalk
Past the curled and snoozing sled dogs
towards her head start on life

towards the magical building
a place unlike anywhere in the village
with little tables and chairs made just for her
with fingerpaints, shelves of colorful books, and a toy kitchen

how many boats can you count?
her mother asks
Cup'aq stretches a blue knitted mitten
out to the morning mirror of the bay
and counts:

Mission Statement
RurAL CAP

RurAL CAP encourages the efforts of low-income people attempting to break the cycle of dependency and gain control of the changes affecting their lives. Its mission is to protect and improve the quality of life for low-income Alaskans through education, training, direct services, decent and affordable housing, advocacy, and strengthen the ability of low income people to advocate for themselves.

Atuaciq, Malruq, Pingayun
she says

now kass'atun
her mother says

One, Two, Three
Cup'aq says.

Two: Malruq

Isaac's son was shy at first
but the cook took him
under her wing and now
each night he talks about how

he set up tables for lunch
and painted muskox, ducks, and seals
with his fingers

sometimes Isaac hears him
singing the Yup'ik alphabet song
and when they walk together to school
in the morning dark

the snow diamonds sparkling
in the flashlight's glow
he remembers his own father
walking him through the village
braving the monster-filled shadows

bundled back then in his little squirrel-lined parka
the thick warm hood drawn tight to keep out the wind

Isaac wonders if his son will someday
make the same walk with a son of his own
and if their stories of hunting and school will be
told in the tongue of their ancestors.

Three: Pingayun

Cup'aq's brown eyes turn down
to the table where her oldest two daughters,
clench crayons and turn snow white
pages into worlds of color

she carries her third,
on her hip into the kitchen

who wants to make necklaces?
she asks, carrying a flat cake pan
filled with dyed Cheerios
red, plain, and blue

she made her own jewelry once
slipping string through the small cereal holes
fine tuning motor skills, learning
the months and days, and how to brush baby teeth
and wash dirty hands

now, a world away from the Bering Sea
and the village she called home
she tries to recreate that magic
of learning and excitement
for her own daughters

they count the little cereal gems
in Yup'ik: Atauciq, Malruq, Pingayun