Filter results by:
In January, just about a month into my new role as Executive Director here at MRG, it was my honor to facilitate a panel requested by staff and leadership of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians. They wanted us to pull together leaders who were...
As most of our lives return to normal after the November 30th earthquake, it is important to recognize the difficulties that many families and organizations continue to face. The Alaska Disaster Recovery Fund, at The Alaska Community Foundation, was set up to support the ongoing recovery efforts, and enable donors to support both short-term emergency response and long-term recovery. The Fund is managed in collaboration with Wells Fargo Foundation, Rasmuson Foundation, United Way of Anchorage, American Red Cross of Alaska, Salvation Army – Alaska Division, Mat-Su Health Foundation, United Way of Mat-Su, Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, The Foraker Group and Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska. The Alaska Disaster Recovery Fund has granted out $110,000 to 18 nonprofit organizations critical in supporting those in need with disaster recovery.
The Native Arts & Cultures Foundation has a passion and talent for bringing exceptional artists together before diverse audiences to share their insightful work and inspire the spirit. In October, NACF organized three sessions with a total of seven Native artists and changemakers at two philanthropy conferences. All the sessions were well attended and received high comments from many participants. In one session, a few people were wiping tears from their eyes, and in another, the audience was rocking to the beats of a performing artist. In all sessions, questions and comments from attendees revealed their desire to know more and how they had been deeply impacted by the stimulating presentations.
Being counted matters a lot! Just a few weeks ago, MCF participated in the first Montana 2020 Complete Census Count Committee meeting where people from across Montana gathered to discuss how best to get the word out about the importance of getting an accurate count. April 1, 2020 may seem like it's a long way off, yet it will be here before we know it.
Recently I met with families whose lives were torn apart by a recent Immigrant and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid in Bellingham, Washington. Early in the morning of August 29 at least 16 people from the same employer were arrested by ICE and sent to the Tacoma Detention Center. The raid was done quietly and quickly in the dark of early morning before people arrived at work. You probably haven’t heard or read about it in the news, most people in Bellingham don’t even know it happened.
If your foundation pays for its employees’ parking or transit passes or allows employees to set aside pre-tax dollars for their transit costs, you may be surprised to know that your foundation may now owe the IRS a 21% unrelated business income tax on those payments. And – surprise! – your first payment was due on April 15, so you may face a late-filing penalty, too. If you’re startled by this news, you’re not alone.
When we began the program, the foundation’s leadership decided that investing in a small group of outstanding young people and devoting to them our time and attention to help advance their careers would be worthwhile. Indeed, the program has exceeded our expectations. The first fellow has already joined one of our key board committees, a program goal from the start. We are inspired and hopeful that our fellows will roll up their sleeves and continue their civic engagement, armed with Jackson principles and values.