Why We Fund Projects that Get Alaskans Talking to Each Other

In 2023, the Alaska Humanities Forum (AKHF) launched our new Strengthening Communities Grants Program. This program consists of three funding opportunities: Stories Grants and Dialogues Grants, which we offer to organizations, and Kindling Conversation Stipends, which we offer to individuals and organizations. To learn more and apply, explore our grantmaking opportunities. 

To celebrate the newest cohort of grant awardees, AKHF Director of Stories and Grants Programs Shoshi Bieler reflects on the process of designing the Dialogues Grants.

As one of 56 state and territorial humanities councils supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), grantmaking is one of our core programs at the Alaska Humanities Forum – in fact, we’ve been offering grants since we were founded in 1972! Today, we prioritize funding projects that get Alaskans talking to each other – read on to learn more about why.

Why Dialogues Matter

When we decided to relaunch our grant programs in 2022, one of our main goals was to further align our funding with our mission: to connect Alaskans through stories, ideas, and experiences that inspire understanding and strengthen communities. Throughout our many years of designing and facilitating community conversations across Alaska, we have found that bringing people together from diverse backgrounds helps them think more deeply about the world around them, find new perspectives, and discover different ways of viewing the challenges our communities face. Time and again, we have seen that when Alaskans come together to really talk to one another, they gain a sense of hope and belonging that makes them more likely to continue building connections, thinking critically, and finding ways to contribute to their communities.

At AKHF, we believe that Alaskans need access to more of these thoughtfully crafted spaces to be in conversation with each other. AKHF’s President and CEO, Kameron Perez-Verdia, puts it this way: “The problems that we face aren’t simple – they’re layered, they’re nuanced. At the heart of these challenges, and at the heart of the solutions, are people. If we really want to strengthen communities, we have to build relationships by convening to talk about the issues that are most important.”

Through our Dialogues Grants, we seek to support this vision by connecting with and funding the many amazing Alaskan organizations already doing this type of community-based work, as well as those that are interested in experimenting with this type of facilitation. Through this grant, our vision is to help build a network of organizations across Alaska activating connection and change through conversation.

That network starts with our recently announced first cohort of Dialogues Grantees, each of whom are seeking to address a need in their community through facilitated convenings. The Cold Climate Housing Research Center (CCHRC), for example, will be designing and hosting an Interior Housing Forum. CCHRC describes their project as aiming to “produce actionable strategies, foster partnerships, and drive positive change in the housing sector. By enhancing understanding and developing practical solutions, the Interior Housing Forum will support the creation of resilient, sustainable, and healthy living environments for Alaskan communities.”

Responding to Community Input

Our decision to focus on community dialogues didn’t come solely from internal reflection—it was also influenced by feedback from our grantees. For several years, we have offered our Kindling Conversations Stipend program, which provides conversation “toolkits” for facilitators to use around a range of topics, including the relationship between media and communities or the connection between death and culture. We were excited to hear requests from Kindling Conversation participants for additional funding opportunities to support the design and facilitation of their own community conversations.

These requests, as well as reflections from other grantees, spoke to a need for support in Alaska for spaces that bring people together. ArtChange, a past grantee based in Sitka, described how they felt fortunate to “have witnessed the participants [in their story sharing project]…gain understanding, appreciation and empathy for the places they live, for the potential of humanity and for what we might create in the future. There is room for much more and many more voices.”

Our Dialogues Grants are a direct response to this feedback. These grants provide up to $5,000 for organizations to design and facilitate community dialogues around the topics most important to Alaskans.

The Alaska Public Interest Research Group (AKPIRG), a current Dialogues Grantee, will host one such crucial conversation on Alaska Native language access. AKPIRG says: "There is a need across the state for Alaskans to talk about our languages, acknowledge our history, and to heal and grow while deepening our understanding of and connection to what languages mean to our people. AKPIRG will be holding a community conversation surrounding Alaska Native languages and language access, in order to grow community connections, celebrate our diverse communities, and honor the first peoples of these lands."

We can’t wait to see the impact of each of our grantee projects. Check out our website to learn more about the recently announced cohort.

Fairbanks Housing Dialogue, Cold Climate Housing Research Center, Fairbanks

Alaska Native Language Access Conversation, Alaska Public Interest Research Group, Anchorage/Statewide

Voices of our Neighbors, Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness, Anchorage

Prioritizing Community Training Opportunities, Latinx’i Coalition, a community affiliate of Native Movement, Yakutat

The Future of Higher Education on the Historic Sheldon Jackson Campus, Outer Coast, Sitka

Want to spark critical conversations in your community? Learn more about applying for a Kindling Conversation Stipend or a Dialogues Grant here!