Alaska Venture Fund

08/12/2026

As whales and hooligan were returning to the fjords and valley, Tribal citizens and staff, scientists, conservationists, and nonprofits came together for the inaugural Chilkat Biodiversity Forum.

Born of the idea that the Chilkat Valley holds an abundance of biological and cultural diversity, this event brought together Indigenous knowledge and Western science to build a shared understanding of the region’s biodiversity.

08/05/2026

Building for a More Abundant Alaska

In our latest newsletter, you'll find work rooted in Alaska’s abundance and built for the long term. Tribes and scientists gather to build a shared understanding of the Chilkat Valley. Cordova’s decade-long bet on hydropower. A new analysis asking whether federal land policy can do more for the climate. Taken together, they point to the same goal: Alaskans building genuine independence and resilience.

🔗 Read here: https://alaskaventure.org/newsletters/building-for-a-more-abundant-alaska/

07/17/2026

07/14/2026

Klukwan (Tlákw Áan) sits on the Chilkat River, 22 miles northwest of Haines and 17 miles from the Canadian border. It's home to the Chilkat Indian Village of Klukwan, one of the communities we've partnered with as part of our strategy of long-term, place-based investment.

Join Shawna Hotch, AVF’s Indigenous Networks Coordinator and Chilkat Indian Village of Klukwan Tribal council member, for a tour of the community she loves and calls home.

AVF provides capacity support and access to resources. The community decides what sustainability, self-determination and cultural revitalization look like on the ground.

04/30/2026

"I feel like a strong community is one that can show up for each other in not just times of crisis."

As we turn the page on April, we want to take a moment to celebrate not only National Volunteer Month, but also our awesome team member Jocelyn Ciarlone! Jocelyn has been working with Mutual Aid Network of Anchorage - MANA, using her background in legal services to streamline systems and help MANA share resources to meet neighbors' basic needs. In 2025, she and MANA helped distribute over $70,000 of aid to community members in the Anchorage area!

Thank you to Jocelyn, and to all our incredible staff who volunteer for their communities here in Alaska!

You can learn more about MANA and Jocelyn's work with them in this video from Alaska Public Media.

And you can support MANA here: https://www.wearemana.org/

04/21/2026

We're so excited to celebrate Alannah Hurley, Executive Director of the United Tribes of Bristol Bay (UTBB), who has been named a recipient of the 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize—one of the world's most prestigious environmental awards, recognizing grassroots leaders who have fundamentally shaped the future of their communities.

Alannah has spent more than a decade doing exactly that. Working on behalf of the 14 federally recognized Tribes represented by UTBB, she has helped defend the Nushagak and Kvichak watersheds, the region's salmon runs, and the Yup'ik, Dena'ina and Alutiiq ways of life that depend on them. The EPA's 2023 veto of Pebble Mine was a landmark moment, but the work continues, with UTBB pushing for permanent region-wide protections while supporting the strong, sustainable communities that call this place home.

Congratulations to Alannah and to UTBB, this award is so well deserved!

Alannah Acaq Hurley is the 2026 winner for North America! 🏆🌍

A Yup'ik leader with United Tribes of Bristol Bay, Alannah helped mobilize 15 Indigenous nations, NGOs, and other Alaskans to stop the Pebble Mine megaproject and save Alaska’s Bristol Bay. The victory protected 25 million acres of wilderness and the world’s largest wild salmon run.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4mm2szD

04/02/2026

This spring, many of us are deep in the work: focused on sustaining the agreements, processes, and relationships that will shape the future of our state.

The ground is shifting in ways that are hard to keep up with. But alongside our partners, we hold a shared conviction: that a sustainable future for Alaska is worth building toward, and that the people closest to this place are the ones best positioned to lead it.

In our latest newsletter, we sit down with Natalie Dawson to discuss what's at stake for Alaska's public lands and launch a new series spotlighting the grantees whose work we're proud to support.

🔗: https://alaskaventure.org/newsletters/the-long-game-public-lands-community-leadership/