Youth Cultural Heritage Grant Program
The Youth Cultural Heritage Program (YCH), made possible by funding from Rasmuson Foundation and administered by the Alaska State Council on the Arts, is designed to support organizations and groups that deliver cultural heritage programming to children and youth in Alaska. As an initiative of the Alaska State Council on the Arts, the Youth Cultural Heritage program places emphasis on teaching and learning in and through culturally specific art forms, relevant to communities of culture in Alaska. Alaska 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations, schools, units of state, local or tribal government proposing YCH Program-aligned activities are eligible to apply for funding and services through the Youth Cultural Heritage program. Note: YCH grantees are neither requested nor required to provide a waiver of sovereign immunity to apply for or receive grant funding from the Alaska State Council on the Arts.
Otherwise eligible groups, without tax-exempt status, may be eligible to apply for a YCH grant with a Fiscal Sponsor Partner. To learn more about fiscal sponsorships and ASCA, you can download this document about fiscal sponsorship. You can also access a template for fiscal sponsors on the YCH program page. An individual, group or organization may receive no more than one YCH Grant, per fiscal year. (July 1 to June 30).
The goals of Youth Cultural Heritage funding are as follows:
- Strengthen Alaska children and youth’s cultural knowledge and self-awareness
- Support direct, creative development opportunities for Alaska children and youth to engage with artists and culture bearers
- Engage citizens around cultural heritage
- Bridge culture and communities
- Create greater cross-cultural understanding and empathy
To learn more about the Youth Cultural Heritage Program, request technical support and consultation, please reach out to any of the YCH program team:
- Youth Cultural Heritage Grant Coordinator: Nate O’Connor, at nate@ravensgroupak.com
- Alaska State Council on the Arts, Arts Education Program Director: Laura Forbes, at forbes@alaska.gov, (907) 269-6682
- Alaska State Council on the Arts, Indigenous Arts and Culture Program Director: Patti Oksoktaruk Lillie, at lillie@alaska.gov, (907) 269-7978
About YCH Grants
Individuals may be eligible for funding and services through the YCH Fellowship Program. YCH Fellows receive a grant and services from the program coordinators to learn, explore and discuss youth cultural heritage ideas, project development, grant writing and program evaluation. Fellows will connect with each other as a cohort, meet YCH Alumni, and develop proposals for YCH Projects in Alaskan communities. Up to four YCH Fellows will be selected in a given program cycle, and interested individuals should contact Nate O’Connor at nate@ravensgroupak.com, (907) 269-6682 for information and to discuss application to the YCH Fellowship program. The YCH Fellowship Program seeks young and emerging Alaskan leaders with a desire to grow youth cultural heritage programming in their communities.
Currently, two categories of grant funding are available for groups and organizations within the Youth Cultural Heritage Grant Program: Youth Cultural Heritage Fast Track Grants, and Youth Cultural Heritage Project Grants. See below for information, guidelines, and applications for each program.
Grant Program Guidelines: PLEASE READ THIS FIRST
Youth Cultural Heritage Fast Track Grants
Application Deadline for FY25: Rolling
Applications to the Youth Cultural Heritage Fast Track Grant program may be submitted on an ongoing basis and must be received for review at least 30 days prior to the planned activity. Organizations and groups may apply for up to $3,000 in support of a Youth Cultural Heritage activity. Call or email one of the YCH program team contacts—Nate O’Connor, Laura Forbes or Patti Oksoktaruk Lillie—to learn more about the Youth Cultural Heritage Fast Track Grant, or for technical support in preparing an application.
To get started, download and review the Youth Cultural Heritage Program Guidelines, by clicking here. Next, download and complete the application materials in Microsoft Word or PDF format, below. If you have received a grant award and need to file your final report, you can also download the final report materials in Microsoft Word or PDF format, below. If you have difficulty downloading the materials, please contact the program team.
Youth Cultural Heritage Fast Track Grant Application
Youth Cultural Heritage Fast Track Grant Final Report
Youth Cultural Heritage Project Grants
Application Deadline for fall FY25: November 15, 2024
Youth Cultural Heritage Project Grantees will convene as a group for discussion and network development, with dates to be determined. This may include travel or virtual discussions, depending on availability of the grantee cohort. Organizations and groups may apply for up to $10,000.00 in support of a Youth Cultural Heritage Project. Call or email one of the YCH program team contacts—Nate O’Connor, Laura Forbes or Patti Oksoktaruk Lillie—to learn more about the Youth Cultural Heritage Project Grant, or for technical support in preparing an application.
To get started, download and review the Youth Cultural Heritage Program Guidelines, by clicking here. Next, download and complete the application materials in Microsoft Word or PDF format, below. If you have received a grant award and need to file your final report, you can also download the final report materials in Microsoft Word or PDF format, below. If you have difficulty downloading the materials, please contact the program team.
Youth Cultural Heritage Project Grant Application
Youth Cultural Heritage Project Grant Final Report
Other Resources for Individuals, Organizations and Groups interested in the Youth Cultural Heritage Grant Program:
Visit the How Are You Creative? Website to learn more about YCH programs, projects, and activities that have been supported by the Alaska State Council on the Arts. YCH Project Grantees worked with a filmmaker to document and share their work with others. We hope this documentation illustrates the value of the great work of these organizations and individuals in communities of culture across our state.
Youth Cultural Heritage on How Are You Creative?
The “Youth Cultural Heritage Grant Memorandum of Understanding for Fiscal Sponsorship” template is a tool for groups applying for funding through the Youth Cultural Heritage Grant Program which are not formally organized as tax exempt organizations, but otherwise meet the eligibility for funding in the YCH program. Please download this template to help define and describe your fiscal sponsorship relationship with a partner organization who has agreed to be your fiscal sponsor in application for a YCH grant. about the Youth Cultural Heritage Project Grant, or for technical support in preparing an application.
MOU Template for Fiscal Sponsorship
