Applications for Stories Grants are currently closed. They will re-open in late summer 2025.
Stories Grants provide flat $10,000 funding for projects that build a more inclusive narrative of Alaska’s past, present and future by amplifying stories that have been underrecognized or excluded from the public discourse.
There are many stories that make up Alaska – many voices, many cultures, many identities. At the Alaska Humanities Forum, we believe that stories – and in particular stories that reflect a more inclusive narrative of our state – have the power to help bridge difference and spark connection by deepening our understanding of others, ourselves, and our communities. This means that stories are not only central, but critical, to the work of strengthening communities across the state.
This grant seeks to invest in projects that share and give space to stories that need to be told, and especially those stories, voices and experiences that have been underrecognized or excluded from public discourse. By doing so, we hope this grant can contribute to building a deeper, more complex, and more inclusive narrative of Alaska’s past, present, and future.
If you are interested in applying, please review the full Grant Overview & Guidelines below. You may also view a preview of the application.
How do I apply?
We offer several ways to apply to the Stories Grant.
Online. To complete the application online, please visit the Forum’s Submittable page at https://akhf.submittable.com. If this is your first time using Submittable, you will need to create an account. As you complete the application, you may save drafts and return later.
By email. Applicants may complete the application by submitting typed or handwritten answers by email. You can find a fillable PDF application linked here.
By video or audio recording. Applicants may complete the application by submitting video or audio recordings of all application answers. Please ensure you are conscientious of the suggested page limit in your answers. To submit your application via recording, please contact our Grants team using the contact information above to determine the best submission platform for your needs.
By phone. To apply by phone, please have your answers to all application questions prepared in advance and ensure you are conscientious of the suggested page limit in your answers. Our team can then record your answers over the phone. To apply by phone, please contact our Grants team using the contact information above.
By conversational application. New this year! If you are new to writing grant applications, and your organization does not have dedicated grant writing staff, you may be eligible to conduct an application by having a conversation with AKHF grants staff. Please reach out to Shoshi at sbieler@akhf.org at least 3 weeks ahead of the application deadline to set up a time to talk. Please come to the conversation with developed thoughts on the project you’d like to propose.
Is this grant a fit for my project?
Who we fund:
Applicants must be Alaska-based nonprofit organizations or federally recognized tribal governments. For-profit organizations are not eligible to apply. At this time, we cannot fund individuals. Individuals may partner with organizations to apply for grant funding, but please note we cannot award pass-through entities; the grantee organization must play a meaningful role in the project design, implementation, and/or distribution.
Potential projects:
Written articles for print or digital distribution;
Oral histories, podcasts, and other audio projects;
Documentary-based photography and short video/film projects; and
Multimedia, web-based, and other digital projects.
Requesting Proposal Consultation and Assistance
The Forum’s Grants team is available to answer questions and provide guidance on applicant eligibility, project ideas, budget questions, and technical difficulties submitting an application. Please reach out using the contact information below.
We also offer optional draft reviews. To receive feedback on proposals, drafts must be submitted by the draft review deadline, September 30, 2024. To submit a draft by email or phone, please use the contact information below. To submit a draft via Submittable, please include “DRAFT FOR REVIEW” in the Project Title field. All feedback or suggestions are based on our past experience working with grantees and our selection committee, and do not guarantee funding.
Shoshi Bieler, Director of Grants Programs
By email: sbieler [at] akhf [dot] org
By phone: If possible, please schedule a time with me at this link so I can make sure I am prepared for our call. For urgent questions, you can reach me at (907) 770-8406.
The Alaska Humanities Forum is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that designs and facilitates experiences to bridge distance and difference – programming that shares and preserves the stories of people and places across our vast state, and explores what it means to be Alaskan.
November 25, 2024 • Tara Devlin
November 13, 2024 • Shoshi Bieler
November 6, 2024 • Cheryl Snyder