Alaska Airlines Foundation awards $295,000 in LIFT Grants to nonprofits across five states

SEATTLE — The nonprofit Alaska Airlines Foundation has awarded $295,000 in LIFT Grants to 23 nonprofits in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington. These latest rounds of grants continue the mission of the Foundation’s focus on young people and career pathways. This year the Foundation has donated $655,000.

The Alaska Airlines Foundation partners with nonprofit organizations that provide pathways for success that include career planning, life skills and mentorships among young people in their regions.

"Throughout this pandemic, the resilience of families, communities, and incredible community-based organizations has been nothing less than inspiring,” said Diana Birkett Rakow, Foundation chair and senior vice president of public affairs and sustainability at Alaska Airlines. “We’re honored to support these organizations working with communities to close gaps left by COVID restrictions and limited social interaction, to enable equity and opportunity and creating pathways for young people’s success.”

The Alaska Airlines Foundation is partnering with Year Up to close the Opportunity Divide by ensuring that young professionals gain the skills, experiences, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through careers and higher education. Year Up is committed to ensuring equitable access to economic opportunity, education and justice for all young adults — no matter their background, income or zip code.

“As we celebrate the tenth anniversary of Year Up Puget Sound’s partnership with Alaska Airlines, we are thankful for their continued support throughout the pandemic and beyond,” said Fred Krug, managing director at Year Up. “Alaska Airlines has provided financial funding and invested in Year Up interns at a time when young professionals in BIPOC communities were facing tremendous challenges, and we look forward to continuing to work together to close the Opportunity Divide.”

The Opportunity Divide currently affects 33,000 young adults ages 16-24 across the Puget Sound region who are neither in school nor working and this number is expected to increase throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

As an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization over the past 22 years, the Alaska Airlines Foundation has supported nonprofits and communities where Alaska Airlines flies, investing over $3 million in grants to support programs focused on the next generation of leaders.

The Alaska Foundation provided LIFT Grants to the following 25 organizations:

Washington:
After-School All-Stars

AtWork!

College Possible

College Success Foundation

Friends of the Children-Seattle

Northwest Education Access

Rainier Scholars

The Residency

United Way of King County

Washington FIRST Robotics

Year Up, Inc.

Young Men's Christian Association of Greater Seattle

Alaska:
Bristol Bay Native Corporation Education Foundation

Alaska Development Corporation

Alaska EXCEL

California:
Barrio Logan College Institute

C5 Youth Foundation of Southern California, Inc.

Giants Community Fund

Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley

Reading Partners

The Student Conservation Association, Inc.

Hawaii:
ClimbHI Bridge

Girl Scouts of Hawaii

Hawaii Public Television Foundation

Ho’ola Na Pua

Oregon:
New Avenues for Youth

Oregon STEM

Portland Workforce Alliance

The Alaska Airlines Foundation will accept LIFT Grant requests starting Jan. 1, 2022, for the next round of 2022 consideration. Learn more about the Alaska Airlines Foundation, guidelines and grant deadlines here.

The Alaska Airlines Foundation is a private, independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Anchorage, Alaska. The Foundation's core mission is to enable opportunity for young people through LIFT grants in the communities served by Alaska Airlines.