The Homer Foundation celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2021, which is significant because it was the first community foundation in Alaska. The foundation got its start when a local businesswoman, Hazel Heath, and her husband, Ken, purchased a homestead near Homer, Alaska and created the foundation in 1991 to support nonprofit organizations in the area. Two other local women, Mary Epperson and Daisy Lee Bitter, joined Hazel Heath to move philanthropy forward in the city of Homer, located in the Kenai Peninsula Borough on the state’s southern coast.
Here’s a look at how the Homer Foundation has evolved from that point and what nonprofits can expect when they approach it for grants.
An independent foundation
In spite of discussions to potentially join a statewide organization to handle administration, the Homer Foundation has remained independent over the years. The funder has not become an affiliate of the Alaska Community Foundation, like so many other small community foundations in the state. Instead, the Homer Foundation wanted to continue doing things its own way—giving year-around grants rather than catering to a statewide cycle, acting as a fiscal sponsor for community projects and strengthening its own local relationships. However, the Homer Foundation has been welcomed as a “partner” by the Alaska Community Foundation and received challenge grant money to set up funds that generate earnings for grants.
Current funding opportunities
The Homer Foundation stands out among other Alaska foundations because it accepts grant requests around the year with a 30-day response time. This applies to grants up to $5,000. The funder has an online application process that it prefers, but it will also send groups a paper copy of the application upon request.
This foundation offers short-term, no-interest emergency loans to help nonprofits respond to disasters and unforeseen events. It also hosts a City of Homer grants program that supports nonprofits serving city residents, as well as the Educators Professional Development Scholarship to support public school educators.
The next generation
Another part of the Homer Foundation’s giving strategy is its youth advisory committee, which has its own specific grants program. The committee is a hands-on youth engagement program where young people can learn about leadership, volunteering and philanthropy. Its grants support youth-related issues and it typically accepts applications starting in mid-February for a program that runs in the spring.
The selfie tour
An interesting and unique offering by the Homer Foundation is its “selfie tour” program, which supports local nonprofits with unrestricted grants each year. To encourage people to explore this part of Alaska, the foundation created a list of places to visit and feature in Instagram posts with the hashtag #selfietourofhomer. Some of the locations include the Bear Creek Winery, Homer Bookstore and Homer Council on the Arts. Each year on November 1, the foundation chooses a winner for the photo contest and gives the photographer the opportunity to nominate a favorite local nonprofit. Three nonprofit organizations can receive unrestricted grants through this program each year.
Learn more about this foundation in the full profile of the Homer Foundation in our Northwest funding guide.