About Sealaska Heritage Institute
Sealaska Heritage Institute’s mission is to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska; SHI also conducts scientific and public policy research that promotes Alaska Native arts, cultures, history, and education statewide.
Focus Areas
Cultural preservationNative language revitalizationTraditional and contemporary Native artsArchives and collections managementEducation and youth programsScholarships and workforce developmentPublic policy research
Who They Fund
Tlingit communitiesHaida communitiesTsimshian communitiesAlaska Native youth in Southeast AlaskaNative artists and cultural practitioners
About Sealaska Heritage Institute
Sealaska Heritage Institute’s grantmaking centers Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultural work across Southeast Alaska, and its recent awards show that focus in practice. Among the largest grants on file are multi-hundred-thousand-dollar subgrants to Juneau School District, University of Alaska Southeast, and Southeast Regional Resource Center, indicating sustained support for education-linked cultural and language programs. The institute also appears as a direct funder of tribal and community organizations, including Sitka Tribe of Alaska, Ketchikan Indian Community, and Central Council Tlingit and Haida. Its programmatic reach includes Native language revitalization, traditional and contemporary Native arts, archives and collections management, education and youth programs, scholarships, workforce development, and public policy research. The grant list also includes school districts in Sitka, Klawock, Craig, Chatham, Yakutat, Hydaburg, and Ketchikan, which points to a regional funding pattern rather than a single-city focus. Across the recent record, Sealaska Heritage Institute is combining institutional support, school-based programming, and cultural preservation funding tied to Alaska Native communities.
What Sealaska Heritage Institute Funds
Education and youth programming is a visible thread in the recent grants. Sealaska Heritage Institute awarded $1,647,431 to Juneau School District in 2024 and $345,588 to Sitka School District in 2025, along with additional support to Klawock City School District and Yakutat School District. Its cultural preservation work also includes support for Native organizations and heritage institutions. The institute gave $20,000 to Huna Heritage Foundation in 2024 and $18,000 to Alaska Native Heritage Center Inc. that same year. Language and identity work sit within the broader mission as well. Recent awards to Central Council Tlingit and Haida and Sitka Tribe of Alaska align with its focus on Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultural perpetuation. The active grant programs reinforce that mix: scholarships, youth leadership travel, and a commissioned Chilkat robe project.
How Sealaska Heritage Institute Gives
Typical grants are mid-sized, with a p25 of $10,000, a median of $20,000, and a p75 of $197,840. The recent record also includes several much larger subgrants, suggesting a mixed pattern of smaller community awards and larger institutional support. The same recipients appear across multiple years, including Juneau School District, University of Alaska Southeast, Southeast Regional Resource Center, Sitka School District, Sitka Tribe of Alaska, Ketchikan Indian Community, and Klawock City School District. Sealaska Heritage Institute funds grants rather than individuals, and the active programs show both unsolicited scholarship applications and a project-based commission process for the Chilkat robe work.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$3.5M
Total Assets
$60.2M
Total Revenue
$28.6M
Total Expenses
$22.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $198K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$198K
Geographic Reach
Local2 states funded
About 97% of grants go to recipients in AK.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
LEE KADINGER
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