About Kawerak
Advancing the capacity of our People and Tribes for the benefit of the region.
Focus Areas
Education & ScholarshipsVocational training & InternshipsYouth employmentEnvironmental programs & marine stewardshipCommunity health & wellnessCultural development & preservationTribal research protocols and social science
Who They Fund
nonprofit subrecipientsstate and local government agenciescommunity organizations receiving federal funds
Funding Style
pass-through funding
About Kawerak
Kawerak Inc. functions as a fiscal intermediary for tribal and community funding in Alaska, with 2025 grants largely moving through federal pass-through awards to villages and regional organizations in the Bering Strait area. The largest recent grant in the data is $4,968,481 to Stebbins Community Association, followed by $3,034,356 to Native Village of Koyuk and $2,049,106 to Native Village of St Michael. That pattern points to a funder that moves substantial resources through local entities rather than making individual awards, and the listed recipients include both Native village governments and regional organizations such as Alaska Native Heritage Center Inc. and Quintillion Subsea Operations LLC. Kawerak Inc’s stated purpose is advancing the capacity of its people and tribes for the benefit of the region, and its active programs show that the organization also supports education, scholarships, internships, youth employment, and welfare assistance. The grant record is tightly linked to place: all recent grants in the dataset go to recipients in Alaska, with many awards reaching communities across the Bering Strait and Norton Sound region.
What Kawerak Funds
Education is a consistent theme. Through Kawerak’s Educational Services program, the foundation offers vocational training assistance and higher-education scholarships, and its active programs also include the Kawerak Higher Education Scholarship Program (MyCACHE), which supports tuition, fees, housing, meal plans, and other academic costs for eligible tribal members in the Bering Strait and Norton Sound region. Work-based learning is another visible area: the Kawerak Internship Program provides paid summer internships for Alaska Native and Native American students who have completed senior year of high school or are in post-secondary education. Youth employment also appears in the Kawerak Summer Youth Work Program, which places participants ages 14 to 24 in part-time summer jobs in the region. On the community side, Kawerak’s donation program supports charities, community organizations, families, and individuals with requests tied to cultural heritage, education, youth activities, and disaster or relief needs.
How Kawerak Gives
Kawerak Inc’s typical grant size is clustered in a relatively narrow band, with p25 at $152,958, a median of $170,358, and p75 at $218,832. The recent grant list shows repeat recipients across years, including Native Village of Koyuk, Village of Solomon, Native Village of Elim, and Stebbins Community Association, which suggests ongoing relationships rather than isolated awards. Its structure is strongly compliance-driven: the listed grants are federal pass-through awards to subrecipients, and the foundation also describes programs that accept unsolicited requests. Several active programs use small awards or defined assistance amounts, such as vocational training support up to $3,000 and MyCACHE scholarships up to $1,500.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$17.7M
Total Assets
$97M
Total Revenue
$86.9M
Total Expenses
$86.2M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $153K and $219K, with a median of $170K.
25th Percentile
$153K
Median
$170K
75th Percentile
$219K
Geographic Reach
Local2 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
MELANIE BAHNKE
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