Palmer Community Foundation Grant Program

The Palmer Community Foundation (PCF), an Affiliate of the Alaska Community Foundation (ACF), operates with the mission to improve the quality of life for residents in Palmer, Alaska, and surrounding Matanuska River watershed communities, including Butte, Sutton, Chickaloon, and Glacier View. By leveraging earnings from its growing permanent endowment, PCF provides annual grants to support a wide range of charitable activities. These grants aim to address both immediate community needs and long-term development across categories such as health and wellness, education, arts and culture, outdoor activities, and community development. PCF is deeply committed to listening to community voices to better understand and support local priorities. The 2026 Palmer CF Grant Program accepts applications from March 1 through March 31, with awards typically ranging between $1,000 and $5,000 and an average grant of approximately $2,500. Only tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations or equivalent entities, such as Tribal entities, schools, and faith-based organizations, are eligible to apply. Exceptions exist for projects from normally ineligible organizations if they impact the broader community. Ineligible applicants include individuals, for-profit entities, certain types of nonprofits (501(c)(4), 501(c)(6)), non-Alaska based organizations, and various government entities. The program explicitly excludes proposals for endowment building, fundraising, lobbying, and political activities, as well as those that involve discriminatory practices. PCF encourages organizations outside the standard eligibility criteria to consider applying through a qualified fiscal sponsor. In such cases, the sponsor must submit a formal letter agreeing to accept legal and fiscal responsibility for the grant. All applicants must complete an online grant application through the designated portal. Upon selection, grantees are required to sign an online grant agreement and complete their projects within one year of the award date. A final report, also submitted online, is required within the same time frame, and grantees with outstanding reports from previous awards are not eligible for future funding until those are resolved. Proposals are evaluated by a Grants Committee composed of PCF’s volunteer Advisory Board and other community reviewers using a standardized scoring matrix. Preference is given to first-time applicants and projects expected to benefit a broad spectrum of Palmer area residents. Evaluation criteria include the clarity and measurability of project goals, feasibility, collaboration with other organizations, number of people served, and alignment between project budgets and narrative proposals. In 2026, an additional matching opportunity exists under the Nourished Communities – Affiliate Grant Match initiative. Through this program, food security-related projects funded by PCF may receive a 2:1 match from the Nourished Communities Fund, up to a $10,000 total match per Affiliate. For example, if PCF awards $5,000 toward a food security project, the matched contribution from the program would be $10,000, resulting in $15,000 total funding to the recipient organization. General inquiries about the Palmer Community Foundation Grant Program can be directed to PCF Program Manager, Garie Cowles, via email at [email protected]. For technical questions or issues related to the online grant system, applicants can contact the Alaska Community Foundation Affiliate Program staff at [email protected] or by phone at 907-334-6700. The online application portal is accessible at www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=alaska.

PCF gives preference to first-time applicants and proposals that serve a broad segment of the local population. Emphasize community reach and collaboration.