2023-2024 Awardees

  • Resource Center for Parents and Children

  • Fairbanks Queer Collective

  • Interior Alaska Center for Nonviolent Living

  • Big Brothers Big Sisters

2024-2025 Awardees

  • Our 2 Cents Fairbanks, Inc.

  • Stars of Gold Readers

  • Empowering Education

  • Interior Aids Association

  • Fairbanks Queer Collective

  • Big Sister Helping Little Sister

  • Food Pantry and Hygiene Supply for West Valley High School

  • Food Pantry and Hygiene Supply for Lathrop High School

  • Big Brothers Big Sisters

  • Resource Center for Parents and Children

  • Fairbanks HopeLink

About the Awardees

Resource Center for Parents and Children

RCPC is dedicated to promoting education and safety awareness surrounding parenting, personal safety, online safety, and other areas of concern for the families they serve. Their direct outreach to local agencies and individual clients ensures crucial information retention.

RCPC’s award provided supplies needed for family reunification after children were in foster care. Items needed include baby monitors, thermometers for children and infants, healthcare and grooming kit for infants, safety latches, hidden locks for cabinets and drawers, outlet covers, toilet locks, and corner/edge protectors. 

Fairbanks Queer Youth Council

The Fairbanks Queer Collective is a grassroots, QTBIPOC-led organization committed to building safe, inclusive spaces for the LGBTQ2S+ community in Interior Alaska. It focuses on uplifting queer joy, community education, youth mentorship & leadership training, legal advocacy, and LGBTQ2+ rights advocacy. This organization has received awards for multiple programs over the years:

The Fairbanks Queer Youth Council aims to give queer youth across Interior Alaska a platform to have their voices heard and address the unique challenges they face. Through strong adult mentorship, leadership training, peer-to-peer education, and increased opportunities, they strive to empower LGBTQIA2S+ youth, especially trans and non-binary individuals.

The Free Queer Legal Clinic goal is to provide the opportunity for 2SLGBTQIA+ Interior Alaska’s to have a space to access free support from local lawyers willing to do pro bono work and help with legal matters while also providing funding for covering filing fees and travel expenses. We will also have resource tabling from allied organizations who offer services to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

The 2024 Gender Affirmation Project aims to provide essential gender-affirming products, including binders, gaffs, padded bras, and packers, to transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals in Interior Alaska and surrounding areas. In addition, the project will create and distribute a "Best Practices" educational mini booklet to ensure recipients are well-informed on the safe and effective use of these products. The project’s primary goal is to support at least 50 individuals by eliminating financial and geographic barriers that prevent access to these vital garments, thereby enhancing their physical and mental well-being. By distributing these garments and educational resources, the project seeks to foster greater inclusivity, dignity, and safety within Alaska’s LGBTQ+ community.

Interior Alaska Center for Nonviolent Living

The Interior Alaska Center for Non-Violent Living (IAC) is a safe and supportive community for all. IAC provides programs to intervene and prevent domestic violence, sexual assault, suicide, and other violent crimes that negatively impact our community and the surrounding interior villages.

Low Barrier Housing Program serves 15 units in its low barrier housing, offering voluntary supportive services and consumer-driven support. They primarily assist single women with a history of surviving sexual assault and domestic violence. IAC's mission aligns with the city of Fairbanks' goal to end homelessness for all. The funds provided to IAC support case manager staff, ensuring that they can provide 100 hours of much-needed support. Additionally, program supplies will help with basic necessities like cleaning supplies, food security, winter clothing, and more. This project directly impacts the quality of life for 13 families, helping them lead independent lives and enriching the Fairbanks community.

Big Brothers Big Sisters

Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) is a nonprofit with the mission to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth

BBBS was awarded funds to assist a project is to grow the number of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ volunteer mentors in the Fairbanks North Star Borough. With the help of the Fabulous Feminists in 2023, BBBS increased the number of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ women by 28%.

With this project more BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth will be matched with BIPOC and LGBTQ+ mentors who understand their culture, needs and struggles. This will help the next generation of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ adults be more confident in their ability to use their voices, share their stories and know their value as they face discrimination and move into adulthood and the world at large. It is also anticipated that Littles will experience better academic performance, fewer risky behaviors, and better family, peer, and community relationships. According to 2023 surveys administered to youth who had been matched for at least one year:

-100% felt they had an important adult in their life
- 78% of youth improved or maintained academic performance
- 90% avoided risky behaviors
- 91% improved or maintained their relationships with peers

Our 2 Cents Fairbanks, Inc.

Our 2 Cents (O2C) is nonprofit that provides a way for local residents to commit to a small monthly donation to help raise funds for much needed community investment. O2C invests the money it raises into local non-profit organizations to help build sustainable, community-based services, projects, and art forms. O2C was awarded funds for its program Helping Women, Period. that delivered tampons and pads to middle and high schools in the Fairbanks area. These products were made available in school nurse offices and restrooms, ensuring easy access for students who need them.

Stars of Gold Readers

Stars of Gold Readers is dedicated to enhancing literacy success by removing barriers, expanding opportunities, and supporting families and school staff in fostering a love for reading among youth. It was awarded funds for its project, Empowering Young Minds: Building a Diverse and Inclusive Literacy Future, that focused two impactful events designed to distribute diverse books and provide resources to parents, families, community members, and educators.


The events featured a presentation geared towards equipping educators, families and community members with the tools and strategies to create an anti-biased framework that fosters diversity and inclusion.  This presentation provided practical guidance on how to implement these principles in both home and classroom settings. The curated book lists, reflected the diversity of our global society, cover themes such as Alaska Native/American Indian, African American, LGBTQ+, disabilities, and underrepresented people and families. This ensured that all youth can see themselves and others represented in a positive light.

The project was based on Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop's "Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors" model:
Mirrors: Books that allow youth to see themselves and their experiences.
Windows: Books that provide views into other people's lives and experiences.
Sliding Glass Doors: Books that offer youth a chance to step into and explore other worlds.
Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors Video

 

Interior Aids Association

IAA's mission is to improve the quality of life for people living with, affected by or at risk for HIV/AIDS or other stigmatized conditions - often related to sex or drug use - through harm reduction, resource development and advocacy as best suits the people who need help.

IAA was awarded funds to update its camera system to assist its Fairbanks Opioid Workgroup, a task force confronting Opioid Misuse and overdose that comes together monthly to learn and teach people and organizations that care about Opioids and their effect on our community. This group meets regularly for the last 8 years, bringing together medical professionals – doctors and nurses, treatment professionals, public defenders, family members and individuals affected by the opioid epidemic. This updated technology also supports other IAA programs such as telehealth for counseling and groups, and training in topics like HIV Prevention to high level counseling training. 

Fairbanks HopeLink

Fairbanks HopeLink is a seasonal, overnight warming center, open 7 nights a week, meeting people where they are and keeping them warm, safe, and connected to community resources. We are committed to providing a low-barrier environment for individuals experiencing homelessness during cold winter nights.