Alaska Airlines Foundation Grants Awarded to Address Critical Community Needs

April 23, 2020
These LIFT grants, the first round of 2020, are in response to urgent needs of food insecurity, shelter, remote educational support and other needs of families caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Alaska Airlines Foundation is awarding $315,000 to 23 nonprofits in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington. These LIFT grants, the first round of 2020, are in response to urgent needs of food insecurity, shelter, remote educational support and other needs of families caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

"COVID-19 has had a profound impact on individuals and the world around us – from jobs, to education, to paying rent and getting food on the table," said Diana Birkett Rakow, chair of the Alaska Airlines Foundation Board of Directors. "We're honored to support these nonprofit organizations, and their teams, at the forefront of helping individuals and families through crisis."

As an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Alaska Airlines Foundation has supported communities for more than 20 years.

"We call these LIFT grants, inspired by the principle of lift behind an airplane taking flight," said Birkett Rakow. "Today, we think about that very literally, to enable opportunity, sustain, and lift one another to come through this crisis with immediate needs and for the long term."