Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council

This project will support a tribal summit brining together 70 tribal villages within the Yukon River Watershed to discuss concerns and actions around mining and extraction and land and subsistence protection efforts.

Program Opportunity Statement (Recommended 300 words or less) The Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council is an Alaska non-profit organization whose members are 74 Alaska Tribes and Canada First Nations in the 330,000 square mile area of the entire Yukon River and tributaries. YRITWC seeks funds to operate and provide environmental services and sciencitific research to help meet its mission of protecting the Yukon River waters. The grassroots organization seeks out federal and foundation funding. 95% of the funds received are from the US federal government. The Watershed Council does not have an established indirect rate and therefore receives the deminimus rate for general and administrative expenses. Therefore, the Council utilizes a small amount of the indirect budget for governance. With an area of 330,000 square miles and two board members from seven regions in Alaska, it is difficult for the executive board to meet, plan, provide direction and set policy for the organization (Cananda covers its own expenses). Funding from this opportunity will provide financial support for the executive board to meet and set direction for organization and to plan for a Biennial Summit for all the Alaska tribes and First Nations to meet in late summer/early fall of 2025.

This grant will bring together as many of the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council members (57 Alaska tribes and 17 First Nations) as possible to address the mission of the organization of protecting water including climate change and resiliency that affects the Yukon River basin (330,000 square miles).