History

Our timeline of programs and impact across Alaska
  • 1965

    1965 - 1965

    • The Office of Economic Opportunity establishes the Alaska State Community Action Program (ASCAP), RurAL CAP’s previous name, to coordinate and oversee funding for community action activities throughout the state. 
    • On August 26, 1965, the first board of directors meeting occurs.
    • We offer Head Start Programming, helping children live healthy lives by training teachers and employing locals.

  • 1966

    1966 - 1966

    • We separate from the Office of Economic Opportunity, officially becoming a private, nonprofit organization.
    • Our agency begins collaborating with individuals and communities in rural Alaska to provide training and education on the harmful effects of alcohol. 

  • 1967

    1967 - 1967

    • After the discovery of oil in Alaska, the state begins claiming property for oil expansion. In response, we collaborate with Alaska Natives to ensure their awareness of the events jeopardizing land ownership. 
    • We partner with the Alaska Federation of Natives and advocate for congressional support to pass the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act in 1971, all while filling 10,0000 allotment claims to secure land.
    • We establish Alaska Legal Services which provides legal aid for those who cannot afford it.
    • We partner with the U.S Department of Labor to provide jobs for adults with a history of chronic unemployment. The program results in many roads, telecommunications systems, community halls, programs, and parks. 
    • We partner with the Alaska Village Electric Cooperative (AVEC) and bring electricity to villages at affordable rates.

  • 1968

    1968 - 1968

    • We change our name to Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc. (RurAL CAP).
    • The Community Enterprise Development Corporation (CEDC) forms from within our organization in order to assist fishery, consumer, and arts cooperatives around the state.

  • 1969 Alaska Vocational Technical Center (AVTEC)

    1969 - 1969

    • Our agency works with Senator Gruening to secure funding for and establish the Seward Skills Center, now the Alaska Vocation Technical Center (AVTEC), which trains rural Alaskans in equipment operation and maintenance.

  • 1970

    1970 - 1970

    • We co-sponsor statewide, citizen, and legislative conferences, known as Citizens Participation Conferences, to inform the public of legislation affecting them. 
    • As needs in rural Alaska change, we sponsor other gatherings such as the Alaska Conference of Tribes, Village Participation Conference, and Rural Action Forum.

  • 1971

    1971 - 1971

    • Our Alcohol Prevention Program supports rural communities in defining and addressing alcoholism. 

  • 1972

    1972 - 1972

    • We house the Alaska Native Commission on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (ANCADA) until 1974.

  • 1975

    1975 - 1975

    • We begin the Energy Program which provides rural individuals with federal funds in the form of loans and grants for energy bills. 
    • We enter into a joint fuel data gathering project with the Alaska Energy Office for the promotion of future energy legislation. 
    • We offer Weatherization which supplies low-income individuals with warmer and safer homes. 

  • 1977

    1977 - 1977

    • The board identifies subsistence, the practice of harvesting wild resources for nutrition and cultural practices, as our organization’s number one priority.

  • 1978

    1978 - 1978

    • Our Subsistence Advocacy Program develops while we maintain a full-time liaison in Washington, D.C. who coordinates communication between various Alaska Native, Alaskan, and national groups. 
    • The Alcohol Prevention Program expands to include teen peer counselor training workshops, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) education, and domestic violence workshops. 

  • 1979

    1979 - 1979

    • Energy Advocacy Workshops result in the development of the Alaska Regional Energy Association (AREA) that addresses fuel transportation, alternative energy, weatherization needs, and home heating.
    • We begin supporting and organizing subsistence groups, including the Rural Alaska Resources Association, which supports rural communities by providing education and advocacy. 

  • 1980

    1980 - 1980

    • We initiate the Crisis Intervention Training Program and the Village Energy Reconnaissance and Conversation Program to increase energy self-sufficiency. 
    • The Alcohol Prevention Program reorganizes into the Counseling Program and the Community Action Education Project (that sponsors statewide workshops for village alcohol and drug abuse counselors).

  • 1981

    1981 - 1981

    • The Community Action Education Project creates the Alaska Village Alcohol Information League (AVAIL) in order to maintain a network of mutual support for villagers concerned with alcohol and drug abuse. 

  • 1984

    1984 - 1984

    • Rural Alaskan counseling and prevention staff gather for the first Rural Providers’ Conference, sponsored and planned by AVAIL.
    • Our Subsistence Program helps create Indigenous Survival International (ISI), an alliance of indigenous Alaskans, Canadians, and Greenlandic peoples.

  • 1986

    1986 - 1986

    • We decide that none of our events will serve alcohol; several native organizations follow suit. 

  • 1987

    1987 - 1987

    • Rural Energy Enterprises (REE) emerges as a profit-making entity that secures Toyostove space heaters and provides rural communities with cost-effective heating.

  • 1988

    1988 - 1988

    • We support high-efficiency heaters that cut fuel oil while sponsoring village Do-It-Yourself Energy fairs and Rural Energy conferences.

  • 1989

    1989 - 1989

    • The Youth Survivors, a five-year project, commences with a focus on at-risk youth and increasing pride in Alaska Native heritage and reducing risk factors.

  • 1990

    1990 - 1990

    • We apply the “Spirit of the Family” approach (a training focused building healthy families through traditional Alaska Native family and community values) to our interactions.

  • 1991

    1991 - 1991

    • The Emmonak Preschool Intervention Project commences. This five-year project unites us with Emmonak locals.

  • 1994

    1994 - 1994

    • We sponsor AmeriCorps, a national community service organization that provides volunteers who address education, public safety, human needs, and the environment.
    • The Child Development AmeriCorps Program, later the Addressing Rural Challenges Through Intergeneration Cooperation Program (ARCTIC), serves as a means of addressing child development needs in rural communities. 

  • 1995

    1995 - 1995

    • The Child Development Center in Anchorage opens and begins supplying families with high-quality, full-day, and year-round child care for young children.
    • The Beginning Alcohol Basic Education Studies Program (BABES) and our Early Decisions Project work toward preventing FAS via the education of women. 

  • 1996

    1996 - 1996

    • The Alaska EPA AmeriCorps Program, later the Rural Alaska Village Environmental Network AmeriCorps Program (RAVEN) is created. Recruited from local communities, volunteers help with solid waste management, sanitation, and energy conversation concerns.

  • 1997

    1997 - 1997

    • Homeward Bound forms to provide individuals experiencing chronic homelessness with the tools needed for moving from homelessness into stable and meaningful communities. 

  • 1999

    1999 - 1999

    • We begin offering Parents as Teachers, a national program educating the parents of young children on intellectual, physical, and social-emotional growth.  
    • Community Bound begins as a complement to Homeward bound focused on employment and housing. The participants receive individualized employment training, money management plans, rental assistance, and help returning to their community. 

  • 2000

    2000 - 2000

    • Our Affordable Housing Program commences with the intent of offering permanent housing to those with limited credit and rental history in Anchorage.

  • 2004

    2004 - 2004

    • We start the BIRCH (Building Initiatives in Rural Community Health) AmeriCorps Program, which provides members of rural community’s service opportunities in health and wellness.
    • We establish Self-Help Housing to aide first-time home buyers through affordable home ownership with no down payment and small mortgage payments.

  • 2009

    2009 - 2009

    • The Energy Wise Program launches to reduce rural, residential energy costs and provide jobs for locals. 
    • We administer several waste management projects to clean up landfills around the state. 

  • 2011

    2011 - 2011

    • The Growing Up Tobacco Free Project forms to create a healthier environment for Head Start children by promoting tobacco education. 
    • Karluk Manor opens as the first facility in Alaska for individuals experiencing homelessness, mental illness, medical problems, and substance use disorder.
    • We manage the Municipality of Anchorage Weatherization Program and the number of weatherized homes increase. 

  • 2012

    2012 - 2012

    • We purchase a new Child Development Center in Anchorage, allowing for the expansion of child-care services.
    • We use funds from the Alaska Department of Juvenile Justice to finance grants for cultural activities and youth leadership.
    • The Resource Basket Training and Technical Assistance Center launches to help rural communities support healthy, successful, and culturally connected Alaska Native youth.

  • 2013

    2013 - 2013

    • 14 rural Head Start sites get enabled with live web streaming from classrooms to the Anchorage central office. 
    • Significant expansion in programming allows 2,378 homes to receive weatherization services statewide.

  • 2014

    2014 - 2014

    • RurAL CAP’s Elder Mentor Program launches to improve children’s success through the service of elders in the Foster Grandparent Senior Corps Program.
    • We acquire Safe Harbor Muldoon and Sitka Place as supportive housing option.

  • 2016

    2016 - 2016

    • We develop 325 East 3rd, a 20-unit supportive housing facility in Anchorage.

  • 2017 Muldoon Garden in Anchorage

    2017 - 2017

    • We develop Muldoon Garden, a 23-unit apartment complex to provide affordable, healthy living spaces to low-income residents in Anchorage. 

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