The City of Soldotna, Love INC and Kenai Peninsula Housing Initiatives will receive $770,000 in grant funds from the Anchorage-based Rasmuson Foundation, the organization announced earlier this month. The groups are three of 17 that will receive funds for projects during the foundation’s fall and winter 2023 grant cycle.

The City of Soldotna received the fourth-largest award of the cycle, at $450,000, to be put toward the construction of the Soldotna Field House. When completed, the 40,500-square-foot Soldotna Field House will cover roughly an acre of land adjacent to the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.

Another $200,000 is going to Love INC of the Kenai Peninsula to outfit the Nikiski Shelter of Hope with a sprinkler system and new electrical and fire alarm systems. The 22-bed shelter, the first of its kind on the Kenai Peninsula, opened in December 2021 and serves unhoused people. Homer-based Kenai Peninsula Housing Initiatives, Inc. will also receive $120,000 for a six-unit housing development serving independent seniors 55 years or older.

Other grant recipients include The Foraker Group, an Anchorage-based nonprofit that was awarded $3 million to support its operations over the next four years, and Residential Youth Care Inc., which received $600,000 to support the construction of a youth center in Ketchikan.

The Rasmuson Foundation in a Dec. 15 press release announcing this year’s grant recipients celebrated the awards as “empowering Alaska-based organizations to tackle critical issues across the state.”

“From nurturing young minds to fostering inclusive recreation and addressing alcohol misuse, these grants fuel initiatives making a real difference in local communities,” the group said.

More information about the Rasmuson Foundation, including other grant recipients, can be found on the organization’s website at rasmuson.org.

Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.