GCI Suicide Prevention Fund reaches $1 million invested in Alaska’s communities

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – GCI employees live and work in 150 communities across Alaska and that local connection is why supporting suicide prevention has been such an important initiative for the company over the past 10 years. On World Suicide Prevention Day, GCI announces the 2025 recipients of its Suicide Prevention Fund, a program that has now provided more than $1 million in grants to community-based organizations dedicated to saving lives, promoting mental wellness, and making connections.

Suicide remains one of the most pressing public-health challenges in Alaska, affecting families and communities in every region of the state. The International Association for Suicide Prevention and the World Health Organization designate Sept. 10 as World Suicide Prevention Day with the themes “Changing the Narrative on Suicide” and “Create Hope Through Action,” underscoring the importance of stigma reduction and compassionate outreach. This year’s GCI grants align with those goals, funding evidence-based training and culturally relevant programs to ensure more Alaskans are equipped to recognize warning signs and connect their friends and neighbors to help.

“This $1 million milestone reflects the commitment of people and organizations across Alaska who are working every day to prevent suicide,” said Tiffany Vassar, senior program manager of GCI Gives. “By supporting local programs — especially in rural communities — we’re helping friends and neighbors gain the tools to recognize when someone is struggling and connect them to care. Every grant is really an investment in hope.”

2025 GCI Suicide Prevention Fund recipients

This year, GCI awards 12 grants that reflect a broad range of prevention strategies, from youth mentoring and school‑based programs to community‑wide cultural initiatives. Each recipient is dedicated to increasing awareness and training, consistent with the fund’s focus on equipping more Alaskans to act.

• NAMI Juneau – Building Community to Support Community (Southeast Alaska): A no‑cost, intensive training event that brings tribal organizations, behavioral‑health providers, educators and coalition leaders together in Juneau to strengthen regional suicide‑prevention capacity through evidence‑based intervention skills.
• Providence Alaska Foundation – Behavioral Health Service Line (Anchorage): Expands suicide prevention through Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and SafeTALK training in a new residential behavioral‑health setting by training two clinicians who will then train 30 additional caregivers.
• Norton Sound Health Corporation – Native Connections (Bering Strait region): Provides outreach, education, and cultural activities for youth ages 12‑24 in Nome and surrounding villages, combining evidence‑based trainings like PC CARES, Mental Health First Aid and SafeTALK with traditional activities such as drum making, fishing, and berry picking to strengthen cultural connections.
• Alaska Children’s Trust – Strengthening Out‑of‑School Time Programs and Youth Mental Health First Aid: Trains out‑of‑school‑time educators from dozens of communities in Youth Mental Health First Aid and delivers conference sessions on crisis response to help adults recognize and respond to adolescent mental‑health challenges.
• Maniilaq Association – Regional Community Wellness Taskforce (Northwest Alaska): A grassroots coalition formed in 2019 that partners with villages such as Selawik, Kiana, and Kotzebue to co‑design local solutions; the grant supports pilot projects developed by communities themselves to prevent suicide and build long‑term wellness.
• Native Village of Kipnuk – Our Way Towards Wellness: A community‑wide effort that reduces suicide by strengthening cultural identity and community bonds; the project will train nearly every adult in the village (Elders, teachers, health aides and council members) in QPR Gatekeeper training while hosting events that celebrate Yup’ik culture.
• Fairbanks North Star Borough School District – Sources of Strength, Seeds of Hope: Enhances the district’s Sources of Strength program by investing in peer‑leader training, professional development for educators, community‑building gatherings and a marketing campaign that destigmatizes mental‑health conversations and promotes help‑seeking behavior.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Alaska – Connected to Care: Incorporates suicide‑prevention activities into the statewide mentoring program, providing Youth Mental Health First Aid training to staff and delivering culturally appropriate videos and resources to more than 900 youth, mentors, and caregivers; a digital hub will host information on 988 and text‑line 741741.
• Native Village of Selawik – Mental Health First Aid Education: Trains two members of the Selawik Wellness Coalition as Adult and Youth Mental Health First Aid instructors, who will then deliver multiple trainings each year to community members.
• Alaska Behavioral Health – Improving Suicide Assessment in Alaska: Increases the use of evidence‑based suicide‑risk screening across clinical settings by training practitioners to administer the Columbia Lighthouse suicidality risk scale and implement safety plans for clients.
• Seward Prevention Coalition – Sources of Strength: Continues an evidence‑based peer‑led program at Seward Middle and High School that empowers youth to share stories of resilience and promote early help‑seeking while providing training for adult advisors and supplies for student‑led campaigns.
• Identity Alaska – Safe to Say: Identity Alaska advances Alaska’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, two spirited community through advocacy, education healthcare and connectivity.

Continuing commitment and resources GCI created the Suicide Prevention Fund, at Alaska Community Foundation with an initial $100,000 donation in 2016. Since then, the fund distributes approximately $100,000 in grants to nonprofits across Alaska annually. In addition to financial support, GCI encourages all Alaskans to become part of the solution. Individuals and organizations seeking free training and resources can visit the GCI Suicide Prevention Fund webpage.

“Suicide prevention takes all of us,” Vassar added. “Whether that means taking a class, volunteering with a local program, or simply checking in on a friend, every action helps create hope and strengthen our communities.”

For more information about the GCI Gives, visit www.gci.com/why-gci/gcigives. To learn about free evidence‑based trainings and suicide awareness resources, or to apply for future GCI Suicide Prevention Fund grants, go to https://alaskacf.org/funds/gci-suicide-prevention-fund/.

About GCI

Headquartered in Alaska, GCI provides data, mobile, voice and managed services to consumer, business, government, and carrier customers throughout Alaska, serving more than 200 communities. The company has invested $4.7 billion in its Alaska network and facilities over the past 45 years. Through a combination of ambitious network initiatives, GCI continues to expand and strengthen its statewide network infrastructure to deliver the best possible connectivity to its customers and close the digital divide in Alaska. Learn more about GCI at www.gci.com. GCI is an independent publicly traded company (Nasdaq: GLIBA, GLIBK, GLIBB) Learn more at https://www.gciliberty.com/.

About Alaska Community Foundation

Alaska Community Foundation (ACF) inspires the spirit of giving and connects people, organizations, and causes to strengthen Alaska’s communities now and forever. Founded in 1995, ACF manages over $250 million in assets and administers more than 2,800 funds for the benefit of Alaskans. Together with its Affiliate Foundations, ACF supports donors and nonprofits, distributing over $15 million in grants annually. Learn more at www.alaskacf.org.