The City of Unalaska, situated in the heart of the Aleutian Islands, serves as the primary population hub for the region. In a recent council meeting held on April 23, the Unalaska City Council approved all funding requests from local nonprofits. A total of eight organizations, including KUCB, submitted applications for Community Support Grants, with all requests receiving the full amounts they had requested.
The largest grant recipient this year was Iliuliuk Family and Health Services, which requested over a million dollars to cover the cost of after-hours emergency care. The majority of funding for these grants comes from the city’s general fund, with two organizations – the health clinic and the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association – receiving their funding from the city’s tobacco excise tax revenue.
Assistant City Manager Marjie Veeder stated that five of the eight applicants had requested more money than in previous years. However, granting these requests in full is not expected to strain the budget significantly as funding for some of them will not come from the general fund but rather from tobacco excise tax revenue.
The tobacco excise tax was introduced by Unalaska City Council in 2021 as part of an effort to improve public health by reducing cigarette consumption and tobacco use in general. Revenue generated by this tax is dedicated solely to Unalaska Community Support Grant Program and has made it easier for Council members to fund larger requests like those made by Iliuliuk Family and Health Services. During the meeting, Councilmember Daneen Looby emphasized that supporting such initiatives aligns with
