A Community Investment that Multiplies
The Community Challenge Grant Program delivers a strong return on investment. Since 2006, $2.4 million in grant funding has leveraged more than $8.4 million in total community investment, including volunteer time and donated materials. That represents approximately $3.50 in community impact for every $1 invested.
The impact continues long after a grant project is completed. Many Challenge Grant projects are later expanded or enhanced through Youth Employment in Parks crews and voter-approved municipal park bonds, multiplying the initial investment and helping create welcoming, inclusive public spaces that serve Anchorage for years to come.
“More than 100 volunteers built the Chanshtnu Muldoon Park Food Forest, now a treasured community garden. Today, volunteers continue to enthusiastically participate in work parties to maintain both facilities.”
~ 2017 Challenge Grantee
2026 Grant Awards
In 2026, the Anchorage Park Foundation awarded $311,000 to 14 community-led projects improving parks, trails, and public lands across the Municipality of Anchorage.
This year’s awards mark an important expansion of the program. For the first time, nearly half of the projects are located outside the Anchorage Bowl, supporting community-led improvements in Anchorage, Girdwood, Chugiak, Eagle River, and Chugach State Park.
Explore the 14 projects below and see how community members are helping shape the future of Anchorage’s parks, trails, and public spaces.
| Project Name | Grantee | Award |
|---|---|---|
| Hdenłyahi “That Which Grows” Ethnobotanical Trail at Alaska Botanical Garden | Alaska Botanical Garden | $36,300 |
| Alaska Trail Stewards Volunteer Program | Alaska Trails | $16,500 |
| After the Bird Cherry: Restoring Native Plant Communities in Valley of the Moon and Beyond | Anchorage Soil & Water Conservation District | $39,148 |
| Javier Dela Vega Park maintenance and upgrade/improvement | Anchorage Youth Soccer Club | $6,213 |
| Valley of the Moon Park Pump Track | Bicycle Pump Track | $18,000 |
| Lost Cabin Valley/Wolverine Ski Loop Trail Improvements | Chugach Park Fund | $25,000 |
| Upgrades to the Oberg Soccer Complex | Chugiak Soccer Club | $5,127 |
| Community mural project at Girdwood Park | Girdwood Art Institute | $5,000 |
| Four Corners Interpretive Panels | Girdwood Trails Committee | $14,000 |
| Beach Lake Chalet Trailhead "Living Room" | Girl Scouts of Alaska | $20,260 |
| Tanglewood Park Access Trail: Reroute and Restoration for Safety and Resource Protection | Great Land Trust | $20,000 |
| Replacing the Aging Kincaid Scoreboard | Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage | $40,000 |
| STA Trail Revamps, Improvements, maintenance, and Vegetation Clearing | Singletrack Advocates | $44,000 |
| Romig Hill Trails Improvement | Turnagain Neighbors (Romig Hills) | $21,613 |
Thank You
We are grateful to the Rasmuson Foundation, Municipality of Anchorage Parks and Recreation Department, and Anchorage Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects for partnering with the Anchorage Park Foundation to make this grant program possible.
