Kawerak, Inc.

Kawerak, Inc., a non-profit tax-exempt corporate entity based in Nome, Alaska, serves as a federally recognized tribal consortium representing 20 federally recognized tribes across the Bering Strait, Norton Sound, and Yukon regions of western Alaska. The organization is established by the Bering Straits Native Association, an Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act Regional Corporation, and operates as a tribally authorized non-profit that delivers comprehensive services to federal agencies through both contract and grant awards. Kawerak, Inc. provides a diverse portfolio of services spanning transportation infrastructure development, environmental management and remediation, community and workforce development, cultural preservation, health and social services, energy development, and economic development initiatives designed to support the economic, social, and cultural well-being of Alaska Native communities in remote, underserved regions.

Kawerak, Inc. has a limited contract award history, having received only one federal contract award on record. In February 2022, the organization received a purchase order contract from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration valued at $23,100 to provide Marine Mammal Subsistence Hunter Services, with an ultimate completion date of May 30, 2022. This contract reflected the organization's engagement in natural resource management and subsistence support activities for Alaska Native communities. Beyond this single prime contract award, Kawerak, Inc. has not been designated as a federal contract prime awardee with known subcontractors, indicating that the organization primarily focuses its federal engagement through grant mechanisms rather than traditional procurement contracts.

Kawerak, Inc. maintains an extensive and robust federal grant portfolio spanning multiple agencies and program areas, with prime grant awards totaling tens of millions of dollars across diverse program initiatives. The organization has received substantial transportation infrastructure funding from the Federal Highway Administration through both formula and project grants under the Highway Planning and Construction program (CFDA 20.205), including awards for the Tribal Transportation Program, Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Lands, and Rural Surface Transportation Grants, with cumulative funding exceeding $70 million for road construction, bridge rehabilitation, and transportation safety improvements across remote Alaska Native communities. In the environmental sector, Kawerak, Inc. has received significant support from the Environmental Protection Agency Region 10, including brownfields remediation grants under CERCLA Section 128(a), solid waste infrastructure funding through the SWIFR program, contaminated ANCSA lands assistance, and climate action planning support, enabling the organization to conduct environmental assessments, site cleanups, recycling initiatives, and greenhouse gas emission reduction planning. The organization has secured substantial early childhood and family services funding from the Department of Health and Human Services, including a $5.45 million Head Start grant (CFDA 93.600) for comprehensive early childhood education and health services, child welfare and family support formula grants, vocational rehabilitation services, and peer mentoring initiatives focused on economic self-sufficiency for Alaska Native communities. Kawerak, Inc. has also received significant justice and victim services funding, including $260,000 from the Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime for child advocacy center operations, $900,000 from the Office on Violence Against Women for domestic violence prevention and victim services, and multiple smaller victim services and children's justice grants supporting trauma-informed and culturally responsive programming. In the workforce development and education arena, the organization has received grants from the Department of Labor for community project funding and employment training, the Department of Education for Alaska Native educational programs including language immersion projects and online technology engagement initiatives, and the Department of Career Technical and Adult Education for vocational training programs. The organization has also secured energy development funding, including Tribal Energy Development Capacity grants from the Bureau of Indian Affairs totaling over $1.7 million for geothermal utility development and quarry feasibility studies, Department of Energy awards for geothermal district heating and cooling system design, and Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service grants for high-energy-cost community energy solutions. Additionally, Kawerak, Inc. has received funding from the Denali Commission for critical infrastructure projects including community street improvements, harbor design, workforce development, and municipal capacity building; from NOAA for salmon monitoring and Pacific Salmon Treaty initiatives; from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration for hazmat emergency preparedness planning; from the Economic Development Administration for economic development planning and Native enterprise expansion; from the National Park Service for cultural resource management and preservation initiatives; and from the Department of Interior Fish and Wildlife Service for marine mammal co-management and subsistence user coordination programs. The organization has also served as a sub-recipient on multiple federal grant awards from prime grantees including the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, State of Alaska entities, university systems, and non-profit research organizations, further expanding its reach in health services, workforce development, cultural research, and community infrastructure projects. This comprehensive grant portfolio demonstrates Kawerak, Inc.'s capacity to manage complex, multi-year federal funding across numerous program areas in service to Alaska Native communities throughout western Alaska.