Doyon Foundation

FAIRBANKS, AK EIN: 94-3089624 Website

Doyon Foundation is a private nonprofit charitable foundation based in Fairbanks, Alaska, established in 1989 as the private foundation for Doyon, Limited. The foundation supports educational, career, and cultural opportunities for Doyon shareholders and their descendants, with a particular focus on Native Alaskan communities and Indigenous peoples.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$49.2M

+10.2% YoY

Annual Giving

$1.3M

-11.2% YoY

Grant Count

552

-8.9% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$2K

-2.6% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Doyon Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.2M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation's mission is to provide educational, career, and cultural opportunities to enhance the identity and quality of life for Doyon shareholders.

Primary funding areas include:

Scholarships: Basic and competitive scholarships for higher education and vocational training
Language Revitalization: Programs to preserve endangered languages of the Doyon region, including the "Doyon Languages Online" platform offering free online lessons
Workforce Development: Programs including information technology training and internship placement services
Arts and Culture: Support for cultural awareness and heritage initiatives, including the Athabaskan heritage collection series
Education: Elementary, secondary, vocational, and higher education initiatives

Grantmaking

The foundation is a significant scholarship provider for Native Alaskan students. Since its inception in 1989, it has awarded more than $16.7 million to 18,215 students.

Review Cycle

for degree-seeking students.

How to Apply

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation funds projects across numerous states in the United States, with significant presence in:

Alaska (primary focus)
Washington
Colorado
Arizona
Oregon
Texas

And additional funding activity in: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and other states.

Grant Distribution by State

Alaska $165K (37%)

California $48K (11%)

Colorado $36K (8%)

Utah $27K (6%)

Washington $24K (5%)

New Mexico $21K (5%)

Montana $19K (4%)

Texas $16K (4%)

+35 more states

Cities

AbileneAddisonAlamosaAlbuquerqueAlburquerqueAlexandriaAlfredAltoonaAnchorageAnnadaleArlingtonAshburnAshevilleAthensAuburnAuroraAustinAvondaleBaldwin CityBarrow

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Assets and Revenue (2024):

Total Assets: $51,276,457
Total Revenues: $5,091,591
Total Expenses: $2,503,475
Total Giving: $1,156,712

Historical Assets:

2024: $51,276,457
Earlier reporting: $44,648,504

Staffing:

4 employees (as of recent reporting)

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$49,195,391	$44,648,504	$41,456,218
Revenue	$5,514,620	$3,872,560	$5,774,391
Expenses	$3,625,914	$3,276,447	$3,227,187
Qualifying Distributions	$3,047,461	$2,800,053	$2,769,716
Net Investment Income	$1,749,646	$678,174	$2,973,438
Distributable Amount	$2,197,444	$2,084,994	$2,205,190

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

200 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Sydney Dieringer ($3,500), Daazhraii Alexander ($2,400), Patricia Alexia ($2,400).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
Daazhraii Alexander Missula, MT	Scholarship	$2,400
Patricia Alexia Anchorage, AK	Scholarship	$2,400
Jett Allen Anchorage, AK	Scholarship	$2,400
Tadan Aloysius Pullman, WA	Scholarship	$2,400
Jodi Ambrose Fairbanks, AK	Scholarship	$1,600
Joeanna Anderson Fairbanks, AK	Scholarship	$1,600
Demarus Andon Fairbanks, AK	Scholarship	$1,600
Olivia Arnold Honolulu, HI	Scholarship	$2,400
Ashley Attla Alburquerque, NM	Scholarship	$2,400
Georgia Attla Durango, CO	Scholarship	$2,400

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

President: Jennifer Fate-Velaise
Executive Directors: Mariah Pitka-Jenkins and Tiffany Simmons
Deputy Director: Katrina Erick
Board Vice Chair: Ben Schwartz

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
JENNIFER FATE-VELAISE	PRESIDENT	4	$6,500
BENJAMIN SCHWARTZ	SECRETARY/TREASURER	2	$4,000
JENNIFER ADAMS	VICE PRESIDENT	2	$3,500
ORIE WILLIAMS	BOARD MEMBER	1	$2,250
MATTHEW CALHOUN	BOARD MEMBER	1	$3,750
MARIE CLEAVER	BOARD MEMBER	1	$3,250
AARON ROTH	BOARD MEMBER	1	$4,000
MARIAH PITKA-JENKINS	EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR	40	$234,414
EILEEN WHITMER	BOARD MEMBER	1	$3,000
CRAIG FLEENER	BOARD MEMBER	1	$3,750

Recent News & Activity

Recent developments and announcements

The foundation was awarded a $2.65 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Alaska Native Education Program

Doyon Foundation Awarded $2.65 Million Grant from U.S. Department of Education\u2019\

New Upper Kuskokwim Dinak'i lessons were made available on Doyon Languages Online

The foundation collaborated with KUAC to highlight Native languages through a "Word of the Week" initiative

The foundation introduced "The Storyteller," a new resource or program

The foundation funds language revitalization projects through competitive grant programs

Doyon Foundation Awarded $2.65 Million Grant from U.S. Department of Education\u2019\

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Doyon Foundation fund?

The foundation's mission is to provide educational, career, and cultural opportunities to enhance the identity and quality of life for Doyon shareholders. Primary funding areas include: • **Scholarships**: Basic and competitive scholarships for higher education and vocational training • **Language Revitalization**: Programs to preserve endangered languages of the Doyon region, including the "Doyon Languages Online" platform offering free online lessons • **Workforce Development**: Programs incl…

How do I apply for a grant from Doyon Foundation?

The foundation is a significant scholarship provider for Native Alaskan students. Since its inception in 1989, it has awarded more than $16.7 million to 18,215 students. **Recent Scholarship Activity:** • In 2024, the foundation awarded $2 million to 469 students • The foundation issued over 750 scholarships to Native Alaskan students who are shareholders or descendants of shareholders of Doyon, Limited **Scholarship Types:** • High school awards (up to $1,000 per year for high school students …

Where does Doyon Foundation make grants?

The foundation funds projects across numerous states in the United States, with significant presence in: • Alaska (primary focus) • Washington • Colorado • Arizona • Oregon • Texas And additional funding activity in: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and other states.

What size grants does Doyon Foundation award?

In 2024, Doyon Foundation awarded 552 grants totaling $1.3M — an average of about $2K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is Doyon Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Doyon Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.2M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.