Join us in supporting Alaska Native people and communities hit first and worst by climate change and environmental threats. In Chefornak, Alaska, Delores Abraham (pictured) and her family abandoned their home because thawing permafrost created a large pit beneath the structure. Their family moved in with relatives, resulting in 16 people sharing two small homes—without running water or flush toilets—during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Climate Impact Response Fund (CIRF) provides immediate financial assistance when disasters strike and supports Alaska Native people and communities to prepare for and respond to climate change and environmental threats. The CIRF prioritizes grant making in two areas: projects with a significant benefit to community life, health, safety, and culture; and community challenges related to climate change that cannot be addressed by other funding sources.

Delores’s story is only one example of how climate change is impacting rural Alaska communities.