Richard L & Diane M Block Foundation Trust

The Richard L. & Diane M. Block Foundation Trust is a family legacy foundation rooted in Anchorage, Alaska, with a clear mandate: support nonprofits that enrich the well-being of Alaska's people. Founded by Richard L. and Diane M. Block, the foundation remains family-led — Richard L. Block serves as President while Patrick Block and David Richard Block hold board seats alongside civic-connected trustees Mead Treadwell, Debbie Bellange, and Amanda Weitman. Jennifer D. Green serves as Executive Director and primary administrative contact, managing operations through Foundation Source, the compliance intermediary that handles the application process.

The giving philosophy rests on three publicly stated pillars: youth development (empowering young Alaskans to lead the state's future), arts and culture (organizations that inspire intellectually and artistically), and social services (lifting up the poor toward permanent, independent self-sufficiency). A fourth, less-publicized funding stream supports programs affiliated with First Church of Christ, Scientist — historically the single largest cumulative recipient at $649,000 across three grants. Applicants outside this tradition should concentrate on the arts, culture, or social service pillars.

There is no letter of inquiry stage. The process moves directly from preliminary qualification questions to a full online questionnaire, both hosted at fsrequests.com/blockfoundation through Foundation Source. Foundation Source reviews applications for legal compliance before passing them to the board for final decision. This open-application model is a meaningful advantage compared to invitation-only peers at this asset level — any qualifying Alaska nonprofit can enter the pipeline without a prior board relationship.

First-time applicants face three firm non-negotiables: organizations must have operated continuously in Alaska for at least five years; proposals must articulate not just what the program does but why the underlying problem persists and how this organization specifically addresses root causes; and the foundation will not fund organizations primarily engaged in medical service delivery, medical research, or redistribution of funds to other nonprofits. Demonstrating leverage through volunteers, in-kind contributions, and challenge match opportunities is explicitly favored. Organizations appearing in the grantee history 3-4 times demonstrate that strong stewardship of initial grants compounds into deeper relationships — the top recipients collectively account for over $3.1 million of tracked giving.

Across 164 tracked individual grants totaling approximately $5.15 million in the database, this foundation operates across a wide range of grant sizes: minimum recorded is $750, maximum $150,000, median $10,000, and average $26,850 per individual grant. Annual giving has ranged from $1.14 million (FY2019) to $2.15 million (FY2022), averaging approximately $1.82 million per year across fiscal years 2019-2023. The FY2024 filing reports total revenue of $3.84 million — up from $1.2 million in FY2023 — though the grants-paid figure has not yet been filed, suggesting an elevated grantmaking year may follow.

Grant distribution is overwhelmingly Alaska-focused: 148 of 164 tracked grants (90.2%) went to Alaska-based recipients. The 16 out-of-state grants (11 California, 3 Massachusetts, 2 New York) almost entirely reflect payments to First Church of Christ, Scientist national bodies and its affiliated scholarship fund, the Albert Baker Fund. Within Alaska, Southcentral (Anchorage, Mat-Su Valley, Palmer) dominates by grant count, but Interior Alaska (Fairbanks Arts Association, Fairbanks Community Food Bank), Southeast (Perseverance Theatre in Juneau, United Human Services of Southeast Alaska), and Southwest (Bethel Winter Shelter) all appear — reflecting deliberate statewide reach.

By program area, the top five cumulative recipients illustrate the funding mix: First Church of Christ, Scientist ($649,000 over 3 grants), Partners for Progress ($635,000 over 3 grants — housing and transitional services), Covenant House Alaska ($400,000 over 3 grants — youth homeless services), Anchorage Opera Company ($360,000 over 4 grants), and Henning Inc./MASH Guest House ($300,000 over 2 grants — homeless services). Arts and culture recipients account for an estimated 35-40% of tracked disbursements; social services for roughly 45-50%; and Christian Science-affiliated organizations for approximately 12-15%. No health or medical organizations appear in the grantee list, consistent with the formal exclusion of medical service providers.

Capital project grants carry a five-year moratorium for prior recipients: organizations that received capital funding cannot apply for another capital grant for five years, though operational grants remain fully available. The foundation has used challenge grant structures strategically — the Capital Civic Center received a $100,000 challenge plus a $150,000 multi-year commitment — suggesting larger capital investments are tied to community co-funding commitments.

The Block Foundation's closest asset-peers — all within $100,000 of its $35.4 million base and sharing the Philanthropy & Grantmaking NTEE designation — illustrate how distinctive the Block Foundation's open-application model and geographic concentration truly are.

The Block Foundation distinguishes itself from its asset-size peers on two dimensions. First, its open-application portal through Foundation Source makes it genuinely accessible to any qualifying nonprofit without a prior board relationship — a rarity at this asset level, where most foundations of comparable size operate by invitation or through closed networks. Second, its singular geographic concentration in Alaska means it faces no meaningful competition from national grantmakers for its core constituency: an Alaskan nonprofit serving arts or social service needs has no comparable alternative funder at this asset scale operating in the state. The foundation's approximate 5.5% annual distribution rate on $35.4M assets reflects a conservative endowment-preservation posture rather than an aggressive spend-down strategy.

The most prominent documented recent grant is a multi-part commitment to the Capital Civic Center in Juneau: a $100,000 challenge grant plus a three-year, $150,000 additional commitment, totaling $250,000 toward new facility construction. This matches the foundation's documented strategic interest in using capital grants as leverage vehicles rather than straightforward gifts, and signals continued openness to large cultural infrastructure investments.

The foundation's confirmed grant cycle deadlines include August 1, 2026 as the next open window, with a subsequent cycle projected at February 15, 2027. Spring grantee announcements follow the February cycle; fall announcements follow the August cycle. The foundation posts updates via Facebook and Instagram (@akblockfoundation).

As of the FY2024 filing, the foundation holds $35.4 million in assets with revenue of $3.84 million — up sharply from $1.2 million in FY2023 and $1.4 million in FY2022. This jump indicates a strong investment return year, which historically precedes elevated grantmaking in the subsequent cycle. No public announcement of increased payout has been made, but the financial trajectory is favorable for 2025-2026 applicants.

Jennifer D. Green has served as Executive Director continuously, with compensation growing from $55,833 in FY2021 to $62,833 in FY2023 — a sign of operational stability. The West High Exceptional Teacher Award remains an active named initiative. No leadership transitions or strategic pivots were identified in 2025-2026 searches.

The Block Foundation routes all applications through Foundation Source (fsrequests.com/blockfoundation), meaning formal communication flows through a compliance intermediary rather than a direct program officer. Written application quality carries disproportionate weight, as there is limited opportunity for informal dialogue before board review.

Nail the root cause framing. The foundation's published guidelines explicitly require social service applicants to demonstrate they address the causes of needs, not just symptoms. A homeless services application that only describes bed counts will underperform against one that integrates housing stability education, employment navigation, or sobriety programming alongside shelter. Frame the social problem as solvable, not permanent, and describe the pathway your organization is building.

Quantify leverage. The board explicitly favors organizations that stretch grant funds through volunteers, in-kind contributions, and match. Count and report volunteer hours with dollar equivalents. If you are using Block funding as a challenge match trigger, say so prominently — the Capital Civic Center challenge grant structure shows the board responds to this framing.

Timing. The next confirmed deadline is August 1, 2026. Submit early to allow Foundation Source's legal compliance review to complete before board consideration. Watch @akblockfoundation on Facebook and Instagram for the official cycle-open notice and any deadline adjustments.

Capital project eligibility check. Before submitting a capital request, verify your organization did not receive a capital project grant from Block within the past five years. Operational grants are unaffected by this restriction — organizations under the capital moratorium should frame requests as operational.

Avoid the automatic disqualifiers. Medical services, pharmaceutical research, fund redistribution to other nonprofits, and organizations with fewer than five years of continuous Alaska operations are each caught by the preliminary qualification questions. Attempting to proceed past these questions when ineligible wastes application effort and damages credibility.

Build the renewal case from day one. Grantees appearing 3-4 times in the database (Anchorage Opera — 4 grants, Alaska Youth Orchestras — 4 grants, Alaska Children's Trust — 3 grants, Palmer Senior Citizens Center — 3 grants) demonstrate that consistent, well-stewarded relationships compound over time. After each grant, report outcomes clearly and specifically against the stated goals in your application.