Beginning in 2022, SASS allocated $24.8 million across approximately 60 projects throughout Southeast Alaska, building a strategy using existing USDA authorities to deliver faster, more responsive results through community-led implementation. By streamlining administrative processes and asking communities directly, “What is important to your community, region, Tribe?” SASS received a huge response—283 proposals—showing that Southeast Alaska’s rural communities have solutions ready when given the opportunity to lead.
Through effective partnerships with three Regional Strengthening Partners—Southeast Conference, Spruce Root, and Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska—SASS demonstrated that more efficient federal processes combined with local expertise improved outcomes. This innovative approach achieved multiple goals: more thriving rural economies, strengthened food security, and young people building careers in their home-towns.
