Federal grant funds eating disorder training for 30 tribal health providers in Alaska

A $249,992 federal grant will train at least 30 tribal healthcare providers across Alaska to screen, diagnose and treat eating disorders, work the Alaska Eating Disorders Alliance says addresses a gap where specialty care is "scarce or unavailable" in rural and tribal communities.

The Anchorage nonprofit will carry out the training through partnerships with three tribal health organizations. The federal record does not name them. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration signed the award Sept. 10 and obligated the full amount at once. The work runs Sept. 30, 2026, through Sept. 29, 2027, and the record shows nothing paid out yet.

Federal records classify the money as congressionally directed spending, meaning Congress named the Alliance in an appropriations bill rather than the agency choosing it from a field of applicants. The record lists no matching or non-federal funds.

At least 70 percent of providers who complete the training must report increased competency in post-training surveys. A separate family support program will enroll at least 10 family members and caregivers from at least three communities outside Anchorage. A public communications campaign is to reach at least 10,000 Alaskans by the end of the award period. At least half of respondents to a post-campaign survey must report increased awareness of warning signs and knowledge of how to access resources.

In project documentation included in the Alaska Department of Health's 2026 rural-health award notice last month, the Alaska Eating Disorders Alliance said, "Alaska has no dedicated eating disorder care and no coordinated training pathways for an estimated 65,000 Alaskans living with eating disorders."

The record contains only the grantee's own description of what the money will do.