Ilisagvik College wins $352,000 in USDA grants for North Slope food and student programs

Iḷisaġvik College will run two new federally funded programs on the North Slope after the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded the school $352,000 across a pair of grants dated Sept. 15. They are part of five USDA awards totaling $2,203,636 to Iḷisaġvik and the University of Alaska system.

The larger award, $250,000 over three years, funds Sivuniksraq: Empowering Student Success through Wellness and Leadership Activities, running through Sept. 14, 2029. The grant record says many students balance college with employment, family, subsistence and community obligations. Students who relocate to Utqiaġvik may face homesickness, isolation and financial pressure. The college will provide mentoring, referrals, wellness and cultural activities, and workshops on digital literacy and responsible use of artificial intelligence. It will track persistence, retention and graduation rates.

The second grant, $102,000, funds Sayakturugut: Strengthening Extension Programming for the Iñupiaq Community, running through Sept. 14, 2030. The award record cites high food costs, food security, changing environmental conditions and the transfer of Iñupiat knowledge between generations. Programming covers Indigenous food systems, traditional foods and subsistence, nutrition, traditional plants, environmental stewardship and cultural arts. It will be delivered through hands-on workshops, intergenerational activities, village outreach and hybrid learning. Results will be assessed with participant surveys, attendance data and workshop evaluations.

Speaking on national television Sept. 10, U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola cited a price from two years earlier: "in Kaktovik, a community outside of Utqiagvik in the North Slope, a 60 Tablet container of Advil was $68."

Iḷisaġvik, Alaska's only tribal college, recently purchased land for a permanent campus. It also holds a $475,000 grant for traditional knowledge and language preservation running through August 2027.

Both grants are administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, part of a wider push by tribal colleges to use federal funding for food sovereignty, Indigenous knowledge and student success. The project descriptions come from the federal award records, which include no comment from students or North Slope residents.