On behalf of the staff and Board of Directors of the Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc. (RurAL CAP), thank you for taking the time to visit our website. Whether you are looking for employment, services, information, or perhaps an organization to do business with, we hope you will find this website helpful.

RurAL CAP is a private, statewide, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working to improve the quality of life for low-income Alaskans. Governed by a 24-member Board of Directors, RurAL CAP has grown to become one the most respected and effective nonprofit organizations in Alaska.

Becoming a great human service organization requires great leadership and great people to do the work. RurAL CAP follows the philosophy that community action is a people process, one which serves to reinforce the intangible values of personal responsibility, community self-reliance, participatory decision-making, and overall well-being.

Like other community action agencies across the country, RurAL CAP was born out of the “war on poverty” to empower low-income people with the means to protect and improve the quality of their lives. In 1965, RurAL CAP joined the fight to end “the paradox of poverty in the midst of plenty” in America.

In the more than 45 years since it began, it is difficult to imagine any community or any aspect of rural Alaskan lives which has not been touched in some way by the people and programs of RurAL CAP.

From Head Start and early childhood development, youth recreation and work programs, adult education, Elder-youth programs, to Native land claims and subsistence rights, energy conservation and weatherization, support for tribal government, community service programs, housing, and alcohol and substance abuse prevention, RurAL CAP has left an indelible mark on the history and development of Alaska and its rural people.

One of RurAL CAP’s greatest strengths continues to come from both the composition and the individuals who make up the Board of Directors. Under its tri-partite structure, with representatives from target area communities, the private sector, and the public sector, RurAL CAP’s board has developed a reputation for taking risks, taking action, and getting things done.

RurAL CAP employs more than 850 Alaskans annually, supports a private foundation, and owns a for-profit subsidiary, Rural Energy Enterprises – a wholesale distributor of Toyostoves and other energy-efficient heating and lighting products.

Please feel free to contact us if you would like more information. Thank you for visiting the RurAL CAP website.

Enjoy your search,

David Hardenbergh
Executive Director