ABOUT
The Foundation
The Sitka Music Festival Foundation, is an independent 501(c)3, non-profit organization created in 1981 by Helen Walker and other Festival supporters. Walker believed it essential for all non-profit groups to establish funds from which earnings could be drawn, and was instrumental in establishing our perma-nent endowment fund.
The Foundation invests in a diversified portfolio under professional manage-ment. The long term goal is fund growth for inflation proofing, principal protection and to provide annual grants to the Festival.
The value of the Foundation as of March 31, 2023, was $1,256,156.
The Foundation’s Story
Founder Helen Walker of Fairbanks, George Ishiyama and the Ishiyama Foundation of San Francisco contributed generously to the fund and helped Foundation trustees reach their goal of raising $1 million. Grace Berg Schaible also donated generously, as have more than 85 other individuals and businesses.
Helen Walker was instrumental in organizing and incorporating the Sitka Music Festival Foundation in 1981.
As one of the original founders of the Sitka Summer Music Festival in the early 1970’s, recently renamed the Sitka Music Festival, she was one of the original members of the Sitka Music Festival Board. In this role, Helen Walker recognized the need for sound financial support to assure the future health and continued success of the Music Festival’s mission.
She therefore pursued the development of a foundation, solely to “aid and assist the Sitka Summer Music Festival…and its programs.” This foundation, now known as the Sitka Music Festival Foundation, exists solely to promote the general welfare of the Sitka Music Festival, “to receive contributions and to hold these contributions for distribution to benefit the activities of the Sitka Music Festival.”
For her outstanding foresight and contributions to the arts in Alaska, Helen Walker received the Alaska Governor’s Award for the Arts in 1984.
Foundation Grants to the Festival
Since the Foundation was created in 1982, it has made annual gifts to the Festival in excess of $900,000, with most recent grants of $37,000 in 2022 and $38,000 in 2023. Income from the endowment flowed to the Festival and helped keep the lights on and the instruments tuned during pandemic times, ensuring the survival of the Festival.
Governed by an Alaskan Board of Trustees
Susan Carlson, President – Sitka
Trish White – Vice-President – Sitka
Daniel G. Jones, Treasurer – Sitka
Charlie Morgan, Secretary – Sitka
Sharon Davies - Anchorage
Richard McClear – Sitka
Olga Borland – Sitka
Russellyn Carruth - Anchorage
