Frequently Asked Questions

What is Build Alaska’s Future Education Fund?

Build Alaska’s Future Education Fund (BAFEF) is a 501c3 nonprofit whose mission is to educate Alaskans on the funding opportunities pouring into our state as a result of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Build Alaska’s Future education initiative provides clear and accessible information about these funding opportunities through our interactive GIS map, as well as through outreach and community engagement. The map is a powerful tool providing a wealth of information on federal funding for infrastructure in Alaska.

Tell me more about the interactive GIS map.

Q: What does the map include?
A: BAF’s interactive funding map contains announced infrastructure funding for Alaska. The bulk of the data is federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, aka the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), though we also include some State of Alaska funding.
Q: How do I use the map?
A: Visit our homepage to play around with the map. You can zoom in or out and move the map with your cursor to explore funding across the state. Clicking the icons will reveal project details, such as funding amounts, responsible agency, program, and more. When there are multiple overlapping icons, you can use the arrow buttons on the pop-up to navigate between different points. Additionally, you can filter to Alaska House and Senate districts using the menus on the bottom left of the map screen.
Q: How accurate are the locations?
A: We have attributed specific locations to some of the funding items, but some are just reported at the community level. For the community-level data, we’ve ‘jittered’ the points by adding some geographic offset so the items are more visible and discoverable. For this reason, the funding total by House and Senate districts are only rough estimates in communities that are home to multiple districts. Our team hopes to generate more precise locations for our data with future funding.
Q: Why don’t I see a project I’d expect to see?
A: Our team is constantly on the lookout for more data sources! Please let us know if you’re aware of any other funding databases that might help inform the map by submitting feedback via buildalaska.org/map-survey.

What's next for the map?

We strive to continually improve the map, making this information available to users ranging from legislators to community-level decision-makers to researchers, and every Alaskan in between. The map is an ongoing effort, continually updated as new funding opportunities and data become available.

We have a whole slate of new features on the horizon! Next up are more program-specific map views, such as for broadband. These views will enable users to drill deeper into specific funding categories and allow us to share more context on the programs contributing to the funding. We plan to create these views for all the major funding categories on the map. Please let us know via our survey above if you have any other feature ideas!

The map is a key tool by which BAFEF aims to undertake a robust public engagement initiative to deliver unique insights to community leaders, decision-makers, and the public.

Why is Build Alaska’s Future Education Fund important? Why should I support this initiative?

By creating and maintaining the Infrastructure Funding Map, we enable everyday Alaskans to learn about the projects and funding in their own communities, thereby empowering them to get involved in building a better future for Alaska.

Alaska’s communities face a severe urban-rural divide. This divide affects individual communities and impacts Alaska’s ability to benefit from national infrastructure investments. Many of Alaska’s rural communities are at risk of being left behind in the state’s economic development efforts.

BAFEF’s GIS mapping project addresses a critical gap in public access to information about infrastructure development, funding sources, and project impacts. The project’s significance is amplified in rural Alaska, where we aim to enhance transparency, community engagement, and decision-making in remote areas. By making infrastructure funding information widely accessible and fostering community understanding, the initiative empowers communities across Alaska, ensuring that the benefits of infrastructure funding and development extend to all Alaskans.

Are any other organizations doing similar work?

Most of the work in this space is focused on sharing funding opportunities or gathering completed infrastructure projects in an asset map. We fill the niche of that middle ground of awarded funding. This can help inform planning efforts for communities, businesses, and policymakers, as they are able to see what’s already been allocated. The White House has a nationwide map of announced funding, but it includes very little data on specific projects. Other entities have created reference maps using Google Maps, but ours is the only GIS solution, and contains the most comprehensive, up-to-date information available. Our GIS map and underlying data is integrated within the State of Alaska Geoportal and can easily be combined with other datasets to help drive decision-making.