The Alaska Policy Forum (APF) is a conservative nonprofit

think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

located in

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the List of cities in Alaska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of ...

. The Alaska Policy Forum is a member of the

State Policy Network The State Policy Network (SPN) is a nonprofit organization that serves as a network for conservative and libertarian think tanks focusing on state-level policy in the United States. The network serves as a public policy clearinghouse and advi ...

History

APF was started in 2009 and received Internal Revenue Service 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. In 2014, the group was entirely volunteer-run with no paid employees. Members of the AFP's board have included

Nick Begich III Nicholas Joseph Begich III ( ; born October 21, 1977) is an American politician and businessman who has served as the U.S. representative for Alaska's at-large congressional district since 2025. A member of the Republican Party (United States), R ...

, the grandson of former Representative

Nick Begich Sr. Nicholas Joseph Begich Sr. (born April 6, 1932 – disappeared October 16, 1972; declared death in absentia, declared dead December 29, 1972) was an American counselor, educator and politician. He served in the Alaska state senate for eight year ...

and a candidate for Alaska's at-large congressional district in 2022.

Policy areas

APF conducts and publishes research on education, taxes, health care, welfare, regulations, and state budget in Alaska. The group is active in education policy and is a proponent for increased school choice. The organization compiles and publishes the Performance Evaluation for Alaska's Schools (PEAKS) Assessment results. APF is most well known for publishing public sector payroll data.

Funding

According to the organization's website, Alaska Policy Forum does not accept government funding or grants, but instead relies on donations from individuals and businesses. The Alaska Policy Forum was started with support from

Donors Capital Fund DonorsTrust is an American nonprofit donor-advised fund that was founded in 1999 with the goal of "safeguarding the intent of libertarian and conservative donors". As a donor advised fund, DonorsTrust is not legally required to disclose the ide ...

and

Donors Trust DonorsTrust is an American nonprofit donor-advised fund that was founded in 1999 with the goal of "safeguarding the intent of libertarian and conservative donors". As a donor advised fund, DonorsTrust is not legally required to disclose the id ...

, two related

donor-advised fund In the United States, a donor-advised fund (commonly called a DAF) is a charitable giving vehicle administered by a public charity created to manage charitable donations on behalf of organizations, families, or individuals. To participate in a dono ...

s. The Alaska Policy Forum received $192,000 from Donors Trust in 2009 and 2010.

References

2009 establishments in Alaska Conservative organizations in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Anchorage, Alaska Political and economic think tanks in the United States {{nonprofit-org-stub