New Energy Alaska is a program that advocates for the development of weather-dependent energy in Alaska. ¹ It is a project of the Alaska Venture Fund, which is a fiscally sponsored project of the New Venture Fund, a nonprofit under the management of Arabella Advisors. ²

Alaska Venture Fund

New Energy Alaska is a project of the Alaska Venture Fund, which is a fiscally sponsored project of the left-of-center New Venture Fund. The New Venture Fund is a nonprofit under the management of Arabella Advisors. ²

Fiscal sponsorship is an arrangement whereby an organization with established nonprofit status can lend that status to its project, receiving tax-exempt donations on the project’s behalf. This arrangement can make it difficult to track the flows of funding to and from a fiscally sponsored project. Arabella Advisors has received criticism for participating in “dark money” practices, as the firm manages multiple large nonprofits that move money in ways that are difficult to track, such as by fiscally sponsoring numerous projects. ³

The Alaska Venture Fund claims that Alaska is one of the “great overlooked philanthropic opportunities in climate action today.” ⁴

Funders of the Alaska Venture Fund include the Climate Justice Resilience Fund, the Chorus Foundation, the Campion Foundation, the Fund for Shared Insight, the Wilburforce Foundation, the Bezos Earth Fund, the MacArthur Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Northlight Foundation, the Oak Foundation, the Edgerton Foundation, Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, and the Sall Family Foundation. ⁵

In 2023, the Wilburforce Foundation gave $50,000 to the New Venture Fund; the grant was designated for supporting New Energy Alaska, a project of the Alaska Venture Fund. ⁶

Advocacy

New Energy Alaska primarily advocates for the development of Alaska’s renewable energy potential. ¹

In a 2025 op-ed for the Alaska Beacon titled “Alaska is Upholding our End. Congress Must Protect Federal Energy Commitments,” some members of New Energy Alaska senior advisors’ team called for Alaskans to urge U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and U.S. Representative Nick Begich (R-AK) to protect federal funding for Alaskan energy projects. ⁷

People

Former Alaska state Senator Lesil McGuire (R-Anchorage) is a member of the New Energy Alaska senior advisors’ team. McGuire was a member of both the Alaska House and Senate. ¹

Former Alaska Representative Beth Kerttula (D-Juneau) is a member of the New Energy Alaska senior advisors’ team. Kerttula was also a director of the National Ocean Council. ¹

Former Alaska Representative Charisse Millett (R-Anchorage) is a member of the New Energy Alaska’s senior advisors’ team. Millett was a member of the Alaska State Legislature, including as Alaska House minority leader. ¹

Former Alaska Senator Gene Therriault (R-North Pole/Fairbanks) is a member of the New Energy Alaska senior advisors’ team. Therriault was a member of the Alaska State Legislature, including as president of the Alaska State Senate for two years. He was also vice president of the Golden Valley Electric Association and senior energy advisor to former Alaska Governor Sean Parnell.  ¹

Former Alaska Representative Harry Crawford (D-Anchorage) is a member of the New Energy Alaska senior advisors’ team.  ¹

1.  Acftopleveluser. “About.” New Energy Alaska, May 4, 2024. https://newenergyalaska.org/about/
2.  Acftopleveluser. “Donate.” New Energy Alaska, November 4, 2023. https://newenergyalaska.org/donate/.
3. Green, Emma. “The Massive Progressive Dark-Money Group You’ve Never Heard Of.” The Atlantic, November 2, 2021. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/11/arabella-advisors-money-democrats/620553/
4. “Alaska Venture Fund.” Ventures, May 28, 2021. https://alaskaventure.org/ventures/
5. “Alaska Venture Fund.” Funder Partners, May 28, 2021. https://alaskaventure.org/about/funder-partners/
6.  “Wilburforce Foundation,” Return of Private Foundation Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990 PF) 2023. Page 11 Part XIV.
7.  Lesil McGuire, Alan Austerman. “Alaska Is Upholding Our End. Congress Must Protect Federal Energy Commitments.” Alaska Beacon, May 9, 2025. https://alaskabeacon.com/2025/05/08/alaska-is-upholding-our-end-congress-must-protect-federal-energy-commitments/.