Alaska Program Prompts Residents to Pledge Dividend Payments to Charity

Alaska residents pledged more than $1.5-million this year to nonprofits as part of a program that encourages residents to give a portion of state dividend payments they receive to charity.

The effort is tied to Alaska’s permanent fund dividend program, which gives Alaskans one quarter of the royalties collected through oil and natural-gas drilling projects. Each Alaska resident gets an equal payment, which typically ranges from $300 to just under $2,000 annually.