Alaska Mental Health Trust

**Our Mission** It is the duty of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority to provide leadership in the advocacy, planning, implementing and funding of services and programs for Trust beneficiaries. The Trust Land Office is contracted exclusively by the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority to manage its approximately one million acres of land and other non-cash assets to generate revenue to better serve our beneficiaries. **HISTORY** * * * In the years preceding statehood, the territory of Alaska had few resources to provide for the mentally ill or those with developmental disabilities, many of whom were sent by the federal government to outside institutions after being charged and convicted for being “insane and at large.” In 1956, Congress transferred the responsibility for providing mental health care to the territory and ultimately the state, establishing the Alaska Mental Health Trust and granting it one million acres of land to generate income for a comprehensive mental health program. However, in a class action lawsuit ruling in 1984, the Alaska Supreme Court determined the state breached its fiduciary responsibility to manage Trust land. In 1994, after many years of litigation, in a final landmark settlement the Alaska Mental Health Trust was reconstituted with $200 million and one million acres of land. The Permanent Fund Corporation was assigned management of the cash corpus as a commingled allocation of the Permanent Fund and the [Trust Land Office](https://alaskamentalhealthtrust.org/trust-land-office/) was created to effectively manage the non-cash assets. The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority was established to administer beneficiary programs. **Improve the lives of beneficiaries** * * * Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority is a state corporation that administers the Alaska Mental Health Trust, a perpetual trust, to improve the lives of beneficiaries. The Trust operates much like a private foundation, using its resources to ensure that Alaska has a comprehensive integrated mental health program. The Trust Land office protects and enhances the values of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority lands while maximizing revenues from those lands over time. **Trust duties** * * * - Enhance and protect the trust - Provide leadership in advocacy, planning, implementing, and funding of a Comprehensive Integrated Mental Health Program - Propose a budget for Alaska’s Comprehensive Integrated Mental Health Program - Coordinate with state agencies on programs and services that affect beneficiaries - Report to the Legislature, the governor and the public about The Trust’s activities **Guiding principles** * * * To improve the lives of Trust beneficiaries, the Trust is committed to - Education of the public and policymakers on beneficiary needs - Collaboration with consumers and partner advocates - Maximizing beneficiary input into programs - Continually improving results for beneficiaries - Prioritizing services for beneficiaries at risk of institutionalization or needing long-term, intensive care - Useful and timely data for evaluating programs - Inclusion of early intervention and prevention components