ACLT Resumes Services with Stronger Programs

After a summer pause, Set Up Shop is back with clearer systems, refreshed tools and new cohorts launching in 2026.

Earlier this year, ACLT paused programming to respond to budget and capacity shifts and plan for the future. That pause, from June through August, gave our team time to reflect, restructure and strengthen the foundation of our work.

Now, ACLT is resuming Set Up Shop services with new workshops this fall and training cohorts scheduled for 2026.

Looking Ahead

The result of this work is a stronger Set Up Shop program, guided by themes that will carry us into the future:

• Integrated and streamlined activities
• Clear expectations at every level
• Flexible, modular program delivery that can adapt to internal capacity
• Data-informed decisions
• Client-centered design
• Empowered internal decision-making and boundaries

These changes mean entrepreneurs will experience clearer pathways, stronger tools and more cohesive support, and staff will experience a reduction in unnecessary capacity drains.

Why Restructure?

Through this process, we addressed core questions about how ACLT can deliver impactful programs with fewer resources, while ensuring systems that are transparent, sustainable and equitable. Key areas of focus included:

• Tracking & Reporting
  Clearer benchmarks for client readiness and progress, plus improved reporting systems.
• Staff Development
  A 12-month plan for growing staff skills to provide more services in-house, paired with strategies for when outside expertise is needed.
• Efficient Processes & Tools
  User-friendly systems to track progress, manage caseloads, as well as align workshops, training and technical assistance, reducing burden on both staff and clients.
• Access & Equity:
  Stronger guidelines to ensure fair distribution of supportive services and resources.
• Feedback & Iteration:
  A foundation for consistently collecting and integrating feedback from both staff and clients.

A Summer of Focused Work

The pause wasn’t quiet — it was a time of deep, intentional effort to improve how we serve Anchorage entrepreneurs while building efficiencies in capacity and resources. Over three months, our team committed significant time to program redesign:

• 27 program restructure meetings
• 120 hours of program team sessions
• 28 hours of staff-wide alignment
• 30 hours dedicated to refining eligibility
• Monthly partner meetings with Cook Inlet Lending Center

We also used design thinking tools to facilitate productive discussion and bring clarity to complex questions.

Thank You

ACLT is grateful for the community’s patience and encouragement during this transition. The pause allowed us to build a more resilient and equitable program model — one that is ready to support local businesses for years to come.

Opportunities for Support 

While we are proud of these results, we still need our community’s support to continue. We have built a program that is adapted to our current reduction in resources, but your support can help us grow our impact and services beyond this moment. Be a part of Anchorage’s future through neighborhood-led change, growing local business, and building opportunity from within. Our community needs you more than ever.

Financial Support: Is your business or organization interested in investing in our neighborhoods and supporting local entrepreneurship? Reach out to Emily Cohn, Director of Communications & Development, at ecohn@anchoragelandtrust.org to talk through possibilities.

Partnership: Can we partner with your organization to better serve clients and community while maximizing resources? For partnership opportunities to support programming, please reach out to Cat Taylor, Director of Programs, at ctaylor@anchoragelandtrust.org.

Pro Bono & Volunteer Services: Do you have skillsets that could benefit entrepreneurs in pursuing their dreams? We are looking for subject experts to provide pro bono services for Set Up Shop clients, including accounting, legal, business planning, marketing, business permitting and licensing, or other relevant topics. Submit this quick form, and our staff team will follow up.