Our Approach to Communities
NOVAGOLD actively contributes to shaping and executing the Donlin Gold LLC Community Development and Strategic Plan, built on guiding principles centered around trust. This encompasses key initiatives aimed at educating and engaging with stakeholders, investing in communities, and monitoring the social and environmental conditions in the Y-K region. Collaboration with Donlin Gold’s Alaska Native Corporation partners, Calista and TKC, underscores our commitment to responsible development.
In our role, NOVAGOLD assists Donlin Gold in community outreach planning and execution, emphasizing local hiring and supplier selection in alignment with agreements and commitments to Calista and TKC. As land and mineral owners, Calista and TKC share dedication to developing a mining operation aligned with the Elders’ vision, generating jobs, economic benefits, and environmental preservation. This philosophy guides both NOVAGOLD and Donlin Gold in project development.
Mutual project goals emphasize openness, transparency, and constructive dialogue, respecting the values, culture, and language of the Y-K region’s people. Ongoing engagement and consultation with stakeholders, in partnership with Calista and TKC, remain central throughout the project development process. In collaboration with Calista Corporation and TKC, Donlin Gold engages stakeholders and governmental entities in the Y-K region, Alaska, and Washington, D.C.
Mutual project goals emphasize openness, transparency, and constructive dialogue, respecting the values, culture, and language of the Y-K region’s people. Ongoing engagement and consultation with stakeholders, in partnership with Calista and TKC, remain central throughout the project development process. In collaboration with Calista Corporation and TKC, Donlin Gold engages stakeholders and governmental entities in the Y-K region, Alaska, and Washington, D.C.
Community Support
NOVAGOLD upholds a robust commitment to education, community wellness, cultural preservation, and environmental stewardship, actively reinforcing these principles at the Donlin Gold project site and within the communities of the Y-K Region. Emphasizing community and social responsibility, the Company focuses on supporting diverse initiatives such as fisheries studies, environmental activities, subsistence, cultural preservation, education, and grants for community development.
Committed to preserving traditional lifestyles and creating economic opportunities, NOVAGOLD and its project partners prioritize engagement with a broad spectrum of social, business, and governmental entities representing the political and social structure of the Y-K region. A diverse array of projects and activities actively contributed to achieving overarching objectives in 2023, solidifying NOVAGOLD’s role in fostering positive and mutually beneficial relationships within the region.
Entities such as Calista, TKC, and various other Alaska Native business entities and associations have a longstanding interest in the Donlin Gold project and its potential benefits for the region. Additionally, Donlin Gold is actively advancing efforts to broaden connections and establish common ground with Alaska Native villages. This is achieved through the development of Shared Value Statements that build upon existing long-term agreements with Calista and TKC. These agreements encompass educational, environmental, and social initiatives, providing crucial support to villages across the Y-K region.
Fundraising and Community Support
In 2023, NOVAGOLD provided funding to Lotus Light Charity Society’s Survival Backpack pilot project, in partnership with Vancouver’s First Responders (police and paramedics) to help the downtown eastside’s poorest and most vulnerable impacted by hospital discharge from medical emergencies or drug overdose, emergency disaster relief and extreme weather alerts.
NOVAGOLD employees participated in and contributed to Lotus Light Charity’s annual winter drive event which distributed 1,075 winter care packages, 252 survival backpacks and 200 winter jackets through the Vancouver Police Department’s Homelessness Outreach and Supportive Housing Team, BC Ambulance Services, and City of Vancouver and Richmond homeless shelters.
NOVAGOLD employees also contributed to and supported Lotus Light Charity’s Food Recovery Program which rescues excess food inventories from local food manufacturers and retailers to reduce food waste. The program distributes 7,000 pounds of food each month from warehouses, restaurants, bakeries, and grocery chains to a recipient network of dozens of charities, including the Lotus Light Emergency Kitchen which has provided over 38,000 nutritious hot meals, fruits, and snacks for the homeless and seniors in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside neighborhood. In 2023, this program provided over 80,000 pounds of food to benefit low-income meal programs and charity soup kitchens in the Lower Mainland.