Eskimo Pie (aka The Permanent Fund)

There's a long line spilling out of the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) office every day. I walk by the office on E Street on my way to my vehicle after work. This is the last week to apply for a slice of the 2007 PFD pie... (our own little eskimo pie, I guess you could say...)

The Permanent Fund is facilitated by the State of Alaska which divvies out the profits gained from the State's oil in a given year to every resident of the State. In general, every person who resided in Alaska from Jan 1 - Dec 31 of a given year (in this case 2006) can apply to receive a portion of that year's oil profits. They apply between Jan 1 & March 31 of the subsequent year (right now) to prove they were a resident during that time and then sit back and wait till October when the PFD is dispersed. The amount varies each year. But it's generally around $1000 per person.

We won't be eligible for a slice of this eskimo pie till the 2008 dispersement as we moved here in the middle of 2006. So 2007 will be our first full calendar year in Alaska. But when we are eligible, we'll get 5 slices of the pie. One for each member of our family. It's a pretty sweet deal, and well worth standing around in a long line at the end of March to get your application in on time.