diff --git a/src/mono/System.Private.CoreLib/src/System/Runtime/Loader/AssemblyLoadContext.Mono.cs b/src/mono/System.Private.CoreLib/src/System/Runtime/Loader/AssemblyLoadContext.Mono.cs
index eb5ef034972a4f..2ec69c7393648d 100644
--- a/src/mono/System.Private.CoreLib/src/System/Runtime/Loader/AssemblyLoadContext.Mono.cs
+++ b/src/mono/System.Private.CoreLib/src/System/Runtime/Loader/AssemblyLoadContext.Mono.cs
@@ -126,24 +126,14 @@ public void StartProfileOptimization(string? profile)
         // success.
         private static Assembly? MonoResolveUsingResolvingEvent(IntPtr gchALC, string assemblyName)
         {
-            AssemblyLoadContext context;
-            // This check exists because the function can be called early in startup, before the default ALC is initialized
-            if (gchALC == IntPtr.Zero)
-                context = Default;
-            else
-                context = (AssemblyLoadContext)(GCHandle.FromIntPtr(gchALC).Target)!;
+            AssemblyLoadContext context = GetAssemblyLoadContext(gchALC);
             return context.ResolveUsingEvent(new AssemblyName(assemblyName));
         }
 
         // Invoked by Mono to resolve requests to load satellite assemblies.
         private static Assembly? MonoResolveUsingResolveSatelliteAssembly(IntPtr gchALC, string assemblyName)
         {
-            AssemblyLoadContext context;
-            // This check exists because the function can be called early in startup, before the default ALC is initialized
-            if (gchALC == IntPtr.Zero)
-                context = Default;
-            else
-                context = (AssemblyLoadContext)(GCHandle.FromIntPtr(gchALC).Target)!;
+            AssemblyLoadContext context = GetAssemblyLoadContext(gchALC);
             return context.ResolveSatelliteAssembly(new AssemblyName(assemblyName));
         }
 
diff --git a/src/mono/mono/metadata/assembly-load-context.c b/src/mono/mono/metadata/assembly-load-context.c
index d3e4df84d2da3c..5e805701055b78 100644
--- a/src/mono/mono/metadata/assembly-load-context.c
+++ b/src/mono/mono/metadata/assembly-load-context.c
@@ -445,9 +445,6 @@ invoke_resolve_method (MonoMethod *resolve_method, MonoAssemblyLoadContext *alc,
 	if (mono_runtime_get_no_exec ())
 		return NULL;
 
-	if (!mono_gchandle_get_target_internal (alc->gchandle))
-		return NULL;
-
 	HANDLE_FUNCTION_ENTER ();
 
 	aname_str = mono_stringify_assembly_name (aname);
@@ -456,8 +453,7 @@ invoke_resolve_method (MonoMethod *resolve_method, MonoAssemblyLoadContext *alc,
 	goto_if_nok (error, leave);
 
 	MonoReflectionAssemblyHandle assm;
-	gpointer gchandle;
-	gchandle = (gpointer)alc->gchandle;
+	gpointer gchandle = mono_alc_get_gchandle_for_resolving (alc);
 	gpointer args [2];
 	args [0] = &gchandle;
 	args [1] = MONO_HANDLE_RAW (aname_obj);
diff --git a/src/mono/mono/metadata/loader-internals.h b/src/mono/mono/metadata/loader-internals.h
index 0e1934455d1dc5..bc79d38d4eb5bf 100644
--- a/src/mono/mono/metadata/loader-internals.h
+++ b/src/mono/mono/metadata/loader-internals.h
@@ -269,6 +269,19 @@ mono_alc_get_ambient (void)
 	return mono_alc_get_default ();
 }
 
+static inline MonoGCHandle
+mono_alc_get_gchandle_for_resolving (MonoAssemblyLoadContext *alc)
+{
+	/* for the default ALC, pass NULL to ask for the Default ALC - see
+	 * AssemblyLoadContext.GetAssemblyLoadContext(IntPtr gchManagedAssemblyLoadContext) - which
+	 * will create the managed ALC object if it hasn't been created yet
+	 */
+	if (alc->gchandle == mono_alc_get_default ()->gchandle)
+		return NULL;
+	else
+		return GUINT_TO_POINTER (alc->gchandle);
+}
+
 MonoAssemblyLoadContext *
 mono_alc_from_gchandle (MonoGCHandle alc_gchandle);
 
diff --git a/src/mono/mono/metadata/native-library.c b/src/mono/mono/metadata/native-library.c
index 6867a07379cd88..dd67477d092d4c 100644
--- a/src/mono/mono/metadata/native-library.c
+++ b/src/mono/mono/metadata/native-library.c
@@ -628,17 +628,13 @@ netcore_resolve_with_load (MonoAssemblyLoadContext *alc, const char *scope, Mono
 	if (mono_runtime_get_no_exec ())
 		return NULL;
 
-	if (!mono_gchandle_get_target_internal (alc->gchandle))
-		return NULL;
-
 	HANDLE_FUNCTION_ENTER ();
 
 	MonoStringHandle scope_handle;
 	scope_handle = mono_string_new_handle (scope, error);
 	goto_if_nok (error, leave);
 
-	gpointer gchandle;
-	gchandle = GUINT_TO_POINTER (alc->gchandle);
+	gpointer gchandle = mono_alc_get_gchandle_for_resolving (alc);
 	gpointer args [3];
 	args [0] = MONO_HANDLE_RAW (scope_handle);
 	args [1] = &gchandle;
@@ -694,9 +690,6 @@ netcore_resolve_with_resolving_event (MonoAssemblyLoadContext *alc, MonoAssembly
 	if (mono_runtime_get_no_exec ())
 		return NULL;
 
-	if (!mono_gchandle_get_target_internal (alc->gchandle))
-		return NULL;
-
 	HANDLE_FUNCTION_ENTER ();
 
 	MonoStringHandle scope_handle;
@@ -707,8 +700,7 @@ netcore_resolve_with_resolving_event (MonoAssemblyLoadContext *alc, MonoAssembly
 	assembly_handle = mono_assembly_get_object_handle (assembly, error);
 	goto_if_nok (error, leave);
 
-	gpointer gchandle;
-	gchandle = GUINT_TO_POINTER (alc->gchandle);
+	gpointer gchandle = mono_alc_get_gchandle_for_resolving (alc);
 	gpointer args [4];
 	args [0] = MONO_HANDLE_RAW (scope_handle);
 	args [1] = MONO_HANDLE_RAW (assembly_handle);