The Alaska Humanities Forum has been informed that its federal funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities has been terminated. The decision, communicated this week, is part of a shift in federal priorities under the direction of President Donald Trump. The NEH notified state humanities councils and other grantees that their funding is being cancelled immediately to align with “a new direction in furtherance of the president’s agenda.”
The Alaska Humanities Forum promotes events like “drag aueens for kids” events and “whites not allowed” conferences.
The president of the Alaska Humanities Forum is Anchorage Assemblyman Kameron Perez-Verdia. He may be looking for another job soon. The organization posted a notification on its website, asking the community to help get its funding restored. It says:
“Late on the night of April 2, the Alaska Humanities Forum received a letter from DOGE officials informing them that their NEH operating grant approved by Congress had been illegally terminated effective immediately. NEH funding constitutes a significant portion of the Forum’s budget that their core programs rely upon to operate,” the notification said.
“The Forum and all humanities programming in Alaska are under dire threat. This means potential loss of:
- “28 Years of Cross-Sector Leadership Development(Leadership Anchorage)
- “Youth Mental Health Support in Schools (Story Works)
- “24 Years of Youth Cultural Exchange Programs (Rose Urban-Rural Exchange, Take Wing Alaska)
- “Veteran & Community Conversations that foster understanding across sectors and regions
- “Writers & Filmmakers Programs that provide economic opportunity for emerging storytellers and entrepreneurs across Alaska
- “Governor’s Arts & Humanities Awards, co-hosted with the Governor’s Office since 1968
- “Vital Grants to Local Community Organizations for cultural, educational, and civic projects across rural and urban Alaska
“The Forum is required to match every dollar of federal funding, but they leverage that funding to raise at least $1.50 in additional investment for every $1 of federal support. They are able to do this because Alaskans value the humanities. We value the Forum’s work building connections across the urban-rural divide; creating partnerships across different perspectives; supporting youth to be mentally resilient and successful after high school; and developing leaders who deeply understand and are invested in the communities they serve.
“Without action, Alaska will lose a 50-year-old institution that has built local leaders, preserved our cultures and languages, and served tens of thousands of Alaskans.
“Without action, Alaska will lose the Forum, and the community-strengthening projects it supports. As an Alaskan, I ask that you take action to restore funding to the Alaska Humanities Forum and the National Endowment for the Humanities,” the group says on a notification on its website.
In 2022-23, the Alaska Humanities Forum reported $2,826,160 in revenues, nearly all from federal grants matched by grants from the state. Perez-Verdia is paid $181,164 a year to run the nonprofit.
