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.
Find a job Kameron!
Yep!
The USA is 37 trillion dollars in debt. We have to cut many programs to pay the debt down as we increase production and add higher paying jobs, or we will go bankrupt with no coming back. it is reality.
Interesting….. when the “fraud, waste and abuse” investigators come around, one by one our assembly members find themselves tangled up in — and highly paid to lead — “non-profit” organizations that are deemed fraudulent, wasteful and abusive. If only they would investigate the school district……
Excellent, if they want these programs and they’re important, get support from the democrat lawyer.
Good. I voted for this.
Good, what a waste of money.
Good lord. Almost 200k to run a non profit ? Time for folks to stop sucking on taxpayer tit !
Agree! This “forum” suggests to me, a taxpayer, a gaggle of snotty well-heeled liberals, in formal dress, standing around a table of expensive canapés guzzling expensive champagne.
From reading Suzanne’s article description the Alaska Humanities Forum is yet another NGO grifter sucking off the taxpayer teat. If this organization is as wonderful as Perez-Verdia claims then surely he can get private and corporate donors to step to the plate to fund it.
Just want to thank everyone who voted for Trump. It is amazing how fast MAGA is being implemented. A $2,000,000 project, and a $180,000 Salary that went on for FIFTY YEARS, ended by a letter, and this is going on throughout America. The Democrat Party is going to be Starved into EXTINCTION. Thank You Heavenly Father for keeping Trump alive.
Wow. $181k in taxpayer dollars for a job that doesn’t perform a government function? The humanities are undoubtedly important but they are certainly not the responsibility of the federal government. How can anyone argue that the government has clearly gone where it was never intended to go & peddled influence & political agendas with money intended to buy, silence, convince, & kill. If it’s not in the constitution- get rid of it! GO DOGE!
181K to run a non profit. Has anyone who does not associate with this non profit ever been helped by them?
Sure, all the WOKE people that live with their fettish lifestyles..
If you actually looked them up instead of believing this propaganda written by someone who doesn’t even live in Alaska, you’d have your answer. It’s amazing how much this article just fabricated and you people eat it up and froth at the mouth.
So what exactly is “fabricated” here Steve?
Be specific….we’ll wait!
And that 181K likely does not included his expense account on top of it.
You should see what public broadcasters pay their executives
Perez-Verdia is paid $181,164 a year to run the nonprofit.
Not anymore. Time to polish that resume and start job-hunting. You want fries with that?
Very illustrative article concerning the current failed federal/state grant based economy, disassociated from the actual needs of people in real life.
The time period for each project, each with a grandiose title that means nothing, and have no metrics to gauge the alleged beneficial effects of these projects for anyone, document how long this parasitical organization has been wasting resources.
Perez-Verdia takes 6.5% off the top, for himself to run operations. These NGOs are designed for the benefit of enriching a self described “essential” ruling elite, that is self centered, incompetent and useless.
Adding up all the monies spent on salaries and expenses to operate this “forum” would be interesting.
Even the name “humanities” is an illusory title. Poverty, a lack of educational opportunities, homelessness and a decayed society is the result of our country being dominated by these NGOs, people like Perez-Verdia who could care less about “humanities”.
Anchorage is a prime example of another hopeless, crime ridden, trash filled, urban ghetto exploited by those who run it and exploit the situation they themselves created. Using these forums and NGOs to enrich themselves and pontificate about their moral and intellectual superiority.
Brian, so well spoken. Run for Assembly next time if you live in Anchorage.
That is a sweet gravy train ole Cameron had himself…
$182K per year to be a liberal D-bag on the Assembly.
Only thing Alaska is losing is the waste of 182K.
Sad that the SOA under Gov D didn’t end this humungous waste of state funding….
Guess he had some RED friends…
Good luck Cam finding a job in the Anchorage bowl…as you and the rest of the libtards have wrecked the MOA.
Perez-Verdia is a government tit aficionado who does all he can to maximize his income from the taxpayers. When these money boxes dry up, hopefully, he and his ilk will move somewhere else so we can fix our town. Gotta love DOGE.
This guy is making more than Merrill airport manager who have 10x more responsibility. What a sham
Good. Keep shining the light !!
End public school bus services:
Parents need to prove their involvement and bring their kids to school.
Nationally, the total annual cost for transporting public school students exceeds $28 billion
End this absurd subsidy
I voted for real change
End social security Ponzi scheme now!
Otherwise, why not continue our miserable lives and enjoy petty cash expenditures like AHF.
Yay Doge!!! Great job, keep it up! The program should only get private donations, NOT force people to pay for it through taxes.
Great. Get rid of it.
Perez-Verdia doesnt have the stamina it takes to stay awake at Assembly meetings during his other gig that pays another 60K.
Doesnt he get enough sleep during his day job?
Kameron needs to reach out to his own comrades for extra cash.
How about Soros or Zuckerbucks for a handout?
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out he is just another Democrat freeloader floating down grift river on the backs of the taxpaying working class.
Got to thank the Anchorage voters that just re-elected this dirtbag.
A big thank you going out to our President who is doing exactly what we elected him to do with the help of Elon Musk who has the most to lose if someone doesn’t stop the grift.
Best news ever! Time we stopped funding nonprofits like this that have become a place where people like Perez are extremely over paid for doing little. A place where liberals hire their friends and then push nothing but a liberal agenda!
$181,164.00 dollars a year salary? Apparently, non-profits are VERY profitable for the politically connected!!
Poverty is a lucrative business. And a big source of fraud. IRS needs to go after these poverty pimps.
Holy Crap!
That’s long overdue for a dump. Good luck to Mr. Perez if his mortgage payment requires a similar level of graft. Imagine how much time he spent on the couch presiding over that fiscal leech.
Alaska Humanities Forum is another NGO that’s a front for money laundering. Verdia is king of graft in Anchorage.
Hmm. Similar to Meg, no?
For many years, there have been various volunteer groups supporting all sorts of civic and educational programs in Anchorage. People who value “the humanities” have formed these groups and funded them privately for the benefit of many. I cannot imagine why this particular NGO needs federal funding if it is truly of value to folks in Anchorage. Of course, the truth is that this is a sinecure for a spoiled leftist and his cronies, in order to extort money from the public taxpayer who may or most like may not approve of the “work” that they do. I expect the same is true of most NGOs and I am not sorry they are being defunded.
Its odd how government got into the charity racket with their NGOs. I remember charities being operated by churches when i was young. Looks like they even gave up their souls for money. Canceling funding and public scrutiny couldn’t have come at a better time in American History.
Great comments! It’s infuriating that our tax dollars go to fund these organizations: pushing agendas that are offensive to the taxpayers themselves!
Yes! AK Humanities Forum was responsible for spreading a lot of Woke ideas. Thank goodness they will be gone.
Oil down to 60 a barrel today. How did those film subsidies work out? Good time to raise by $1,000 bucks the student allowence. Stay tuned for raid on Permanent Fund and income tax.
If they want the PFD, they can split it 50/50 with the citizens, as well as paying each and everyone of us for the 50% they have been stealing since Bill Walker, out of their share.
“Oh the humanity!”
“NEH funding constitutes a significant portion of the Forum’s budget that their core programs rely upon.”
So you are saying that every one of us who pays federal taxes has been funding “drag queens for kids” events and “whites not allowed” conferences. Grrrrrrrr…….
“ In 2022-23, the Alaska Humanities Forum reported $2,826,160 in revenues, nearly all from federal grants matched by grants from the state.”
…
So Mr. Perez-Verdia is trying to tell me that Alaskan’s truly support his efforts. If that’s so, the above funding statement isn’t making sense. Perhaps someone is leveraging $1.00 of truth into a $1.50 worth of lies.
Right Joel…and the match money is from the SOA, not private sources.
Tiny amount is from big corporate donors to avoid abuse….
This is no different from “mob guy jobs” on the old construction jobsite scene
Exactly what I voted for, cut this liberal money drain.
Hey Kameron, dont forget to thank the Donald for your extended vacation notice.
Wasn’t this the Ted Stevens bill that also had a dedicated seats to business, including the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce? But when published in the Federal Register the dedicated business board seats were left out, then passed, so it moved forward with a more social focus? Everyone denied knowledge of the change in the language that was voted on, passed?
The AHF is just another small component of the “self-licking-ice-cream-cone” of Leftist NGOs exposed by Elon Musk. At the top was the USAID but other elements are deeply embedded in the federal government. President Trump has three and a half more years to dismantle the machine that funnels BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars to Leftists within and without the United States. The Left knows that without government funding ninety percent of Leftist activity in the public sphere will collapse. George Soros will try to sustain the remaining ten percent, but the world will change and for the better. Elon Musk is over the target.
This guy makes more than an executive with responsibility for peoples lives.
yank the Denali Commission too!!! Hyak is very happy. yank the $1 million a year to Cook Inlet regional response. democrat senator begich funded that, gotta go
Maybe the person managing the arts would do it for free, releasing more funds for the programs. Why should the salaries be so high for a job that should have a lot to do with volunteering?
This is great news, glad to see this waste of money be cut. GO DOGE!! Please bring on more cuts.
10% for the Big Guy!
The US corporation is handling bankrupt situations. Fun and popular customs are being limited.