A banner atop the Wyoming Humanities’ website warns that its work promoting the stories and cultures that shape Wyoming “is at risk” after losing a federal grant and two-thirds of its staff as a result.
On Tuesday, the statewide nonprofit sent word of what it needs to keep the lights on without an $870,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grant that was abruptly frozen by the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency in early April. Faced with losing 80% of its funding, the Wyoming Humanities Board recently decided to shrink its staff from six full-time employees to two, in order to keep the 55-year-old nonprofit from fully shuttering.
“The whole situation is unfortunate,” Wyoming Humanities Executive Director Shawn Reese told WyoFile. “Congress had authorized direct funding to state humanities councils, and DOGE still decided to cut the funding. That was unexpected and questionable, but nevertheless, it’s the position that we’re in.”
Reese is among the four Wyoming Humanities employees whose positions will be eliminated come June 1. Other staff whose jobs are casualties of the federal funding freeze are Emy DiGrappa, executive producer; Lucas Fralick, program coordinator; and Katie Beuman Parrish, director of advancement.
Chloé Flagg, formerly the director of grants and programs, was retained and named interim executive director. Michele Carter will stay on as the group’s director of operations.
“We plan to continue to operate at the fullest level we can,” Flagg said.
Wyoming Humanities will be able to sustain several programs despite its reduced state. Its grant program will continue thanks to the Wyoming Legislature, which appropriates funding for its community culture and Spark grants, Flagg said. The Wyoming Center for the Book program also is expected to continue, she said, as is Native American programming that mostly takes place on the Wind River Indian Reservation and in Teton County.
Flagg, Carter and their board members in the months ahead will have to pick up the pieces and figure out what’s next for Wyoming Humanities. A strategic plan just completed in 2024 will need to be revamped.
“The work of Wyoming Humanities is more important than ever,” Wyoming Humanities Board Interim Chair Stacy Stebner said in a statement. “In times of uncertainty, we need more, not less, connection. More dialogue. More stories.”
The soon-departing executive director, Reese, said he’s pleased his board isn’t dissolving the organization and is instead recalibrating and planning for a future likely to include much less government funding. Wyoming Humanities is one of many cultural, historical and art-focused organizations facing financial conditions right now that are forcing them to “regroup,” he said.
“It’s going to take some time to understand what the revenue situation will be with a reduction in property taxes, but I think museums and libraries are going to be in a challenging position,” Reese said. “There’s just a lot of headwinds.”
Well it’s pretty obvious that Trump and his minions don’t care about humans or humanity. They want money.
Well it’s pretty obvious that Dumpster and his minions don’t care about humans or humanity. They want money.
Google Wyoming Humanities staff payroll. That tells the story right there. These were $75,000-$90,000 year positions. EACH!! Plus full medical dental other perks plus pay roll. Sorry all majority of this $870,000 went to payroll!! Sorry to burst your bubble. It all public records. Plus go deeper into the open financial papers. It all out there and available for free.
This is appalling. Unbelievable, so sad for all of us and our schools, children, libraries, performance venues. I don’t know how to combat the DOGE idiocy.
The fox and his pal are loose in the hen house and feathers are flying.
$870,000= 4 jobs? All upper level administrative jobs. Can anyone justify the progress made on this over the years of operations?
870,000 does not equal 4 jobs. It’s a budget, it covers power bills, internet bills, office supplies, cleaning services and supplies, travel, collaborative programs, school outreach materials, AND salary.
Lizz. They cut 4 jobs. Not power bill etc. or elsewhere by the article. Never closed offices. Cut 4 jobs.
Which they had to do because they lost all that money. That money did not just cover 4 jobs. So to make the money they do have cover all the stuff they can’t cut, they had to cut the jobs. They are also going to have to cut some of the grants they offer and other programs. Cutting programs and jobs is how they keep the lights on.
Unless they just didn’t list it in this article and it is in fact being saved the Event Sponsorship grant sounds like it might be going away. It is unclear which other programs are going to be cut or limited due to these budget cuts as well as any future projects. Cutting jobs was the fast and easiest way to make up some of the difference. That does not mean that those 4 jobs ALONE made up the full 870,000 amount. Doing a quick google search looking at the approximate salaries for the 4 job positions cut came to about 325,000 per year. That makes up less than half of the amount that was cut from their budget. It will have to be made up elsewhere.
Again 4 jobs does not equal 870,000.
Why don’t all of you that believe this so important to mankind. Just get out the check book and write checks to cover the bill. It evidently doesn’t matter we as a nation don’t have the funds to keep going. Google the amount of money going out of treasury the last 4 years where there no record of where it went to. $1.5 TRILLION A YEAR!!! We are bankrupt as a nation. So start covering this out of your pockets. Mine are picked clean. Our total tax rate is approaching 50% or more. But feel free to use your money for this. I want to donate to wyofile but I have nothing left.
Instead of pontificating investigate. All nonprofits must submit an IRS 990 that can easily be found on the web. In fact, the Wyoming Humanities Council listed just under $601,000 for salaries and benefits.
But who needs the humanities in Wyoming anyway. Everyone should just watch reruns of the Apprentice and Fox News.
It is a sad time in our society when the powers to be decide humanities are not important. Doge, who is headed by somebody that doesn’t like humanities and probably doesn’t even know the meaning of the word …makes a cut. A bad cut.
Humanities are not scientific so Musk decides to get rid of them. He needs to go back to getting billion dollar contracts, which we the taxpayer pay, for rockets that explode. Musk does not care about people …just money
Save humanities
John. Maybe there would be more money for these programs if we didn’t have at least 1,5 million illegals enrolled on Medicare. Or think about the $1.5 TRILLION spent out of the US Treasury annually that is UNACCOUNTED for. No proof where it went or why. This been going on for at least last 4 years. Maybe if Democrats hadn’t spent FEMA FUNDS feeding illegals, terrorists in Afghanistan, left $80 BILLION in military hardware in Afghanistan on Biden’s deadly withdrawal. That had to be replaced. Think about that folks. Wasted money that could have been used here. Oh. I don’t see the Chaney family funding any of this either.
Americans are so dumd
This is a real disappointment. I spent 3 years with the Wyoming Council for the Humanities Speakers Bureau in the mid-90s giving presentations on wolves and the ethics of hunting. The Bureau provided peaceful, mostly respectful forums to discuss rationally some very controversial issues with diverse audiences. I like to think that such settings and discussion helped foster understanding, if not agreement.
Of course, the Trump administration has no interest in the understanding fostered by the humanities, only political conflict driven by gaslighting, slander, and libel–and much worse.
I suppose aprox 24 people attended those sessions as well. This waste of money has been going on decades
Larry, I’m pretty confident I could hold my breath longer than it would take for you to explain everything you know about the Wyoming Humanities.