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Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Air out of the sails': Arts groups scramble to respond to NEA grant terminations
Editor's note: Federal Fallout is a Tribune-Democrat news series addressing the potential local impact of funding cuts. JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The Steeples Project has worked for years to revitalize historic churches in the Cambria City section of Johnstown, often leveraging grants, with the latest undertaking focused on turning the former St. Columba Catholic Church into a theater for live dramatic arts. Dave Hurst, project executive director, said the group needs 'every penny' of those dollars to help accomplish its aims, but recent changes to the federally funded National Endowment for the Arts has caused a disruption of its plans. Hurst said he was alerted by the NEA in early May that a previously awarded $20,000 grant had been terminated effective May 31. 'When I first read it, it was just air out of the sails,' he said. The funding was allocated for the Columba Theatre Project, and was set to pay for part of the construction documents. According to an email notification shared with The Tribune-Democrat, The Steeples Project award was terminated because the 'project no longer effectuates agency priorities.' The NEA, a federal arts group established by Congress in 1965, announced in May that updated grant-making policy priorities will 'focus funding on projects that reflect the nation's rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by (President Donald Trump).' 'Consequently, we are terminating awards that fall outside these new priorities,' the notice said. 'The NEA will not prioritize projects that elevate the nation's (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and Hispanic-serving institutions, celebrate the 250th anniversary of American Independence, foster (artificial intelligence) competency, empower houses of worship to serve communities, assist with disaster recovery, foster skilled trade jobs, make America healthy again, support the military and veterans, support Tribal communities, make the District of Columbia safe and beautiful and support the economic development of Asian American Communities.' The Learning Lamp also lost a $10,000 NEA Challenge America grant for the nonprofit's Children's Book Festival. However, that funding gap was bridged by a donation from The Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts and the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation. The National Endowment for the Arts has a 2024 congressional allocation of more than $200 million, roughly half of which was requested for director endowment grants, including arts projects, including the Challenge America and Our Town programs. 'A scary time' The White House's budget request for the 2026 fiscal year calls for elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, according to the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. 'It's a scary time,' Hurst said of the situation. Despite his grant being terminated, Hurst said he consulted with the federal arts group, and was told he should be able to draw down the $20,000 and not lose anything. The theater project is in its final design phase of a multi-year project that will cost several million dollars to complete. That includes development of dressing rooms, seating, a lobby, expanded event space, a box office, lighting, acoustical reflector and several other improvements. 'To do that, we will definitely need federal funding, and that will be an 'open question' now,' Hurst said, 'because at this point, I don't think anybody really knows what the parameters will be.' He submitted the request for the money May 13 and is waiting for a response. 'A lot of uncertainty' Matthew Lamb, executive director of the Bottle Works arts center in Cambria City, is also awaiting word regarding an NEA grant application he submitted in April. That funding would help develop the arts center's public art initiative and match funding from the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts' Creative Communities grant that Bottle Works was awarded. However, Lamb is unsure what the future of his application is now that the NEA has updated its grant-making policies. He said the momentum Bottle Works has built with public art installations – such as the murals on the Cambria County Library in downtown Johns-town, the Spider-Man mural on Stone Bridge Brewing Co. and the Steve Ditko display on the Tulip Building – feels as if it's stalled, Lamb said. 'There's a lot of uncertainty,' he said. Bottle Works has earned NEA grants in the past, which have helped support operations and undertakings at the facility in Cambria City, including the murals on the jersey barriers on Power Street. When he heard the national arts group was terminating grants, he said his reaction was that of 'sheer terror.' 'Defunding at the NEA doesn't just affect our arts organizations, but it affects all the small businesses in our communities,' Lamb said. He said investments in the arts offer significant returns for communities. 'Hurdle to overcome' The National Assembly of State Art Agencies notes arts and creative industries generate 'a $36.8 billion trade surplus and add $1.2 trillion in value to the U.S. gross domestic product.' 'The NEA and state arts agencies catalyze cultural production and grow the talent pool for this important American industry that creates 5.4 million jobs on American soil,' the NASAA said. Lamb said the economic impact apart from the arts centers is also noteworthy. Attendees at nonprofit arts events spend more than $34 per outing beyond entrance fees, at local retailers and restaurants, according to the NASAA. 'While many industries produce jobs and revenue, only the arts offer a fivefold bottom line that strengthens our nation,' the assembly said. 'Arts activity supported by the NEA and state arts agencies boosts economic productivity, improves education outcomes, fosters civic cohesion, facilitates good health, and preserves cherished traditions that tell our country's story. These are consensus values that all Americans want for their families and communities.' Although the Community Arts Center of Cambria County does not have an active endowment grant, Executive Director Angela Godin said she was notified that the Challenge America grant her nonprofit has relied on was terminated in the update. In the past, the arts center has used the Challenge America grant for outreach initiatives for what she called underserved and underrepresented populations. 'This was a shock and a disappointment,' she said. 'Fortunately, the Community Arts Center of Cambria County does not rely on this particular funding stream for annual programmatic needs. Nevertheless, it is still a loss and hurdle to overcome, especially with the uncertainty of other grant programs from the NEA.' Hurst said he's hopeful the situation will work out, but everyone will have to 'wait and see' what comes next. Lamb shared a similar note of positivity. 'The arts organizations in the area will find a way to navigate these situations,' Lamb said. 'That's what we do. We're creative.'
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Somerset approves $125,000 settlement with former employee
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways SOMERSET, Pa. – A federal lawsuit has been settled between Somerset County and a former county maintenance worker over free speech rights. Somerset County commissioners voted 3-0 to approve an agreement outlining the settlement's terms, which Somerset County Co-Solicitor Benjamin Carroll said includes a $125,000 payment to the former employee. The move settles a six-year-long dispute with former county worker Eric Trent, who sued the county in 2020. Carroll said the payment includes both county funds and an unspecified payout from the county's insurance company. He said under terms of the agreement, he could not get more specific but that the document 'speaks for itself.' Carroll acknowledged the written agreement is a public record subject to the Right-to-Know Law and that the media is able to request a copy. The Tribune-Democrat filed a written RTK request with the office Tuesday, and Carroll said the county must discuss the request with all parties involved prior to its release. Barring any valid objections, 'it's our intent to follow the law and release it,' he said Tuesday. First Amendment suit Issues raised in the lawsuit date back to mid-2019. None of Somerset's current commissioners were serving in office at the time. Somerset County and former President Commissioner Gerald Walker were sued by Trent after he voiced concern to Walker about a trend of hiring out-of-state workers for administrative roles at the time. Federal court documents indicated the discussion between Walker and Trent occurred during a trade show and ended with Trent saying he'd work to see Walker defeated in an upcoming election for continuing the hiring practice. Trent lost his county job a short time later. He was publicly escorted from the courthouse, his suit alleged at the time. Trent responded with the 2020 lawsuit, maintaining he had a right to voice his opinion and frustration about the county's practice. The county's hired Pittsburgh legal counsel, Gabriel Fera, argued Trent raised issues too 'trivial' to be of public concern – and the board was within its right to terminate Trent. But an appeals court sided with Trent in 2024. As a county citizen, Trent had a First Amendment right to voice his opinion about a public concern, a federal appeals court wrote. The matter was sent back to the federal courts for mediation since. Trent was contacted by The Tribune-Democrat for comment Tuesday. He said he could not discuss settlement specifics, but in a telephone interview said he was 'happy' with the way the case was resolved. 'I'm thankful for all the support I received from county employees,' he said, adding that he's continued receiving supportive calls from fellow Somerset County residents. 'It was a long process, but I'm just glad it's settled now.' 'Happy to have it resolved' Somerset County officials said they were also eager to move on from the matter. 'This is an issue that arose prior to the term of these commissioners. (The legal dispute) has gone on for a long time, and we're happy to have it resolved,' Carroll added during an interview after the county's board meeting alongside current commissioners board members Brian Fochtman, Irv Kimmel Jr. and Pamela Tokar-Ickes. Online court documents show the case was resolved in late February through mediation between Somerset County's legal counsel and Trent's attorneys. Efforts to reach Walker were not successful Tuesday. A message for comment was not returned. DeLuca: 'Recoup' losses Somerset county officials did not specify how they'll specifically cover the county's settlement costs. During the county's retirement board meeting Tuesday, Somerset County Treasurer Anthony DeLuca Jr. suggested the county take steps to recoup the funds from Walker. DeLuca said the former commissioner's pension is not yet being dispersed to Walker and suggested that those retirement funds could be 'frozen ... to recoup some of that money.' 'Otherwise ... it's coming from taxpayer's pockets,' he said. 'I'd want to go after that (money).' The county's three commissioners did not respond to DeLuca's suggestion during the board meeting. Carroll said it's something the commissioners board could discuss among themselves as an option, if they choose.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
LIHEAP energy aid program seen as 'lifeline' for many Pa. households
Editor's note: Federal Fallout is a Tribune-Democrat news series addressing the potential local impact of funding cuts. JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Lisa Golden has used the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program for more than 25 years, and she describes the federally funded service as a beneficial resource for her family. 'LIHEAP has helped our family by ensuring we are safe and our furnace and heat works properly,' she said. 'It also helps to make ends (meet) a bit easier with the funds that go directly to the company and lowers our bill.' She has accessed LIHEAP not only for utility bill assistance – last year, when the furnace in her Johnstown home stopped working, she and her husband, Phillip Grayson, applied for and were awarded crisis funds to fix it. In April, all staffers who oversee the federally funded LIHEAP were fired as part of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services plan to terminate 10,000 of its 80,000 employees. At this time, all LIHEAP funding for the 2024-25 season, which was extended by two weeks to an April 18 deadline, is secure, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services press secretary Brandon Cwalina said. Despite that, 'continued federal funding and support are critical to DHS' ability to provide uninterrupted assistance for Pennsylvanians during the next winter season,' Cwalina said. When Golden learned of the impact on LIHEAP staff, she said the news 'brought anxiety' to her life. 'When I found out, it was very sad,' she said. 'I was not surprised by the fact the staff is gone and the program won't have anyone to distribute any funds.' Golden said LIHEAP is necessary for a variety of people, adding that her husband works full-time. She said it's 'such a shame so many will suffer,' especially in Cambria County, which she assumes 'is very dependent' on this type of service. According to state DHS data, 5,975 people in Cambria County for the 2024-25 period to date relied on the assistance; that's a decline from 2019-20, when the number was 6,253. In Somerset County, there were 3,365 residents who accessed the service to date, which is a slight downturn from the 2019-20 figure of 3,405. Golden said that as federal downsizing continues since President Donald Trump's administration took office, she 'assumed it was only a matter of time' until programs such as LIHEAP were affected. LIHEAP was created in 1981 and provides cash grants sent directly to utility or fuel companies to help millions of residents each year heat and cool their homes. Grant periods are open from November through April, and funding can range from $200 to $1,000 based on household size, income and fuel type. Those eligible fall at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Limit, which is a gross income of $22,590 per year for an individual and $46,800 per year for a family of four. There are also crisis grants, such as the one Golden received, of $25 to $1,000 that can help pay for broken heating equipment or leaking lines, shut-off of the main heating source, the danger of being without fuel and related expenses. 'LIHEAP helps our community's most vulnerable citizens – children, older Pennsylvanians, people with disabilities and low-income families – make ends meet and keep their homes safer,' state DHS Secretary Valerie Arkoosh said in a release about the LIHEAP season extension. Congress allocated more than $4 billion to the program for the fiscal year 2025, with $378 million of that amount not released until this week. Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission Chairman Stephen M. DeFrank, Vice Chair Kimberly M. Barrow and Commissioner Kathryn L. Zerfuss released a joint statement expressing concern about the HHS staffing cuts that impacted the assistance program. 'LIHEAP is a lifeline for Pennsylvania's most vulnerable households, including seniors, children and individuals with disabilities,' Zerfuss said in the letter. 'It ensures that these families are able to stay connected to essential utility services – keeping their homes safe and warm, particularly during the harsh winter months. As consumers face increasing financial pressures, it's critical that we preserve this program to protect their well-being.' The National Consumer Law Center and the National Energy Assistance Directors Association also released a joint statement addressing LIHEAP's impact. 'LIHEAP saves lives, and it has helped keep home energy more affordable for over 40 years,' NCLC senior attorney Olivia Wein said in the statement. 'It's critical that HHS ensure there is no disruption to the administration of the LIHEAP program in order to protect families during future hot summers and cold winters.' According to the most recent Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission report of 2023, an average of 18.8% of electric customers in the state used LIHEAP in 2021. The percentage was 22.9% the next year and 21% in 2023. For gas customers, the average LIHEAP participation rate was 37.7% in 2021, 53.1% in 2022 and 46.3% in 2023, the report stated. Those figures were determined by dividing the number of LIHEAP cash grants by the number of confirmed low-income customers for each public utility and are on par with 2017-19 averages. During the 2023-24 LIHEAP season – the most recent information available – 302,356 households throughout the state received $113,068,913 in cash benefits, according to DHS. Additionally, approximately 115,614 households statewide got $63,355,913 in crisis benefits for that season, state officials said. FirstEnergy spokesman Todd Meyers said the company's human services is waiting on decisions at the federal level to better understand any impacts to LIHEAP and Pennsylvania customers. 'While we do not have an update yet, we continue to monitor the situation closely to understand any impact to the administration of the LIHEAP program,' he said. In the meantime, Meyers pointed to other electrical service assistance programs that can help Pennsylvania customers, including the Pennsylvania Customer Assistance Program, the Dollar Energy Fund and the 211 helpline. 'It is critical for customers who are having difficulty paying their electric bills to contact us so we can help match them to programs that meet their circumstance,' Meyers said. 'We can't know why they need help unless they reach out to us.' Golden said her family does use other programs, including the Customer Assistance Program and PCAP, and they will be investigating the Dollar Energy Fund and weatherization offerings. Karen Struble Myers, United Way of the Southern Alleghenies president and CEO, said she anticipates a need for local funding to help fill gaps following the federal staffing cuts. 'Although this didn't provide any material changes to Pennsylvania's LIHEAP program ... continued federal funding and support are critical to the commonwealth's ability to provide uninterrupted assistance for Pennsylvanians during the next winter season,' she said. Struble Myers said the future of navigating these issues will include challenges. The United Way is one of several groups that facilitate the 211 helpline, a 24/7 hotline that can connect qualifying clients with needed programs, from preschool and rental assistance to LIHEAP. Madeline Burrows accessed LIHEAP from 2019-22, and she said the help was necessary or she would have ended up sleeping on friends' couches or freezing. 'The program made my house survivable during the winter, not comfortable,' she said. Burrows struggled with broken windows and sealed them with plastic and blankets after high school while working part-time and attempting to attend college classes, she said. During that time, her furnace broke and needed multiple repairs. 'Poverty was a gateway to financial crisis after financial crisis,' Burrows said. 'I often didn't know what crisis to try and fix before three new ones appeared.' Burrows said she has 'a lot of fear for what will happen to people in our community' with the future of LIHEAP uncertain. 'Johnstown is consistently ranked as one of the poorest cities in the state,' she said. 'Most people I know here either rely on assistance now or did in the past. People not receiving assistance here is nothing but torture.'
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Got to feed these people': Pantry leaders say federal cuts will impact services, cause food insecurity
Editor's note: Federal Fallout is a Tribune-Democrat news series addressing the potential local impact of funding cuts. JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Every fourth Wednesday of the month, Interfaith Community Food Pantry President David Rager gathers his volunteers in a circle and – similar to a coach – gives them a pep talk, directions and updates before they get to work packing boxes of food. 'We've got to feed these people,' Rager said. Federal Fallout logo For more than 10 years, the food pantry, based in the former hall of St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Jackson Township, has supported people in 10 area communities with supplemental food. Every fourth Saturday of the month, hundreds of vehicles line up in the church lot for the distribution. Each box has 22 items, ranging from cereal and pre-packaged sides to canned goods such as soup and vegetables to a cake mix. Visitors also receive 20 pounds of fresh produce every month, plus milk, bread and fresh meat. April's boxes include butter, salmon and a pork roast. 'I try to get four to five good meals, because we're here to substitute what they get from SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and the government,' Rager said. Federal Fallout | Interfaith Community Food Bank Interfaith Community Food Bank President Dave Rager, of Mundy's Corner, speaks about potential federal funding cuts to the food distribution center in Jackson Township on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. He said the food pantry serves roughly 220 families per month, with two to six people in each unit. The number has steadily increased in the past few years, he said. 'You've got to come see it on a Saturday to appreciate it,' volunteer Stan Popich said. He added that the 'thank yous' the volunteers receive are overwhelming. Everyone is gracious, volunteer Dave Verba said. 'It's amazing how many people look forward to it every month,' he said. Verba, who directs traffic during distributions, said that the volunteers build relationships with the people who attend the distributions, and when some don't show up, they get concerned about what may have happened. 'Really rely on it' The Interfaith Community Food Pantry's operations are funded through state and federal grants, including from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture through the United Way of the Southern Alleghenies, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, private donations and efforts of the Conemaugh Area Ministerium. Federal Fallout | Interfaith Community Food Bank Steve Kauffman, of Vinco, stacks food distribution boxes during a packaging day at Interfaith Community Food Bank in Jackson Township on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. Rager said with recent cuts to U.S. Department of Agriculture funding streams and potential slashes to SNAP benefits, he's worried about the community. 'I think right now we have a lot more elderly people, and they really rely on it,' he said. Rager added that the pantry assists a local school, too, and he's concerned about how decreases in grant dollars could impact area children. 'If they close the grants or shut the grants down, the only thing we have is through donations,' he said. 'You have to wait and see.' In the past two months, the USDA has paused roughly $500,000 that supports the Emergency Food Assistance Program, a nutrition program that purchases U.S. commodities for emergency food providers, and terminated this year's allocation for the Local Food Purchase Assistance and Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement programs that help food banks and schools buy produce from local farmers. According to the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit that works with marginalized communities, cutting the LFPA and LFS programs translates to the loss of roughly $1 billion in funding. Additionally, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has reported President Donald Trump's administration has suggested decreasing potentially hundreds of billions in Agriculture Committee allotments throughout the next 10 years by moving partial funding of the federal SNAP program to the states. Federal Fallout | Interfaith Community Food Bank Patty Rager, volunteer of Mundy's Corner, organizes canned goods during a food distribution box packaging day at Interfaith Community Food Bank in Jackson Township on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. 'Forcing states to help pay SNAP benefits would allow Congress to enact unpopular cuts while making someone else – state governments – either pay the difference or decide which participants lose food benefits,' the center said. 'Advocate alongside us' The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, which serves 11 counties, including Cambria and Somerset, will lose funding because of USDA downsizing, officials there said. 'This funding impacts our main inventory,' communications specialist Christa Johnson said. 'LFPA funding and TEFAP (Commodity Credit Corp.) bonus helps us purchase 6.3 million pounds of food. That's 13% of the total food we are currently distributing.' Last year, the Pittsburgh center provided 48 million pounds of food to the regions it serves. The cuts to the local food purchasing program will mean a loss of $1.5 million the group has spent with local dairies, farmers and other agriculture producers, food bank Director Colleen Young confirmed. Those dollars have covered a majority of milk and egg purchases throughout the past two years, Johnson said. 'The economic impact to local dairies, egg producers and farmers is not fully understood yet,' Johnson said. To help combat these issues, the Pittsburgh group is requesting 'anyone who cares about food insecurity and what the food bank is doing to advocate alongside us,' Young said. 'In a wait and see' Staff are also working with state officials and undergoing targeted fundraising to offset potential cuts. 'Our biggest priority is to make sure our partner organizations who are working with the community are getting what they need,' Young said. 'We are working really hard to make sure the impact of this does not fall on people who need this assistance.' She said that if the organization were 'to try to replace all the food we lost through these cuts, it would cost more than $5 million annually at these food prices.' Anthony Consiglio, Society of St. Vincent de Paul Altoona-Johnstown executive director, said the group's Department of Agriculture funding is secure for this cycle, which ends with the fiscal year in June, but it's unclear what the future holds. A lot of the produce the society receives comes from the Pittsburgh food bank. 'As far as cuts, we're kind of in a wait and see,' he said. 'No one is sure what will happen and who it will affect.' St. Vincent de Paul has one food pantry in Blair County and four in Cambria County. Consiglio said that, in Cambria County alone, the group serves between 70 and 150 families per month, or 120 to 400 people per month. He doesn't foresee any SVDP pantries closing as a result of these changes, but Consiglio said he has heard from people who frequent the food banks that they are worried about their SNAP benefits. 'Everything is so confusing right now,' Consiglio said. According to Feeding America, more than 50 million people in the country relied on food pantries, community organizations and food banks for food assistance in 2023. USDA data show that 13.5%, or 18 million, households in the country were food-insecure during that time period. In Cambria County, more than 17,000 people, 13.2% of residents, are food-insecure, and 55% are below the SNAP threshold, according to Feeding America. Nearly 9,000 people in Somerset County, or 11.8% of the population, are facing hunger and 56% are below the SNAP threshold, the group reports. 'Fresh, locally grown' Gov. Josh Shapiro has appealed the USDA's decision to eliminate the LFPA program, and said he is committed to fighting on this matter. If the decision is not reversed, a statement from his administration said, the state is ready 'to pursue further legal action to safeguard vital revenue streams for farmers and ensure uninterrupted food access for residents.' Shapiro said: 'Pennsylvania farmers do the noble work of putting food on our table – and for the last three years, they have been paid to provide fresh, local food to food banks across our commonwealth as part of a successful federal initiative. But earlier (in March), we received notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that the Trump administration had decided to cancel our agreement. 'As a result of this unlawful action, 189 Pennsylvania farms will lose a critical source of revenue – and 14 food banks across the commonwealth will lose access to local, fresh food. I've directed (state Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding) to immediately appeal the USDA's decision to unlawfully terminate this agreement and demand that the federal government honor their obligations under the agreement we signed just four months ago.' According to his administration, throughout the past two years, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture provided more than $28 million in federal funding from the LFPA program to local farmers across the state. In return, food banks have helped feed their most vulnerable neighbors and received fresh, local food from Pennsylvania farmers. 'The same program was set to provide $13 million over the next three years to support the purchase of more fresh, locally grown food for food banks,' according to the Shapiro administration. Additionally, a USDA release from January 2023 says the agency's Agricultural Marketing Service signed an agreement with the state 'for more than $6.8 million to increase their purchase of nutritious, local foods for school meal programs' through the now-canceled Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Hate to see it go': Local groups, community members lament humanities cuts, say NEH funding has lasting impact on region
Editor's note: Federal Fallout is a Tribune-Democrat news series addressing the potential local impact of funding cuts. JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – More than 30 years ago, a National Endowment for the Humanities grant sent Laura Gordon to study with the Royal Shakespeare Company in England and the Folger Theatre in Washington, D.C. She was chosen from among more than 2,000 applicants for the scholarship that she said inspired her and her husband to create the Band of Brothers Shakespeare Company in the Laurel Highlands region, which has since spent 34 seasons spreading William Shakespeare's works and legacy. 'It totally changed the course of my life and this community,' Gordon said. She described the NEH scholarship as a blessing that has impacted more than 900 actors who have performed with the company, which is part of the Shakespeare Theatre Association, throughout the years – and a countless number of audience members who have taken in the plays. Federal Fallout logo Gordon has also taken the experience into the classroom – during her time as a Somerset Area School District teacher, she developed a theater arts curriculum, and still works with regional schools to introduce new generations to Shakespeare and his plays. Those are endeavors she considers to be important and for which she fundraises annually. 'It makes you have value as a human being,' she said. 'Speaking Shakespeare gives you value as a human being.' Funding that spawned the three-decade community arts offering is now on hold or potentially eliminated, with the future of the agency unclear. At the beginning of April, National Endowment for the Humanities employees were put on leave due to efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency to downsize the federal government. According to NPR reporting, a senior NEH official who spoke on condition of anonymity said 80% of the 145-member staff was furloughed. Additionally, DOGE may eliminate a significant portion of staff soon, while also gutting grant programs. Gordon said she understands there may be areas of the federal government that can be made more efficient – but trimming from the arts is not it. FEDERAL FALLOUT | 'Transformative' early childhood services at risk with continued government cuts and downsizing, local leaders say With proposed government cuts to funding sources such as Medicaid, Beginnings Inc. services that flow through county departments of behavioral health and development may be in jeopardy, officials at the agency said. She'd heard rumors of cuts throughout the theater world for about a year, but was shocked to learn of the retrenchment, she said. NEH legacy The NEH website says the agency is the only federal organization in the country dedicated to funding the humanities, such as history, literature, philosophy and ethics, and has done so since 1965. Since its inception, the agency says, it has awarded more than $6 billion to museums, libraries, universities, television and radio stations, historic sites and more, and supported more than 70,000 projects in all 50 states and six U.S. jurisdictions. This year, NEH had a budget of roughly $200 million to support those operations. On April 3, more than five dozen humanities councils throughout the country, including in Pennsylvania, were alerted that their general operating grant had 'been terminated, effective immediately.' 'The impacts of the NEH cuts are devastating,' said Dawn Frisby Byers, PA Humanities senior director of content and engagement. 'PA Humanities receives 60% of our annual operating budget from the NEH. To replace that amount without warning is a challenge. 'We also use NEH funds to supplement our many programs, which may not be fully funded from local grants and partnerships.' FEDERAL FALLOUT | 'Worried about cuts': Health care providers respond to proposed HHS downsizing Hyndman Area Health Centers have five federally funded locations in Cambria and Bedford counties that provide "vitally important" care to the underinsured and uninsured populations of those areas. A statement from PA Humanities Executive Director Laurie Zierer described these cuts by DOGE as 'harmful' and a 'drastic action.' 'We are actively working with our local, state and national partners to challenge this unlawful decision and advocate for the NEH,' Zierer said. 'We are committed to defending the essential role the humanities play in building informed, connected, healthy and resilient communities.' Zierer called the federal cuts 'the most serious threat to the humanities in a generation.' She said federal funding helps generate $30.4 billion in annual impact through Pennsylvania and provides 189,700 jobs. Despite the dismantling of NEH, the PA Humanities group said, 'We are not backing down.' The message asked supporters to contact their congressional representatives, mobilize networks and donate to PA Humanities. Teen Reading Lounge Aria Nola, Cambria County Library reference and teen librarian, said she's unsure what the long-term impact of these cuts will be for programming at the downtown Johnstown library. The Teen Reading Lounge at the Main Street library is supported by NEH through the state's Youth-Led Humanities grant and has been for roughly six funding cycles. 'This has sort of become a hallmark for this library,' reference supervisor Joyce Homan said. She started the program when she was the teen librarian as a way to give local youth a safe place to read and interact. Federal Fallout | Cambria County Library Joyce Homan, Cambria County Library reference supervisor, talks about potential federal aid cuts at the facility on Main Street in downtown Johnstown on Wednesday, April 17, 2025. 'There were a lot of teens who needed to find their way, and what better way than through books?' Homan said. Each cycle, the funding is used to purchase books for each participant, usually about 15, while also paying for field trips and supplies for activities. 'We have seen the life-changing effect on teens in this program,' Homan said. One person who has been positively impacted by the library program is 18-year-old Raphael Gates, who is studying psychology at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. He attended the twice-per-month TRL meetings for about three years and aged out upon turning 18 in August 2024. 'Just going there and being able to have conversations with people that also read the book ... is very nice,' Gates said. He still stops by the library, staying in contact with Homan, and described the program as an influential experience that he credits for helping to keep him connected with books. 'Throughout the years of going to Teen Reading Lounge, I was going through some harder times, so (without it) I probably would have lost my love of reading,' Gates said. Reflecting on the government cuts, Gates said he can't understand why that's happening, especially to institutions so many people rely on, such as libraries. 'I'm so frustrated about our government at this point,' he said. 'I'm angry and I'm frustrated that they're trying to take away these resources.' Federal Fallout | Cambria County Library Aria Nola, Cambria County Library reference and teen librarian, stands at the entrance of the teen library section at the facility on Main Street in downtown Johnstown on Wednesday, April 17, 2025. Nola said since the funding cuts were announced, there's been little guidance from state or federal groups about the path forward. She's fairly confident this year's funding is secure, she said, but what the future holds is uncertain. Despite that, Nola said the library will find a way to continue TRL, with or without humanities grants. Haley Bennett is also concerned about the Teen Reading Lounge program. She attended the offering from 2016 to 2018 at Highland Community Library in Richland Township, part of the Cambria County Library system. Highland took financial responsibility of TRL after initial funding ran out and has continued it since, but Bennett is still worried about how downsizing will affect those resources. 'I would really, really hate to see it go,' Bennett said. 'I definitely don't think TRL would have been what it was for me and the people in the group if it wasn't offered and funded the way it was.' The program was so influential to her, she credits it for her current career as the circulation director at Mount Aloysius College in Cresson and her part-time job at the Highland library. Bennett said attending the club is where she found her people, as well as a reprieve from the stresses of school and other responsibilities. FEDERAL FALLOUT | Getting 'collaborative' to address needs: Lessons learned during pandemic could frame local response to expected funding cuts If the region sees federal funding streams dry up, organizations – including the 1889 Foundation, which alone supports more than 50 nonprofit health and human service initiatives with millions of local dollars each year – would have to pivot from funding initiatives geared toward long-term public health to help meet more immediate needs. Another PA Humanities program affected by the funding cuts is Rain Poetry, an initiative to introduce the art of haiku to children and teens throughout the state with chapters in Johnstown, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. That's done through workshops, art installations and publication of the poets' works. Federal Fallout | Cambria County Library Leah Johncola, Cambria County Library children's supervisor, talks about potential federal aid cuts at the facility on Main Street in downtown Johnstown on Wednesday, April 17, 2025. Leah Johncola, youth services coordinator at the Cambria library, said dozens of area children and teens were impacted by the project last year. What's so important and effective about Rain Poetry is that the project is centered on their experience, she added. The popular program was scheduled to expand to more Pennsylvanian cities, but now its future is in jeopardy, officials said. Other regional allocations for humanities funding throughout the years range from Somerset County Library and Juniata College, to Pennsylvania Highlands Community College and the work of Dean of Library Services and Special Projects Barbara A. Zaborowski. According to The Tribune-Democrat records, in 2022 the Somerset library was awarded $10,000 by NEH through the American Library Association's 'American Rescue Plan' to introduce teenagers to the area's cultural heritage and launch new book clubs. Penn Highlands was most recently awarded a humanities grant of $149,989 in 2023 for its 'Rural Experience: Fostering Narrative Imagination and Civic Curiosity' program. Additional impact As for Zaborowski, she secured an NEH grant in 2015 through the Common Heritage program to start digitization of local history documents in the Cambria Memory Project. 'The award was for $4,000 and enabled me to purchase the initial digitizing equipment and paid for the URL and web hosting for Cambria Memory for its first three years,' Zaborowski said. 'Without the grant, there would not have been an opportunity to create this project out of my own operating budget.' Hensel14 Penn Highlands Dean of Library & Special Projects, Dr. Barbara Zaborowski holds up a 1909 Lorain Steel Company accident report on Thursday, March 25, 2022. Zaborowski has curated 19 collections that document everything from Johnstown's steel-making heyday and the 100-year-old local chapter of the American Association of University Women to the region's African American heritage and Johnstown-area fire departments. More than 28,000 items, ranging from photos and documents to recorded oral histories and videos, are contained in the archive. Since launching the Cambria Memory Project, Zaborowski said she 'thankfully' can cover the costs of upkeep through her college operation budget. However, she still applies for other grants to continue her work and this week was notified by NEH that funding for archival equipment is no longer available. Zaborowski had applied for a $3,500 grant to purchase a HEPA vacuum to clean log books from 1900 to 1977 from the Cambria Hook and Ladder Station on Broad Street. She was told that NEH will no longer offer that program this year and 'currently has no information on plans beyond that time.' Zaborowski said: 'While this was another small grant, it would have made a big impact on getting more items digitized and added to the Cambria Memory collection.' Other concerns of hers include staff of the Institute for Museum and Library Services being placed on leave. Dollars used to administer the Office of the Commonwealth Libraries, which provides support for the PowerLibrary databases used by school and public libraries, were impacted. The databases also serve as the home for the PA Photos and Documents service – where all Cambria Memory content is housed. 'Cuts to programs like NEH and IMLS jeopardize the ability of smaller institutions to preserve items of local historical importance and limit their ability to develop special programs for specific projects,' Zaborowski said. 'It's very disheartening to see so many programs that people have come to enjoy and depend upon jeopardized in such a random fashion.'
