We are receiving multiple messages from readers directly affected by ongoing or potential funding cuts coming from the federal level, from university faculty scrambling with their grants, to KUNR sending emails titled Important Update to early education support employees already dismissed or fearing for their jobs.
A mentor for the AmeriCorps United Readers program with the United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra recently told us she had abruptly lost her job along with dozens of other workers after the program which helped kids falling behind in reading was suddenly cut. The organization said they had just lost $700,000 in funding as part of a $400 million cut nationwide, making the mentors' continued employment unfeasible.
The former mentors cannot claim unemployment due to how their jobs were set with AmericaCorps, a domestic version of the Peace Corps, while they also immediately lost their full education award and living allowances, leaving them in a total bind.
The local iteration of the program which had been going strong for five years had been developed in partnership with the Washoe County School District.
There was a Reddit post yesterday from a local worker for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges saying the non profit they are are working for is looking for voluntary layoffs, with indications that those staying on will face pay cuts if their jobs do remain.
Reports indicate that organization, which houses the oldest juvenile justice research group, had $15 million in grants terminated.
KUNR has been writing emails to its subscribers calling for donations after the White House issued an executive order called “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media” seeking a general government defunding of NPR and PBS. The two organizations have challenged the legality of this move, but a bill is also working its way through Congress to defund both.
Another reader had expressed concerns that the Head Start program would be on the cutting block but it seems that in the current budget proposal it remains funded as it previously was, despite Project 2025, the controversial cost cutting blueprint by the Heritage Foundation, calling for its elimination.
Meanwhile, the Nevada Humanities which saw its own highly publicized DOGE slash was just awarded a $250,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation, with an immediate $200,000 and an additional $50,000 presented as a one to one challenge grant.
Have you heard of any other local programs or employees recently affected by the federal cuts taking place?