Fourteen Alaska public radio stations risking closure after federal funding cuts will receive $4.5 million in one-time emergency support from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The money, announced October 1, is being reallocated from existing BIA resources and projects.
The funding will help keep some of the state’s most remote broadcasters on the air, preserving access to news, emergency alerts, and local programming. The relief follows a July congressional vote that rescinded more than $1 billion in previously approved funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which eliminated roughly $15 million in annual support for Alaska stations.
The stopgap measure, which helped the overall rescission to pass, was secured through an agreement between members of Congress and the Trump administration to redirect $10 million in national BIA funding to Tribal- and Native-serving stations, with $4.5 million directed to Alaska.
After the July cuts, the state’s public broadcasters launched the Voices Across Alaska Fund through the Alaska Community Foundation, raising $3.5 million by mid-September to keep stations operational.
Sen. Dan Sullivan’s office said additional funding is possible, telling the Anchorage Daily News that “the remaining rural radio stations not funded by BIA will receive funding in FY26.”
Additional BIA funds are due to be distributed to stations in South Dakota on behalf of Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD). Any further planned grants are unknown.
