State commission says 5% budget cut leaves little operating money; seeks partners to preserve Black Barbershop Health Initiative

Virgil Giles, director of the Indiana Commission on the Social Status of Black Males, told the Evansville Social Status of Black Males Commission on May 22 that the state commission’s biennial appropriation decreased roughly 5% from the prior cycle and that the commission must show measurable outcomes to retain funding.

Giles said the four state cultural commissions received smaller budgets in the recent legislative session and that the Indiana Commission on the Social Status of Black Males will enter the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, with about $128,000 in general-appropriation funding. "With out of that 128,000, 4,000 is relatively left over in our general fund to do business," Giles said, adding that much programming this year will rely on partnerships and in-kind support.

The reduced appropriation and a directive from the legislature, Giles said, mean the state commission must "prove that we're viable" within the next two years or risk elimination of the cultural commissions. He asked local…