The IAF granted $275,510 to support alpaca farming in Peru, but DOGE claimed $903,811 was canceled. Investigations reveal discrepancies in claimed funding amounts, prompting calls for clarification from DOGE. The accurate support amount reflects the need for transparency in government funding initiatives.
The Inter-American Foundation (IAF) provided a grant of $275,510 in 2023 to a Peruvian association dedicated to supporting alpaca farmers. This budget allocation was affected by an executive order issued in March 2025 by President Donald Trump, which prompted the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to significantly reduce the IAF to just one employee and to cancel various grants. However, the reported cancellation value of nearly $1 million was misleading and not supported by available records.
Official data from usaspending.gov and the IAF’s own records indicate that the only grant awarded to the association, named Artesanos Asociados Sumac Pallay Sibayo (AASUPASI), was indeed limited to $275,510. Furthermore, it remains uncertain how DOGE arrived at the inflated figure of $903,811 or which specific grants it referred to in its announcement. Attempts to seek clarification from DOGE and associated parties have been made yet remain unanswered.
The Department of Government Efficiency communicated on March 4, 2025, via X regarding its actions to streamline operations within the IAF following the executive order aimed at reducing bureaucratic overhead. Despite acknowledging the existence of a grant supporting alpaca farmers, the sum reported by DOGE was inconsistent with governmental financial transparency records. The only documented project supports women-led initiatives for smallholder farmers in Peru’s Arequipa province.
The IAF’s role has primarily been to bolster community-led development across Latin America and the Caribbean. Together with the IAF, AASUPASI aims to enhance the resilience of alpaca farming communities and textile artisans in the Sibayo district, securing not only the grant but also a counterpart commitment, which is a form of additional funding totaling $518,405. Yet, even with this counterpart commitment, it fails to amount to the figure proposed by DOGE. Records confirm that this grant remains the singular financial support for AASUPASI from IAF.
The IAF has been operational since its establishment by Congress in 1969 and has recently reported a budget of approximately $60 million for the fiscal year 2024. The agency has engaged in a total of 426 projects within the year 2023, demonstrating its commitment to supporting development initiatives in the targeted regions.
In summary, the announcement of a canceled grant for alpaca farming in Peru by DOGE contained inconsistencies regarding the financial figure and the nature of the grants. The actual amount granted to AASUPASI was $275,510, with an additional counterpart commitment that did not lead to the inflated claims made. Furthermore, clarity on the origins of DOGE’s reported figure remains pending, highlighting the need for accurate communication from governmental entities about public funds.
Original Source: www.snopes.com
