Where Is the Garifuna Council’s Money Going?

On November 6, 2026, a temporary funding disagreement within the National Garifuna Council (NGC) surrounding resources for the community’s annual November cultural celebrations has reached a resolution, following public concerns raised by the Punta Gorda local chapter.
The Punta Gorda branch first issued a public statement earlier this week flagging that it had not received its standard annual operational allocation, warning that planned community cultural festivities would need to be significantly scaled back without the promised funds. The branch clarified that it had only received a one-off $2,000 disbursement drawn from a $60,000 special grant the national NGC received from Belize’s National Institute of Culture and History (NICH), rather than its usual full $2,900 earmark from the NGC’s dedicated annual government subvention.
NGC national president Alex Nolberto confirmed that the Punta Gorda chapter was one of two local branches that saw an initial $900 cut to their 2026 allocation, after the national executive completed a yearly audit of previous spending patterns and adjusted funding formulas to direct more resources to larger, more programmatically active branches across the country. After the Punta Gorda branch leadership reached out to flag the shortfall, Nolberto instructed the NGC treasurer to immediately release the remaining $900 difference, ensuring the branch now holds the exact same full allocation it received for 2025 activities.
Nolberto also emphasized that annual NGC branch allocations are never designed to cover 100% of local event costs, and all chapters are expected to pursue supplementary community fundraising to cover additional programming expenses across the year. Addressing widespread public curiosity about the $60,000 NICH grant, Nolberto noted that the entire sum has already been disbursed to cover costs for the NGC’s three flagship annual cultural events, a line-item breakdown of which he plans to publish publicly in the coming days to ensure full transparency. He added that the council will be advocating for increased institutional funding in the near future to support Garifuna cultural preservation work that extends far beyond the annual November celebration period.