Madison Children's Museum says federal grant for climate action plan has been terminated
MADISON (WKOW) — Madison Children’s Museum (MCM) says a federal grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has been terminated amid cuts made by the Trump administration.
The museum was awarded a Climate Smart grant by the NEH in 2024. It was one of only five grants awarded by the NEH. The grant provided $268,202 to support Madison Children’s Museum and other members of the Caretakers of Wonder consortium, a national collaborative led by MCM, in developing climate action plans for their institutions.
MCM says it received an email late Wednesday night from acting NEH chairman Michael McDonald, informing the museum’s grants & corporate giving officer that the grant was terminated effective April 2, 2025.
”NEH has reasonable cause to terminate your grant in light of the fact that the NEH is repurposing its funding allocations in a new direction in furtherance of the President’s agenda,” McDonald said in the termination letter that was released by MCM. “Your grant’s immediate termination is necessary to safeguard the interests of the federal government, including its fiscal priorities.”
“As of this moment, we have received 0% of the $268,202 promised in the award. We are owed all of it. The museum has been incurring expenses since the beginning of the project in September 2024,” MCM said in a statement.
The museum’s statement went on to say, “Madison Children’s Museum is committed to completing this project and spending the money—federal, illegal attacks will not deter us from upholding our responsibilities to the partners, organizations, and communities we are serving in this project and in the Caretakers of Wonder cohort.”
The NEH provides hundreds of millions of dollars for educational and cultural projects each year.
WKOW reached out to the agency about the termination of the grant, but has not received a response. On its website, the NEH notes that, “As a federal agency, NEH is required to comply with Executive Orders issued by the President that pertain to activities conducted by the agency.”