The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) in Los Angeles has publicly condemned the recent decision to rescind previously approved funding. The museum stands to lose as much as $2 million in grants that were secured under the Biden administration but are now being withheld following a policy shift under the Trump administration. The cuts have also affected other prominent cultural institutions, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), UCLA’s Fowler Museum, and the Autry Museum of the American West.
Many recipients of the funding were informed via letters that their previously approved grants had been terminated due to a change in the administration’s priorities. A significant blow for JANM is the loss of a $175,000 grant earmarked for the museum’s Landmarks of American History and Culture workshops. This program, now in its third year, has brought more than 100 teachers from across the country to Los Angeles to educate them on Japanese American history, including the mass incarceration of U.S. citizens during World War II.
The program aims to provide a crucial civics lesson to prevent history from repeating itself. JANM board chairman Bill Fujioka expressed concern over the loss of funding and highlighted that the museum will not comply with demands to scrub its website of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) content. “Our community is based on diversity, equity is guaranteed to us in the Constitution, and inclusion is what we believe in,” said Fujioka.
The grant money was primarily allocated on a reimbursement basis, meaning organizations spent the funds first and were reimbursed later.
Funding cuts impact cultural institutions
The refusal to reimburse amounts to a financial clawback, which could jeopardize planned projects, such as JANM’s climate control and HVAC system upgrade, crucial for preserving historical artifacts.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is another source of funding at risk. It awarded $26.4 million in grants to cultural organizations in California last year. JANM, alongside other institutions, may lose out on millions of dollars in anticipated funding, leading to potential legal action.
“In addition to these funds, we are concerned about the potential loss of IMLS grants,” said JANM President and Chief Executive Ann Burroughs. “Legal action is an option we are considering, especially in the form of a class action lawsuit.”
Rick Noguchi, president of California Humanities, indicated that humanities councils nationwide might seek a court injunction to prevent the funding losses. Noguchi described the termination notice as an urgent priority of the current administration, bypassing traditional notification processes.
Established by Congress in 1965, these funds support humanities projects across the nation, supporting museums, archives, libraries, and educational institutions. Recently, there has been a shift in focus towards “patriotic programming,” under the interim leadership of Michael McDonald, following the resignation of Biden appointee Shelly C. Lowe. There has been no response to requests for comment.
