Radikale Töchter Founder Cesy Leonard Responds to Funding Cut After Criticizing Friedrich Merz
The German Interior Ministry withdrew funding from the democracy project Radikale Töchter shortly after its founder criticized politician Friedrich Merz. Cesy Leonard, co-managing director with Josephin Haardt, received an unexplained rejection notice in early February from the Federal Agency for Civic Education (BpB) for their 'Art for Democracy' initiative under the federal program 'Cohesion through Participation.' The project, which involved workshops for rural activists and digital civic education to boost visibility for democracy-promoting initiatives, had nearly €300,000 allocated, with €120,000 already spent after provisional approval. Project work was scheduled to begin in March 2025.
Key facts
- The Interior Ministry revoked funding for Radikale Töchter's democracy project
- Cesy Leonard and Josephin Haardt are co-managing directors of Radikale Töchter
- Funding was cut shortly after Leonard criticized politician Friedrich Merz
- The Federal Agency for Civic Education issued an unexplained rejection in early February
- The 'Art for Democracy' project had nearly €300,000 allocated with €120,000 already spent
Entities
Artists
- Cesy Leonard
Institutions
- Radikale Töchter
- Federal Agency for Civic Education (BpB)
- Interior Ministry
Locations
- Germany