Woodmere Art Museum Sues Trump Administration Over Canceled $750,000 Conservation Grant

The Woodmere Art Museum in Philadelphia has filed a legal complaint against the Trump Administration following the termination of a $750,000 Save America's Treasures grant. This federal funding, awarded in 2024 through a partnership between the National Park Service and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, was intended for conservation of the museum's nationally significant collection. In March 2025, the White House issued an executive order titled 'Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy' that called for the elimination of the IMLS. Shortly after this order, the entire IMLS staff was placed on administrative leave, halting all grant processing and distribution activities. The museum had only received approximately $195,000 of the total grant amount before funding was suspended. Woodmere had already initiated an ambitious conservation project in reliance on the grant, planning to showcase its collection for the America 250 celebration beginning in 2026. The complaint seeks to restrict implementation of the March executive order as it applies specifically to Woodmere's grant. The lawsuit represents a direct challenge to federal arts funding cuts during the Trump Administration's second term.