Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Foundation Pulls Funding from Milwaukee Muslim Women's Group Over 'Hateful Words'

Yahoo

21-04-2025

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Archewell Foundation has ended its funding to the Milwaukee Muslim Women's Coalition
The Sussexes' charity had previously provided a financial grant through its Welcome Project initiative, which supports immigrant women and families
PEOPLE understands the decision followed an op-ed by the coalition's founder and her support for a mural that featured a swastika intertwined with a Star of David
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's foundation has withdrawn funding from the Milwaukee Muslim Women's Coalition, citing its zero-tolerance policy on hate speech.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Archewell Foundation, founded in 2020 as a vehicle for their philanthropic endeavors, will no longer be funding the Milwaukee Muslim Women's Coalition, a community group endeavoring to empower Muslim women and girls through education, leadership, outreach and wellness programming.
According to tax filings obtained by PEOPLE, Archewell awarded the group a $27,960 grant in 2023 as part of its Welcome Project, an initiative that supports programming for women recently resettled from Afghanistan.
On April 17, the coalition's founder and executive director, Janan Najeeb, released a statement expressing 'deep disappointment' over the decision, noting that the funding had supported the group's Afghan Women's Sewing Circle and Support Group.
PEOPLE understands that Archewell cut ties with the coalition after Najeeb published a February 2024 op-ed in the Wisconsin Muslim Journal that included the phrase, "From the Sea to the River" in its title, which echoes the contentious phrase, "from the river to the sea." In September, Najeeb also spoke at an event in support of a Milwaukee mural created by her brother that merged a Star of David with a swastika. The Milwaukee Women's Coalition later endorsed the mural on social media.
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It's understood that the Archewell Foundation has a zero tolerance for hate speech of any kind. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's charitable organization celebrates different perspectives and backgrounds but draws a line at hateful words, action or propaganda.
That stance was underscored in an April 9 letter from Archewell to Najeeb, which the Milwaukee Muslim Women's Coalition later shared publicly as part of its online fundraiser.
"We have recently been notified of an online opinion piece you wrote that goes against the values of The Archewell Foundation," began the letter addressed to Najeeb.
"As a foundation, we celebrate different perspectives and backgrounds, but we have zero tolerance for hateful words, actions, or propaganda. When we started The Welcome Project, we did so to support Afghan women in finding community, and we are proud of the work we have done to support women in Milwaukee. We remain committed to fostering partnerships that reflect and reinforce the values our foundation stands for," it said. "We will be removing MMWC from our network effective as of today. At this time, the foundation will be making no additional grants to the MMWC."
In a statement posted on the official Instagram account of the Milwaukee Muslim Women's Coalition, Najeeb appeared to reference another op-ed she authored for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, titled "Why do college students protest? They know truth about Israel's genocide in Gaza," published in September 2024.
Her comments were shared in a letter addressed to Archewell Foundation executive directors James Holt and Shauna Nep.
"First and foremost, I want to express my gratitude for your support of our Afghan Women's Sewing Group and Support Circle. The program has had a transformative impact. With your resources, the Muslim Women's Coalition led efforts that strengthened mental health, restored purpose, and built community among women who have already endured so much," she began.
"It is in that spirit that I write to express my deep disappointment regarding the Foundation's decision to revoke funding in response to an independent opinion piece I authored on Gaza. To suggest that the piece constitutes hate speech or propaganda is, at best, a profound misrepresentation," she said.
Najeeb said the "article in question" was published on the front page of the Op-Ed section of the Journal Sentinel, "Wisconsin's largest circulated newspaper," and said the outlet would not publish content promoting hate, violence or propaganda.
The founder and executive director of the Muslim Women's Coalition underlined that she rejected antisemitism and felt frustrated about Archewell's decision to cut funding.
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"There is painful irony in your decision to withdraw support from Afghan women, many of them war survivors, because the leader of a women's organization dared to speak out against the creation of more war survivors," Najeeb said. "The people enduring the crisis in Gaza are exactly those your mission claims to support. How can it be against your mission and values to advocate for their safety and dignity?"
Najeeb's statement was also shared to the , where it sparked further discussion.
Prince Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, created the Archewell Foundation in a mission to "show up, do good," its website says. Archwell's Welcome Project and its activity in Milwaukee were unveiled in the foundation's annual Impact Report published in December 2023.
In a statement released April 18, Archewell's executive directors reiterated this commitment.
"At the Archewell Foundation, we: Show Up, Do Good. Our values are an extension of those of our founders, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex," said the statement from Holt and Nep.
"Our funding and grant support extends to individuals and organizations of all walks of life with varying political views, cultural beliefs, ideologies, and identifications. We do not discriminate. We believe change comes from building bridges. We welcome all," it continued.
"We do not, however, tolerate any form of hate speech, including hate-fueled symbols, language, or imagery — no matter the community it targets. For us, association with the blending of the Star of David with a swastika, is impossible to accept. Additionally, language that calls for the destruction of others, whether explicitly or implicitly, crosses a line. It is not aligned with our values: we are pro-humanity, pro-love, pro-peace, pro-equality."
"Out of respect for all of our partners, a responsibility to our donors, and in reflecting the values of our Principals, we make adjustments to our future funding accordingly," said the statement. "We remain deeply committed to our work with Muslim-led organizations and refugee support programs through The Welcome Project and relief efforts in Gaza," linking to Humanity Crew.
Archewell is also a longtime partner of Humanity Crew, a nonprofit providing displaced children and families with mental health and psychosocial support. According to the foundation's 2023-2024 Impact Report, Humanity Crew has provided "trauma-informed support in disaster-stricken regions including Gaza, Israel, Turkey, and Syria" with help from Archewell.
Harry and Meghan's charity has also given grants to create Mental Health Emergency Rooms in Palestine, Israel, and Greece, donated to support mental health efforts in Israel and Gaza, and provided funding for mental health support efforts in Turkey following the fatal earthquake in 2023.
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The Archewell Foundation's decision to cut ties with the Milwaukee Muslim Women's Coalition comes after Prince Harry resigned as patron of Sentebale, the charity he co-founded in 2006. Last month, the Duke of Sussex, co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho and the board of trustees stepped back from their roles amid what was characterized as a financial crisis and internal turmoil with chairwoman Dr. Sophie Chandauka.
After trustees asked Chandauka to resign, she brought a lawsuit against the charity, which supports young people in southern Africa. The Charity Commission, based in the U.K., confirmed they are investigating.
In a statement, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso said they were "truly heartbroken" to resign.
"What's transpired is unthinkable. We are in shock that we have to do this, but we have a continued responsibility to Sentebale's beneficiaries, so we will be sharing all of our concerns with the Charity Commission as to how this came about," they said. "Although we may no longer be Patrons, we will always be its founders, and we will never forget what this charity is capable of achieving when it is in the right care."
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