15-05-2025
Museum Seeks To Close Funding Gap After Loss Of Federal Humanities Grant For Game Show Exhibit
As networks continue to dot their schedules with revivals of Match Game and Hollywood Squares and other mainstays, an exhibit to examine game show history and impact is looking to close a funding gap after a federal grant was pulled.
The Strong Museum of Play, located in Rochester, NY, has been awarded a grant of almost $400,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities to create an exhibit called Beyond the Buzzer: Game Shows in America.
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While game shows often are dismissed as part of cultural histories, the 5,200-square-foot exhibit is meant to show their impact. The NEH grant description read, 'Game shows in America emerged in the 20th century from the confluence of several key cultural factors: the centuries-long dream that anybody with enough pluck and luck can strike it rich; the rise of mass media as the unifying glue of American culture; and the unique power of fans to actively shape the cultures they are consuming.' In addition to sets and props, the exhibit would include 'digital formats and online exhibit elements' to 'extend the exhibit's educational value while broadening its reach and accessibility.'
The grant was awarded last year, but it was among the many humanities grants that were canceled following a series of President Donald Trump's executive orders that have seen the NEH rescind funding for documentary filmmakers and many other projects. The agency has continued to award grants, but has re-shifted its priorities, including to 'projects related to the nation's semiquincentennial and American exceptionalism.' Among other things, the NEH has now launched a grant program to support the design and creation of statues for Trump's National Garden of American Heroes.
Per Trump's executive order, the agency has canceled projects related to diversity, equity and inclusion and environmental justice. The agency also noted that under the order, all 'federal grantmaking agencies, including NEH, must ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent effectively and are consistent with each agency's mission.'
An NEH spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment on why the Museum of Play grant was pulled.
The Strong Museum of Play launched the National Archives of Game Show History in 2021, along with producers Bob Boden and Howard Blumenthal.
Shane Rhinewald, a spokesperson for the museum, said, 'Despite the funding setback, the museum still intends to complete the exhibit, though the size, scope, and timeline may be affected if the funding gap isn't closed through other means, including donations, other grant opportunities, and industry support. The museum's priority now is to work with donors, supporters, and others to ensure the exhibit is completed as envisioned.'
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