13-05-2025
Virginia MOCA loses federal education grant
VIRGINIA BEACH (WAVY) — A local museum is worried about its future after it lost nearly $33,000 in federal funds, which says could have impacts from the top down.
This all comes after they received a grant termination letter April 28.
The letter from the , or IMLS, says the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art's grant is no longer consistent with the agency's priorities, and that the IMLS is repurposing its funding allocations in a new direction in furtherance of President Trump's agenda.
'It's not just about Virginia Beach MOCA and its $33,000, there's greater uncertainty here,' said Truly Matthews, deputy director and director of education and engagement for the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art.
The Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art lost the federally-awarded grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services for an education program that has already been completed, leaving the museum with a $32,399 funding gap.
Previously: Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art moving to campus of Virginia Wesleyan
The terminated grant supported Nature's Witness, a project that began in 2023 and was a two-year educational partnership with Seatack Elementary and the Environmental Studies Program with Virginia Beach City Public Schools. The program connected elementary and high school students through environmental exploration, mentorship and collaborative artmaking, guided throughout by professional teaching artists. The resulting student-created sculpture is now installed outside the museum.
'Over the course of these two years, MOCA staff along with teaching artists, visited these students in their classrooms,' Matthews said. 'One reason for sharing this with the public is because of how well received this project was.'
Although the grant was legally awarded last August and spent in full compliance with federal guidelines, the museum was notified April 28 that it had been retroactively terminated following a shift in federal priorities and a new executive order affecting IMLS operations. Now, Matthews is faced with the harsh reality that the program won't be returning. Residents said it puts everyone at a disadvantage.
'Students like me who are trying to learn things, if it doesn't have funding, it won't exist,' resident Kjirsten Flanders said.
Said resident Josea Ransburg: 'So many programs that are being cut with school education, museums, just anything that's of an educational purpose, these kids are gonna miss out on a whole lot.'
Museum staff now wonder about the reliability of funding from other national agencies, as the and the N have come under increasing threat.
'They are a reliable source of funding for museums and libraries, and the recent executive orders calling for the disbanding of the IMLS as we know it, it's shocking.'
Museum staff says they plan to reprioritize their budget in the coming weeks.
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