Broward County Denies Stonewall Museum’s FY 2027 Grant as Florida Anti-DEI Law Looms

Broward County, Florida, declined the Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library’s application for a fiscal-year 2027 operating grant. The museum learned of the denial on a Thursday, two hours after its president and CEO, Robert Kesten, appealed to government officials in a newsletter. The decision arrives shortly before a Florida law, signed by Governor Ron DeSantis in April, takes effect on January 1 and bars counties and municipalities from funding or promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

The Advocate

The upcoming statute represents the state’s broader effort to limit public support for DEI programs. DeSantis’ legislation, slated to become operative at the start of the new calendar year, prohibits local governments from allocating resources to organizations whose work is framed as advancing DEI. Critics argue the measure could curtail funding for cultural institutions serving historically marginalized communities.

The Advocate

The museum’s news release described the timing of the rejection as “extraordinary” and called the county’s explanation “equally striking.” Broward County, through its Cultural Division, affirmed that its overall cultural-grant budget remained comparable to the previous fiscal year and that the decision did not reflect the museum’s quality or impact.

The Advocate

Since January 2014, Broward County has provided the Stonewall Museum with $1,031,466 in grant funding. The museum noted that Island SPACE Caribbean Museum in Plantation also received a funding denial from the county, underscoring broader concerns among cultural groups about the loss of public support.

The Advocate

• “As this calendar year comes to an end and before the draconian ‘Anti-DEI’ legislation goes into effect, we call upon every level of government to reinstate funding to every group and organization whose work and quality has earned support from the governments who are required (justly) by law to serve and meet the needs of the people,” — Robert Kesten

The Advocate

• “Politicians do things to gain power; they seek the lowest-hanging fruit, cause division, and try to divide communities to create friction and weaken opposition,” — Robert Kesten

The Advocate