The Trump administrations Department of the Interior is severing dozens of partnerships with outside organizations it says are out of step with its core mission, canceling more than $4 million in planned funding for initiatives tied to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), environmental justice and services for illegal immigrants.
According to Fox News, the department, now led by Secretary Doug Burgum, concluded that 43 agreements were "operating in direct opposition" to its objectives following an internal review. Officials said the move reflects a broader effort to realign federal resources away from progressive advocacy and toward what they describe as the "priorities of the American people."
"Under Secretary Burgum, the Department of the Interior is ending partnerships with groups that no longer represent the priorities of the American people," the department said in a statement. In practical terms, the agency is terminating all agreements with the identified organizations and stripping references to them from Interiors websites.
The canceled arrangements had supported a wide range of activities, including internship programs, conservation projects, research initiatives and cooperative ventures with nonprofits and academic institutions. Interior officials argue that many of these efforts, while framed as public-interest work, had drifted into ideological territory that conflicts with the administrations agenda on energy, immigration and race-based policy.
The shake-up follows a department-wide review launched in March that uncovered nearly 3,000 active agreements with roughly 2,000 outside partners. These partners included NGOs, nonprofits, private-sector entities and universities, many of which had embedded DEI and climate-justice priorities into their work with the federal government.
After scrutinizing those arrangements, the department concluded that multiple groups "did not appear to provide a clear benefit" or "did not align with the departments mission," according to its account of the review. That language reflects a growing skepticism on the right toward taxpayer-funded partnerships that advance left-leaning causes under the banner of equity or environmentalism.
Among the organizations flagged was the Hispanic Access Foundation, which offers scholarships for illegal immigrant Latino students and has collaborated with the National Park Service "to conduct a variety of educational and cultural support activities," according to the department. Also targeted was Latino Outdoors, which Interior said had provided instructions on how to avoid detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and has publicly opposed oil and gas development.
The department also cited the American Alliance of Museums, noting that it held a contract with the National Park Service to build DEI programs across national parks as part of the agencys Community Engagement initiative. Officials pointed to the alliances earlier Facing Change initiative, which aggressively promoted DEI efforts at museums nationwide, as evidence of a politicized agenda.
Conservation International, a prominent environmental group, was similarly singled out for its hardline stance against traditional energy. Interior noted that the organization advocates for a "total phase out of fossil fuels," has labeled fossil fuels the "leading culprit" of planet-warming carbon emissions and champions environmental justice and equity-focused climate policies that would further constrain U.S. energy production.
Another group on the list was The Cultural Landscape Foundation, which holds a master cooperative agreement with the National Park Service "to conduct a variety of educational and cultural support activities." The organization has repeatedly clashed with the administration, suing over changes at the Kennedy Center, criticizing plans for a White House ballroom and spotlighting cultural landscapes and historic sites it claims are threatened by administration actions through its Landslide 2026: Erasing American History initiative.
"Under President Trump and Secretary Burgum, the Department of the Interior is taking decisive action to ensure its partnerships and resources support the priorities of this administration and the interests of the American people," Matthew Middleton, principal deputy communications director and director of research, told Fox News Digital. "As part of that commitment, the Department is ending relationships with organizations whose advocacy for phasing out baseload energy, defunding law enforcement services, and promoting racially preferential programs directly conflicts with this administrations priorities. Interior will continue to invest in partnerships that expand access to public lands, promote responsible stewardship, and deliver tangible benefits to the American people."
Fox News Digital reported that it reached out to the Hispanic Access Foundation, Latino Outdoors, the American Alliance of Museums, Conservation International and The Cultural Landscape Foundation for comment on the departments decision. None of those responses were included in the departments announcement, underscoring the one-sided nature of many of these long-standing arrangements, which often proceeded with little public scrutiny until now.
Other groups losing their Interior partnerships include the Green Schools Alliance, the Doris Duke Foundation, the National Wildlife Federation, the California Native Plant Society, Clean Ocean Action and the National Geographic Society. Many of these organizations have been vocal proponents of expansive climate regulation, aggressive land-use restrictions and progressive education initiatives that conservatives argue sideline economic growth, energy security and traditional civic values.
The move marks the latest in a series of administration actions aimed at rolling back DEI frameworks, tightening immigration enforcement and expanding domestic energy development, particularly in oil, gas and other baseload sources. The department said it will ensure that future partnerships clearly align with its statutory mission, a signal that Washingtons era of subsidizing progressive activism through obscure federal agreements is facing a long-overdue reckoning.
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