WASHINGTON (AP) – A nonprofit group will reject nearly $400,000 in federal grant money intended to fight violent extremism due to concerns over President Donald Trump’s rhetoric, The Associated Press has learned.
Unity Productions Foundation of Potomac Falls, Virginia, is the third nonprofit to recently reject federal funding for efforts to make it more difficult for extremist groups to recruit would-be terrorists.
In a private message to donors reviewed by the AP, Unity said it would decline its grant of $396,585 to produce educational films challenging narratives supporting extremist ideologies and violent extremism “due to the changes brought by the new administration.”
The Obama administration in its final days had awarded about $10 million in such grants to fight violent extremism to 31 nonprofits, schools, community organizations and municipalities through the Homeland Security Department.
The foundation said it had planned to use the money to produce videos of Muslim scholars voicing opposition to terrorism and show Muslims engaged in social justice causes benefiting American society.