Nonprofit network takes hundreds of millions in federal funds while pushing 'wokeness,' advocacy group warns

The American Parents Coalition (APC) is calling out a Congress-founded nonprofit network known as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) for allegedly pushing a political agenda.

"Our biggest qualm with what they've been up to is, they were established by Congress as a nonprofit to be very rigorous in nature in providing STEM standards and advancing America's STEM capabilities, and instead of these evidence-based, very academic guidelines, they're instead moving much more into an ideological lens," APC Executive Director Alleigh Marré told Fox News Digital.

The NASEM, also referred to as the National Academies, is a congressionally chartered nonprofit that advises the federal government on science, engineering and health issues. It was originally established under a congressional charter that was signed in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln.

In its recent report, APC compiled a litany of examples that, according to the organization, demonstrate NASEM's pushing of politics through funding. The NASEM, according to APC's report, funded organizations promoting "a specific climate agenda" as well as groups pushing "environmental justice." Marré told Fox News Digital that environmental justice programs often look at climate issues "through the lens of race and socioeconomic status."

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The APC's report includes materials from EcoRise, an organization that provides K-12 schools with curricula focused on sustainability, climate change and student-led environmental projects. A summary from EcoRise included in the report states that through the environmental justice movement, "students discover how they can help dismantle and counteract damage caused by systemic racism." One of the group's worksheets includes examples of "equality," "equity" and "liberation," asking the students to add their own concept.

In 2025, NASEM published a report titled "Equity in K-12 STEM Education: Framing Decisions for the Future," in which it claimed that access to STEM learning opportunities could vary greatly based on race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and gender, among "a myriad of other factors." The concept is broken down into five "frames," including "reducing gaps between groups," "expanding opportunity and access," "embracing heterogeneity in STEM classrooms," "learning and using STEM to promote justice" and "envisioning sustainable futures through STEM."

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Beyond its emphasis on race, NASEM also promoted gender ideology, according to APC, which provided examples in its report.

When asked about some of the most egregious examples of NASEM seemingly pushing politics, Marré pointed to a 2023 workshop on transgender youth. NASEM said that the workshop, which was called "Supporting the Health and Well-Being of Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth," was aimed at exploring "evidence-based guidance" on supporting "transgender and gender diverse youth." The workshop encouraged the use of "affirming pronouns" as a way to make gender diverse youth "feel respected" in a classroom setting.

"This has nothing to do with whether or not we're training the young hearts and minds to be able to build a bridge that can withstand the load of a vehicle," Marré said.

APC is hoping that its report could convince lawmakers to revoke federal funding from NASEM, given the group's "prioritization of a political agenda." Marré told Fox News Digital that the group had not spoken with lawmakers yet, but that it was working to produce a letter to Congress to highlight APC's concerns about NASEM.

Fox News Digital reached out to NASEM and EcoRise for comment.