Smithsonian executive pushing DEI, including 1619 Project, made $4.4 million from 2020-2024

The Smithsonian Institutional secretary who said that DEI is "integral to excellence in museum practice" was pulling in $4.4 million from 2020-2024 in base salary and added benefits, according to the Smithsonian’s public nonprofit tax forms. 

Lonnie Bunch III stated during a 2019 interview with Smithsonian Magazine that he wanted the Smithsonian to make DEI central to the institution's mission. His goal, he said, would be to normalize the practice to the point "it's no longer talked about," he said, Fox News reported. 

"And I want the Smithsonian to legitimize important issues, whether it’s 1619 or climate change," Bunch said, referring to the controversial 1919 Project that sought to recast America's founding around the coming of slaves to the American colonies. 

The Smithsonian funds executive compensation through private trust revenues to comply with federal pay caps, according to Fox.

But the Smithsonian's 990 tax forms show that Bunch made a salary of $914,496 with $74,090 in added benefits in 2024. From 2020 to 2023, his salary ranged from $726,156 to $861,379, and he made up to $68,391 in added benefits during that period. 

President Trump has been critical of the Smithsonian and Bunch, calling for changes in perceived bias, most recently in a White House report released July 4 stating, in part, the museums under his leadership have denigrated the nation’s heritage with “extreme political activism.” 

Bunch, as secretary oversees the Smithsonian’s 21 museums, 21 libraries, the National Zoo and several research centers, and he reports to the organization’s board of regents, also according to Fox.