One birthday, two party planners: Freedom 250 vs. America250, explained
The upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is being organized by two separate groups, America250 and Freedom 250. While both claim to focus on nonpartisan celebrations, confusion arose when artists withdrew from Freedom 250's event, citing misleading information about its political nature. Each organization has its own leadership and funding sources, with America250 being a nonprofit established by Congress and Freedom 250 created by the Trump administration.
- ▪America250 is a nonprofit supporting the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, established by Congress in 2016.
- ▪Freedom 250 was created by the Trump administration as a public-private partnership for the anniversary celebrations.
- ▪Confusion arose when artists backed out of Freedom 250's event, claiming they were misled about its political involvement.
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Trump administrationOne birthday, two party planners: Freedom 250 vs. America250, explainedConfusion about the difference between the two groups swirled this week after some of the artists who were billed as performing at Freedom 250’s Great American State Fair backed outListen to this article with a free account00:0000:00America250 and Freedom 250 aren't connected, but each entity says they share similar goals of putting on nonpartisan events to honor the United States’ history on its milestone birthday.Mark Cunningham / MLB Photos via Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 29, 2026, 8:04 PM EDTBy Alexandra Marquez and Gary GrumbachCelebrations are taking place across the country leading up to the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, including…
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