February 25, 2026
John Kopp/PhillyVoice
The Penn Museum, above, and the Academy of Natural Sciences are no longer offering their summer camp programs due to financial constraints.
The Penn Museum and the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University have discontinued their long-running summer camp programs, citing financial constraints.
In lieu of the traditional summer camps, the museums said they are investing in other youth and family-focused programs.
The Penn Museum decided to cancel its Anthropology Camp for the "foreseeable future" in late 2025, a spokesperson with the museum said. The camp used hands-on activities to introduce children ages 6 to 13 to archaeology, pop culture mythology and ancient science.
Over the course of its 27-year run, 12,000 children attended the camp. The museum will continue to fund other youth-oriented programs including its CultureFests and Up Late with the Sphinx events.
"The camp has long been a strong program with many positive outcomes for participants," a statement from the museum said. "However, due to financial constraints, the University of Pennsylvania is currently experiencing a hiring freeze and is unable to cover the operational staffing required to run the camp."
Last May, the University of Pennsylvania paused the hiring of non-essential positions in response to the Trump administration's cuts to the university's funding, saying they could be more disruptive than the 2008 recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Academy of Natural Sciences said it is no longer able to provide the consistent resources that its science camp requires, because the museum reduced its operating hours and restructured its staff last fall in response to dwindling visitation rates, federal funding cuts and an uncertain philanthropic future.
The museum now is only open Fridays through Sundays. It used to be open five days each week.
"We know this may be disappointing for campers who look forward to spending their summers exploring and learning with us, and we are truly grateful for the enthusiasm they bring to the Academy each year," the museum said in a statement.
"We remain fully committed to inspiring young minds and cultivating a passion for the natural world for students, so instead of camps we will be focusing on summer memberships, supporting visits from other camp programs and offering enriching and interactive programs both at the Academy and at local libraries all summer long."
