Overview
- The House Education and Workforce Committee launched its investigation on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, and sent the University of Minnesota a letter demanding documents about funding, school use, communications, and parental-consent safeguards with a Sept. 14 response deadline.
- Committee leaders said they want to know whether federal dollars directly or indirectly supported MyGender Dolls and requested grant applications, award notices, and communications that could show links to programs that receive federal support.
- The University of Minnesota has said the project was funded solely by private donations but reporting traced small university innovation awards tied to programs that have received federal support, which the committee flagged for review.
- Federal scrutiny is not limited to funding: the U.S. Department of Education is pursuing a PPRA inquiry after a complaint from Defending Education that schools may have offered the materials without required parental notice or consent.
- The project, developed at the Eli Coleman Institute and described as a therapeutic paper doll tool for children about 4–10 with removable genitalia, currently shows a 2026 launch and a public waitlist but limited public rollout details; findings could prompt enforcement actions or changes to federal rules that govern parents and schools.