The stalemate, first reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer, centers on money, power, and control of the 214-year-old institution. David L. Cohen, the former Comcast executive and U.S. ambassador to Canada who has been trying to broker an agreement, said no talks are currently scheduled.

"There are no talks scheduled," Cohen said in an interview last week.

Cohen said negotiations broke off after the Academy said it wanted to pursue disaffiliation from Drexel but the two sides disagreed on terms. The Academy's board chair, Suzanne Biemiller, disputed Drexel's characterization that the Academy reneged on a deal.

"We said that the term sheet did not work economically and that the trustees of the Academy would therefore not approve it," Biemiller said. She added that Drexel's initial rejection of an offer by the William Penn Foundation to fund operating expenses to keep the museum open "signaled to the Academy trustees that Drexel wasn't working in the best interest of the Academy."

Drexel President Antonio Merlo said the Academy "essentially reneged on the agreement that was reached in good faith." He said Drexel had offered in-kind services for three months after disaffiliation, but the Academy rejected that and proposed its own plan that included continued financial support for five years and the immediate termination of Drexel's governance and financial controls under the 2011 affiliation agreement.

"It was not really a disaffiliation proposal because it did provide for significant additional financial support and in-kind support and continuation of educational and research support" from Drexel, Cohen said of the Academy's offer, which he called "a bit … inflammatory." Biemiller objected to that characterization, calling it a "thoughtful, staged disaffiliation" that would have cost Drexel less than a full merger.

Under the 2011 agreement, Drexel has broad authority over the Academy, including approval of its budget, selection of its CEO and senior staff, and appointment of its board. Drexel is also obligated to cover the Academy's deficits, and a university representative told City Council last month that Drexel can no longer afford the $5 million to $6 million annual support. Drexel says it has provided $49 million in direct cash to the Academy over the last 15 years.

Merlo said Drexel wanted the Academy to become a "wholly controlled subsidiary" with a single fiduciary board — Drexel's — to allow for financial interventions. He said guardrails would have prevented Drexel from disposing of Academy assets without a two-thirds vote of the Academy board.

The impasse continues even as the two sides announced Friday they would accept a review funded by the William Penn Foundation and other foundations to assess the Academy's physical and fiscal condition and a sustainable model for its future. Merlo said the governance negotiations are separate from that review.

On Monday, City Council will begin the second part of a hearing investigating the museum's shutdown, with Merlo and Deputy Mayor Patricia Wellenbach scheduled to testify. Both were subpoenaed by Council. The museum closed on Sept. 27, drawing outrage and protests from community activists and Academy supporters.

Cohen said Council's actions have "interfered with" the negotiations. "The public vilification and witch hunt that we're engaged in now is not constructive to coming up with a solution," he said.

Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, who leads the committee running the hearing, declined to address Cohen's comments directly but said he has had positive conversations with potential donors who are willing to put up "tens of millions of dollars" once the Academy's path is clear.

"The biggest holdup now is Drexel and the Academy defining their relationship," Thomas said. "If I'm a philanthropist and there's not clarity on what you're doing moving forward, why would I donate now? Am I donating to the Academy or am I donating to Drexel University? I'll donate when I get clarity …"

Cohen said he still believes an agreement can be reached, perhaps with "some push from the governor and the mayor to get people back to the table." Merlo said he is hopeful the foundation-funded review will lead to solutions similar to those at Yale University's Peabody Museum in New Haven, Conn., where a $160 million donation galvanized others, the museum closed for four years of renovations, and it reopened in 2024 with free admission and attendance several times higher.

"If they could do it in New Haven," Merlo said, "I bet we could do it in Philadelphia."