Key facts
- The Trump administration is pushing to redirect over $175 million from the State Department's human rights fund.
- Proposed grants include $40 million for an anti-communism fund led by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.
- Other proposed awards support groups advancing white Afrikaner rights in South Africa and campaigns against Brazil's supreme court.
- The funding aims to support ideological allies in Europe who protect "western civilisational norms".
- Senator Jeanne Shaheen has placed a partial hold on some controversial awardees.
- The money must be assigned by September 30, the end of the fiscal year.
The Trump administration is seeking to redirect over $175 million from the State Department's flagship human rights fund towards grants that critics argue support rightwing and conservative causes globally, potentially interfering in the internal politics of allied nations. These proposed awards, which make up a significant portion of the $205 million appropriated by Congress for the Human Rights and Democracy Fund (HRDF), have reportedly been lobbied for by members of the administration.
Sources familiar with the grant process indicated that the awards have received attention at the highest levels of the State Department and have White House buy-in. The shift represents a departure from previous US support for dissidents and civil-society groups, with new projects focusing on opposition to regulation, migration, and "gender ideology," and favoring wealthy nations.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee, has expressed strong disapproval, stating that the proposals would "use taxpayer funds to promote far-right organizations and programs in established democracies," undermining US values and relations with allies. The funding must be obligated by September 30, the end of the fiscal year, creating a potential showdown as Shaheen has placed a partial hold on some of the controversial recipients.
The largest proposed award is $40 million to a consortium led by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC). A State Department vetting document noted past contracts with the department and identified Andrew Bremberg, a former Trump White House advisor, as a "senior leader" of the foundation. Samuel Samson, a deputy assistant secretary overseeing grants, has been linked to VOC members and has spoken of a "civilizational struggle" in Europe.
Other proposed grants include $1 million for "Countering Lawfare and Censorship in Brazil" to fund groups opposing the country's supreme court, and $2 million for "Promoting Western Civilization Allies" in Eastern European countries. A $3 million no-bid award is slated for the Jobs Foundation, a UK group run by Matthew Elliott, to promote "common good capitalism." A previously reported $5 million no-bid grant to the Free Speech Union, founded by Toby Young, has been marked "withdrawn."