A new report by watchdog group Americans for Public Trust (APT) alleges that billions in foreign funds have flowed into U.S. organizations engaged in policy and advocacy work, blurring the lines of political influence.
The 31-page report, which includes financial records and receipts, traces nearly $2 billion from foreign-based charities to American groups active in what APT describes as “politically charged” initiatives. While foreign entities cannot contribute directly to U.S. political candidates, APT says their money is reaching election-related efforts such as voter mobilization campaigns, lobbying, research, and issue advertising.
“There’s not a question about where it’s going and where it is coming from,” said APT executive director Caitlin Sutherland. “We know that it’s foreign money coming into our U.S. policy fights, climate litigation, research, protests, lobbying, you name it. Foreign money is coming in, and it’s trying to erode our democracy.”
According to the report, the largest foreign contributors include organizations from the U.K., Denmark, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. The largest spender, the U.K.-based Quadrature Climate Foundation alone, has reportedly sent about $520 million to 41 U.S. groups since 2020.
Sutherland pointed to the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) as one of the more surprising recipients of such funds. “The most surprising place that the foreign money has ended up is into a group called the Environmental Law Institute,” she said. ELI is mainly focusing on educating judges on climate litigation, which is now a cause for concern, according to Sutherland.
The Oak Foundation, based in Switzerland, has granted ELI $650,000 through separate awards since 2018. ELI spokesperson Nick Collins confirmed a $300,000 grant that year, stating it supported “the drafting of a toolkit for sustainable small-scale fisheries.” APT’s report further highlights $1.6 million in Oak Foundation money allegedly directed to Community Change, a U.S. group identified as the fiscal sponsor for Free DC—one of the organizations behind anti-Trump protests in Washington, D.C.
“They are the front group that has led the charge against Trump’s crackdown on crime,” Sutherland said. “So again, we’re seeing where foreign money coming in to protest, litigation, training is ending up.”
APT concludes that the inflow of foreign funds reflects an effort to shape U.S. policy along European lines. “It seems clear to me that this foreign money is coming into the United States because they want to implement their extremist European vision for America,” Sutherland said, highlighting how the EU’s undercover NGO funding schemes might reach further than the European continent and shape the policy in the U.S. as well.
