ISGAP Urges Dept. of Education Crackdown on Unreported Foreign Funding of U.S. Universities

Director Charles Asher Small presents findings of ISGAP’s investigation at DOJ summit on antisemitism, July 2019.

A report released earlier this month by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism (ISGAP) underscored the importance of the Department of Education’s ongoing investigation into unreported foreign funding of American universities. The findings, which ISGAP director Charles Asher Small first reported at the Department of Justice’s summit on antisemtism in July 2019, show that American universities receive billions in undocumented funds from autocratic Arab regimes in violation of federal law.

The investigation, which has been reported in major media, including the New York Times, found that Harvard, Yale Georgetown, Texas A&M, Cornell, and Rutgers have failed to disclose donations from countries seeking influence, including Russia, China, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

According to the ISGAP, Harvard and Yale alone have failed to report $375 million in foreign funding.

According to ISGAP’s investigation, Qatar has contributed nearly $3 billion to U.S. universities that has not been reported.

The ISGAP team, including Small, Muslim Brotherhood expert Glen Feder, and investigative accountant Michael Bass, discovered that Qatar was responsible for almost $3 billion in unreported gifts. ISGAP’s research also found a strong correlation between Qatari funding and the presence on campus of virulently anti-Israel Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). SJP fosters a climate of intimidation and antisemitism. Universities should be required to disclose the source and amount of all foreign funding as well as the specific use of each grant or contract. Failure to do so allows foreign powers to finance influence operations in the heart of American academe.