Foreign Charities Contributed $2 Billion to Left-Wing Groups, Policies in US: Report

Five foreign charities have contributed nearly $2 billion to left-wing climate and social justice agendas in the United States, according to an Oct. 31 report by nonpartisan group Americans for Public Trust.

The report states that at least one of the listed foreign organizations is connected to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The United States has laws preventing foreign nationals and governments from giving money to candidates, political committees, and super PACs and from participating in a campaign’s decision-making.

However, according to the report, many other politically active groups in the United States are not required to publicly disclose donations from these and other foreign groups, creating a loophole to influence policymaking.

For example, a foreign national may not finance a Super PAC advertisement that says, “Vote for Jones for President,” but the foreigner can pay for an ad that says, “Senator Jones voted to increase taxes in 2025,” according to the report.

Foreign donors can also pay for lobbying, think tanks, litigation, higher education, issue advocacy, voter registration drives, get-out-the-vote drives, newsrooms, door knocking, and ballot harvesting.

“Behind the scenes of climate litigation, lobbying, and advocacy campaigns are foreign financers eager to bankroll the next advocacy fight to enact their vision for our country, undermine our energy independence, promote civic unrest, and ultimately, weaken America,” the report reads.

The organizations named by the report include Quadrature Climate Foundation and Children’s Investment Fund Foundation in the UK, KR Foundation in Denmark, and Oak Foundation and Laudes Foundation in Switzerland.

Children’s Investment Fund Foundation

In September, Americans for Public Trust issued a report on British billionaire activist and hedge fund manager Christopher Hohn, who operates the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.

Hohn has contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to various organizations and nonprofits operating in the United States, funding climate legislation; anti-fossil fuel protests; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives; and other social justice policies.

The foundation has a $6 billion endowment and is funded by Hohn’s $60 billion activist hedge fund, which has donated more than $553 million to dozens of U.S.-based organizations, nonprofits, and businesses since 2014, according to the report.

The foundation also has ties to the CCP, which was more concerning, according to the report.

“The threat of [the foundation] unwittingly being used by the CCP to spread anti-American propaganda clandestinely across the country only further amplifies the danger of the foreign influence Hohn’s organizations are exerting on American politics and policy,” the report reads.

Quadrature Climate Foundation

The Quadrature Climate Foundation, created in 2019 by British billionaires Greg Skinner and Suneil Setiya, is dedicated to addressing what it calls the climate emergency. The foundation has given almost $530 million to U.S.-based groups to influence energy policy, according to the report.

KR Foundation

The KR Foundation—also a climate and environmental activist organization—was created in 2014 and has spent more than $36 million to shape U.S. policy and phase out fossil fuels, according to the report.

“[The group funded] everything from climate litigation to U.S. climate protests to pushing back against pro-energy legislation at the state level,” Americans for Public Trust stated.

Oak Foundation

The Oak Foundation, created in 1983 by British billionaire Alan Parker, has backed environmentalist positions, including supporting opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline. The group also advocates for zero-carbon targets and the Paris Climate Accord’s goals.

The Oak Foundation has contributed at least $8.2 million to the Tides Center, affiliated with the Tides Network, according to the report. The center funds an immigration rights group called Opportunity Agenda that supports abolishing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

Laudes Foundation

The Laudes Foundation, founded by the Brenninkmeijer family, has given almost $20 million to 17 U.S.-based groups, according to the report.

“[The group] was established as a philanthropic venture to tackle, among other things, climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and social inequality,” the report reads.

It seeks to influence policymakers in the financial sector and businesses.

Reforms Needed

Americans for Public Trust stated that “reforms are needed to prevent undue foreign influence in U.S. policy fights, as foreign money coming into the United States can undermine our sovereignty and weaken our energy independence.”

The organization stated that lawmakers should consider passing new laws, if necessary, to curb foreign interests.

Some states are already passing laws restricting foreign adversaries from purchasing land or banning foreign contributions to state ballot issue campaigns, according to the report.

Other states are creating laws for greater transparency of foreign gifts and contracts.

The report states that foreign money can still fund U.S.-based organizations and nonprofits virtually unchecked, despite some added restrictions. Americans for Public Trust suggested that state and federal authorities investigate the extent of foreign giving in the United States and whether laws were broken by the foreign groups.

“Lawmakers should consider policy reforms that comprehensively address foreign influence, while also investigating and holding groups and foreign nationals who violate the law accountable,” the group stated.