Qatar invested $65 million to expand influence in US schools, universities – report

The State of Qatar invested more than $65 million over 17 years to expand its influence over U.S. education, according to a new report released on Wednesday.

The report, published by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP), alleges that the funding supported partnerships with universities, education networks and teacher-training programs in the U.S. and abroad.

The report further claims that some of the initiatives went beyond promoting Arabic-language studies and sought to influence educational content and narratives related to Israel and the broader Middle East.

Qatar has close ties with the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas and the wider Muslim Brotherhood network.

The report has prompted some officials in Washington to call for a federal review into the impact of foreign funding on the U.S. education system.

ISGAP CEO Charles Asher Small said Qatar's investment was not “a series of isolated educational programs,” arguing that it reflected part of broader foreign efforts to influence the U.S. education system.

U.S. President Donald Trump recently spoke with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and other Middle Eastern leaders about the future of the region.

According to reports, Trump said he believes regional countries should eventually join the Abraham Accords, the normalization agreements between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan signed in 2020. Qatar has indicated that it is not currently prioritizing ties with Israel.

The report comes amid broader debate in the United States over foreign funding and influence in higher education institutions.

A November 2023 report by the Network Contagion Research Institute argued that undisclosed donations from foreign governments, particularly from the Middle East, coincided with rising antisemitism on some university campuses following the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and the subsequent war in Gaza.

Qatar has also faced scrutiny in recent years over its ties to Hamas, while Doha has argued that its contacts with the group have been coordinated with Western governments and used primarily for mediation efforts in regional conflicts.