Harvard University received $151 million in foreign funds since January 2020, including from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bangladesh.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday directing his administration to enforce laws that require universities to disclose large foreign gifts.
According to a White House fact sheet, the order mandates “full and timely disclosure of foreign funding by higher education institutions.” It directs the Secretary of Education to rescind or reverse any policies implemented by the previous administration that allowed universities to obscure details about foreign gifts and contracts.
The order clarifies that universities failing to comply with disclosure requirements risk losing access to federal grant funds. It also directs the Department of Education to coordinate with the attorney general and other federal agencies to hold institutions accountable through “audits, investigations, and enforcement actions.”
“President Trump is committed to protecting national security, academic integrity, and American excellence by ensuring transparency in foreign funding,” The White House said in a statement.
The White House cited a report estimating that $60 billion in foreign gifts and contracts have flowed into American universities over several decades, with only about 300 out of 6,000 US institutions self-reporting foreign money each year. It added that during Trump’s first term, the Department of Education uncovered $6.5 billion in previously unreported foreign funds.
The White House said that such undisclosed funds raise concerns about potential foreign influence, national security risks, and compromised academic integrity.
“President Trump is ending secrecy surrounding foreign funding in higher education to protect students, research, and the marketplace of ideas,” the White House added.
A report from the National Association of Scholars (NAS) highlighted the substantial amount of undisclosed foreign donations from Arab countries, in particular. The report found that American universities received $767 million in undisclosed donations from Saudi Arabia and Qatar between 2012 and 2022, with Saudi Arabia being the largest foreign donor.
A February report from the Harvard Crimson found Harvard University received $151 million in foreign funds since January 2020, including from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bangladesh.
Universities are required to report foreign donations that exceed $250,000 in a calendar year to the Department of Education under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act. However, universities have largely ignored this requirement for decades.
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