A new report has found that five foreign charities have contributed nearly $2 billion to American nonprofits and policy advocacy groups focused on climate change and political activism.
The 31-page report, released by Americans for Public Trust, traces donations from foreign charities to U.S. organizations. While federal law prohibits foreign entities from donating directly to political candidates, the report notes that foreign money can still flow into election-related activities such as “get-out-the-vote” efforts, lobbying, issue advertising, and other forms of advocacy.
“There’s no question about where it’s going and where it’s coming from,” said Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of Americans for Public Trust, in an interview with Fox News Digital. “We know that it’s foreign money coming into our U.S. policy fights, climate litigation, research, protests, lobbying—you name it.”
Sutherland warned that “foreign money is coming in, and it’s trying to erode our democracy.”
The report identifies five key international donors: the Quadrature Climate Foundation (U.K.), the KR Foundation (Denmark), the Oak Foundation (Switzerland), the Laudes Foundation (Switzerland/Netherlands), and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (U.K.).
According to the report, the Quadrature Climate Foundation alone has granted approximately $520 million to 41 U.S. groups since 2020.
“The most surprising place that foreign money has ended up is the Environmental Law Institute (ELI),” Sutherland said. “They’re known for running the Climate Judiciary Project, which works to educate judges on climate litigation.”
She added that the presence of foreign funding in programs aimed at educating judges raises serious concerns.
The report states that ELI received about $650,000 in grants from the Switzerland-based Oak Foundation since 2018.
Nick Collins, a spokesperson for ELI, said in response that one 2018 grant for $300,000 supported development of a toolkit for sustainable small-scale fisheries.
“ELI is an independent, nonpartisan organization, and any grant funding we receive is contingent on protecting this independence,” Collins said. “No funder dictates our work, and our grants are administered in compliance with IRS rules and regulations.”
ELI has also previously received federal grants, including from the EPA and the State Department under the Biden administration in 2022.
In August 2025, 23 state attorneys general sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin urging the agency to halt federal funding to ELI. Shortly after, the EPA under President Donald Trump ended those grants.
Sutherland said the report also traced $1.6 million in foreign funds from the Oak Foundation to Community Change, an organization involved in protests opposing Trump’s crime policies.
The report notes that Community Change acts as the fiscal sponsor of Free DC, which organized anti-Trump demonstrations in Washington, D.C.
Fox News Digital said it reached out to the foreign charities for comment on why they provided funding to U.S. groups engaged in lobbying and political advocacy, but did not receive responses.
Sutherland suggested that the donations reflect efforts to import European-style environmental and political agendas into the United States.
“It seems clear that this foreign money is coming into the United States because they want to implement their extremist European vision for America,” she said. “Many of these groups want to ban gas stoves and push very radical positions. When you look at the money, it’s clear they’re aiming for a more extreme and polarized America.”
Fox News Digital also reached out to the Quadrature Climate Foundation, the KR Foundation, the Oak Foundation, the Laudes Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, and Community Change, but did not receive replies by the time of publication.
