Report finds $230 million of federal money directed to intersectionality research
A review by two right-leaning policy groups identified roughly $230 million in federal grants that support research using intersectionality frameworks.
Researchers at the Defense of Freedom Institute and the Legal Insurrection Foundation compiled a list of 249 federal grants that reference “intersectionality,” a framework that evaluates race, gender, class and other traits to assess privilege and discrimination. Their report indicates that most of the $230 million in funding was allocated during the Biden era, reaching a high of $80.1 million in 2023 and accumulating $140 million to date, with an additional $90 million slated for future use.
The money supports a wide range of initiatives, from NIH-funded scientific work to museum projects and university health programs such as a New Hampshire cancer-prevention grant, a UCSF Asian-American cancer cohort, a NYU diabetes equity center, and a Drexel University faculty-diversity effort. Critics say the grants embed intersectionality principles into technical research, potentially steering federal resources toward identity-based analysis rather than direct public benefits.
About 100 of the identified grants remain active, some extending through 2030. The groups are urging the current administration to halt such funding, citing concerns that the approach fuels division and anti-American sentiment.
Why it matters
Taxpayer money is being used for research that critics say prioritizes ideology over clear public benefits.
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