Trump Administration Redirects Foreign Aid to Controversial Right-Wing Projects

The Trump administration is shifting foreign-aid dollars toward contentious groups, including a proposed grant to study violence against white Afrikaners in South Africa.

Since returning to office, the Trump administration has dismantled long-standing foreign-aid initiatives and is now channeling the remaining funds through the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Documents reveal plans to award up to $1 million for research on crimes targeting Afrikaner farmers in South Africa, with the group Lex Libertas among potential recipients, and a separate $5 million proposal for a British free-speech organization that opposes bans on gay-conversion therapy.

A newly released call for proposals also seeks to fund projects aimed at bolstering “civilizational self-confidence” in Europe. Critics, including former diplomats and scholars, say the emphasis on white South African victims ignores broader human-rights crises and could strain U.S.-South Africa ties, especially as the administration has cut HIV aid and fast-tracked white South African refugees. The State Department maintains that grant decisions are still under deliberation and must meet federal standards. Reporting continues as more details emerge.