(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Education held a virtual briefing on Monday to unveil a new portal allowing American colleges and universities to disclose foreign funding.
Deputy General Counsel Paul Moore presented the portal as a tool to increase transparency around foreign financial contributions to U.S. institutions, Executive Order 14282, which Trump signed titled “Transparency Regarding Foreign Influence at American Universities,” calling for stronger safeguards against foreign exploitation of U.S. research and students.
The department reported that, so far, $72.1 billion in foreign funding has been disclosed across 559 institutions. A February investigation by the Trump administration found that U.S. colleges and universities received $5.2 billion in foreign gifts and contracts in 2025 alone.
“America’s taxpayer-funded colleges and universities have both a moral and legal obligation to be fully transparent with the U.S. government and the American people about their foreign financial relationships,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said.
The media was excluded from the briefing, and the Department of Education has not responded to The Center Square’s request for comment.
Under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act, colleges must disclose foreign gifts or contracts exceeding $250,000. Republicans have long argued that some institutions fail to report such funding and have called for stricter oversight.
The department also released newly compiled data from institutional disclosures, documenting more than 8,300 transactions totaling over $5.2 billion in reportable foreign gifts and contracts. Qatar was the largest source in 2025, accounting for about $1.1 billion, bringing its total to $8.8 billion. Other top sources included the United Kingdom, China, Switzerland and Japan.
Other top sources included China, Germany, Saudi Arabia, England and Japan.
Between 1986 and 2025, Harvard University received more foreign funding than any other institution reporting to the department, totaling nearly $4.48 billion, including over $630 million from China alone.
The Center Square reached out to the University of California system for a comment, but did not receive a response.
