The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, an international research institute that studies antisemitism, political extremism and foreign influence, published a new report documenting the extensive role of Qatar Foundation International, the international education arm of Qatar Foundation, which works to promote curricula, language and culture programs in educational institutions around the world, in the US education system.
The report has already sparked sharp reactions from members of Congress from both parties, who expressed deep concern over the scope of the alleged foreign influence activity exposed and called for increased oversight, transparency and federal scrutiny.
More than $65 million for 220 programs
The report, titled "Institutional Capture: Qatar Foundation International and the Use of Soft Power to Reshape the US Education System," details more than $65 million in funding for over 220 programs between 2009 and 2025, reaching elementary and high schools, leading universities, teacher training initiatives and nationwide educator networks.
"The scope, duration and method of penetration into the US education system show that this was not a series of isolated educational programs. The report specifically documents how funding linked to foreign actors was used to shape educational content and teacher training in ways that were not transparent to institutions, regulators or the public," said Dr. Charles Asher Small, founder of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy.
"The strong response from both sides of Congress attests to the gravity of the findings and to the growing concern over foreign influence inside the American education system," Small said. "These findings require decisive action. We call on federal authorities to conduct a comprehensive review of these activities, examine how they are integrated into publicly funded programs and ensure transparency and accountability throughout the education system."
How the Qatari foundation operated inside the education system
According to the report, Qatar Foundation International's activity went far beyond what it presents as Arabic-language instruction alone, with the organization embedding itself deeply and broadly in curricula and teaching in the fields of history, geography and culture, with a special focus on curriculum development and professional training for teachers.
Its activity, as revealed in key documents and correspondence, was strategically designed to penetrate multiple layers of the American education system, including partnerships with universities, control over educator networks used to distribute content, and the development of teacher training tracks and classroom resources. The report claims that these combined efforts went far beyond exposure to the Arabic language and functioned as a coordinated, multiyear strategy to shape how the Middle East is presented in US classrooms.
Among its findings, the report documents how the foundation cooperated with federally funded US Middle East studies centers operating at universities such as Duke University and the University of North Carolina, as well as the University of Texas at Austin. These centers operate under a US government program known as Title VI, which is intended to fund research and the study of international languages and regions at universities.
According to the report, these centers, which are funded by American taxpayers and are required to provide balanced teaching materials to school educators, became key distribution channels for initiatives linked to the Qatari foundation. The report further claims that the foundation made particular use of its ties with university outreach coordinators to disseminate materials and programs it supported to educators across the country, thereby significantly expanding its influence beyond the original purpose of the National Resource Centers.
Israel erased from maps
The report also reveals direct influence at the classroom level. In New York, a public school that received funding from the foundation was found to be using teaching materials in which Israel was omitted from maps and replaced entirely by "Palestine," prompting a formal congressional investigation.
In other cases, teachers who took part in professional training programs funded by the foundation's grants were required to produce specific lesson plans and submit them for review by organization staff. According to the report, this created a channel through which materials were directly overseen by the foundation, then developed, improved and redistributed.
Foundation representatives were also present in public school classrooms as part of a virtual partnership with schools run by UNRWA, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, with the foundation-funded program culminating in activism projects that took up one-third of the school year. In addition, the foundation used grants and its control over the Middle East Outreach Council, an American educator network focused on Middle East studies, to promote certain content to schools and libraries.
Thousands of teachers, universities and curricula
The report also documents the Qatari foundation's involvement in teacher training programs and curriculum development initiatives that reached thousands of educators, aided by partnerships with prestigious universities.
These included cooperation with Brown University's Choices Program, a US curriculum program dealing with international relations and world history, which was recently canceled. The program distributed teaching materials to more than 8,000 schools and 1 million students nationwide and was the subject of a previous ISGAP report in 2025.
In addition, the report describes multiyear educational leadership training programs in which the foundation trained teachers in major US cities, including a study trip to Doha, Qatar's capital, where teachers developed Middle East curricula for their students and were trained to guide colleagues and lead workshops and lectures for other educators, thereby significantly expanding the foundation's influence.
According to the documented evidence, the foundation also influenced content at national conferences for social studies educators through numerous speakers it had trained on topics aligned with Qatari interests.
