Trump Administration Prepares Tens of Millions of Dollars in Grants for Conservative Projects Across Europe and the World

The administration of US President Donald Trump is developing a new foreign grant programme to support conservative-leaning initiatives in Europe and other parts of the world. This is revealed in US State Department documents reviewed by the Financial Times.

According to the newspaper, the proposals reflect a shift in priorities for American foreign aid. One of the main goals is supporting freedom of speech in the United Kingdom and the European Union. The plan envisages allocating two million dollars (roughly 42 million koruna) to projects opposing so-called censorship stemming from European regulations — including the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

A further five million dollars, under the draft plan, would go toward building a so-called "civilizational alliance" in Europe. The funds are intended for projects defending freedom of speech, political competition and national sovereignty.

According to the Financial Times, potential recipients include, among others, Free Speech Union International, an umbrella organisation encompassing the British group of the same name founded by Conservative peer Toby Young. The organisation describes itself as non-partisan, though critics, the paper notes, view it as one of the leading vehicles for conservative and "anti-woke" views.

Additional funding is planned for groups in Eastern Europe and the Balkans that, in the US administration's view, defend Western civilizational values. The document also mentions initiatives in Brazil fighting against censorship and judicial overreach — Washington under Trump has previously criticised the conviction of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a political ally of Trump's.

A separate line item concerns documenting human rights violations in South Africa. Although the document does not explicitly mention white South Africans, Trump and his circle have repeatedly identified this group as a target of deliberate discrimination by South African authorities, and the US government supports their emigration to the United States.

The largest of the proposed grants — 40 million dollars — is earmarked for the American Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. The organisation was established by law back during Bill Clinton's presidency and has received government funding under every subsequent administration, including Democrat Joe Biden's, though the new contribution would be several times larger than before.

The US State Department said the programmes are still in the preparatory stage and that no organisation has yet been guaranteed funding.

Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz