State Department Considers Redirecting Human-Rights Grants to Afrikaner and Other Conservative Causes
September 30, 2026
The Trump administration is considering 43 State Department Human Rights and Democracy Fund awards totaling approximately $176.9 million, according to documents reviewed by The Guardian. The proposed projects reportedly include support connected to white Afrikaner rights in South Africa, protection of Christians in Nigeria, anti-communism initiatives, and programs addressing migration, free speech, and opposition to “gender ideology.”
Procedural status: These are proposed awards under active deliberation, not finalized grants. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has placed a partial congressional hold on some proposed awards.
Government response: The State Department said prospective recipients must satisfy federal grant requirements and undergo standard vetting. It described the European initiatives as supporting political liberty, free expression, national sovereignty, and what it called “civilizational self-confidence.”
Criticism: Shaheen characterized the proposals as a misuse of human-rights funding that could harm relations with democratic allies.
Why it matters: If finalized, the awards would represent a substantial change in how the United States defines and funds international human-rights priorities, including racial, religious, and ideological concerns. The reported proposals should not be described as final policy unless and until the awards are formally approved and obligated.
Source: The Guardian investigation