2026-08-09 · contested story
Why is the US Embassy Offering $500,000 Grants in Britain? Trump 'MAGA' Politics at Center of Row
The US Embassy in London published a funding notice offering grants of up to $500,000 (£370,000) for 'public education' programs in the UK under a scheme titled 'Liberty Under Law: The Shared Anglo-American Tradition,' ostensibly to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Magna Carta Memorial in Runnymede. The funding notice prioritizes applicants celebrating 'freedom of speech,' 'limited government,' and 'taxation by consent,' and seeks to foster a 'national conversation' about 'shared civilizational values.' Critics, including Liberal Democrat MP Lisa Smart, accused the US government of using 'Trump's Maga money' to 'meddle in our democracy.' The grants appear separate from $12m the State Department is reportedly planning to allocate to UK organizations founded by prominent Conservatives Jacob Rees-Mogg and Toby Young, and from a broader reported effort to fund MAGA-aligned think-tanks across Europe.
How each side frames it
left
"Using language that the pro-Trump Maga movement has sought to appropriate, a funding notice identifies a goal of fostering a "national conversation" about "shared civilizational values" underpinning US-UK ties."
"Foreign money for right wing groups. Disguised as "public education" it promotes MAGA propaganda on abortion, regulation, hate speech, climate change, diversity and more. Is UK the 51st state?"
"The US government has been accused of attempting to "meddle in British democracy" with "Trump's Maga money" through an educational grant."
"A recently departed US state department official... shared their concerns and said it was "highly unusual" to "specifically fund topics related to a narrow vision of America First is highly unusual". This source reportedly accused the current US regime of attempting to "create UK-originated narratives to support Maga propaganda"."
"US government to fund MAGA aligned think tanks and charities in Europe."
center
"The proposed grants include $2 million to "counter censorship" stemming from EU regulations, including the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act, the report said, citing a copy of a notice the State Department sent to lawmakers."
"The US government has announced millions in funding for Maga-aligned groups, think-tanks and non-governmental organisations across Europe, in a naked attempt to redraw the politics and culture of the continent in its own image."
"the US State Department called for proposals from European civil society groups that develop "civilisational self-confidence in Europe" through research, conferences and cultural engagements. Successful applicants could receive between $1m and $3m."
"Senior State Department official Sarah Rogers traveled to Europe in December to meet influential right-wing think tanks and has spoken to key figures in Nigel Faraj's populist reform UK party about deploying a pot of money to spread American values."
"reportedly accused the current US regime of attempting to "create UK-originated narratives to support Maga propaganda""
right
"Wow. This is a scandal. How dare the US do exactly the same thing to the UK as the UK (and the EU) do to the rest of the world."
"A spokesperson for the US embassy in London responded to the MP's accusation of "meddling" and said it was "mindful of such concerns, and has discontinued Biden-era public diplomacy spending on divisive ideological projects such as 'climate justice,' LGBTQ activism, and race-based hiring initiatives"."
"The proposal however says this grant will not support "projects relating to partisan political activity" or "lobbying for specific legislation of programs"."
What each side left out
The left left out — covered by the The Mirror (within body) & The Mirror (X repost comment)
- The grant's explicit prohibition on 'partisan political activity' and 'lobbying for specific legislation'
- The tu quoque argument that UK/EU governments fund influence operations abroad
The left left out — covered by the The Damage Report / TVP World
- Historical precedent that previous US administrations funded think-tanks and charities in Europe
The right left out — covered by the JoeMyGod & The Mirror & TVP World
- The specific MAGA-coded language in the grant ('shared civilizational values', 'limited government', 'freedom of speech')
- Criticism that the effort targets abortion, hate speech, climate, and diversity narratives
The right left out — covered by the The Mirror
- Concerns from a former State Department official that the funding is 'highly unusual' and creates 'UK-originated narratives to support Maga propaganda'
The center left out — covered by the New York Post & WPRI.com & Guardian
- The domestic parallel — the DOE court admission of politically motivated grant cancellations to blue states — which most center outlets cover as a SEPARATE story rather than connecting it to the foreign-grants narrative
What's actually true?
[verified] The US embassy in London is offering grants of up to $500,000 (£370,000) for a scheme titled 'Liberty Under Law: The Shared Anglo-American Tradition' to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Magna Carta Memorial in Runnymede.
[verified] The funding notice prioritizes applicants celebrating 'freedom of speech,' 'limited government,' and 'taxation by consent' and aims to foster a 'national conversation' about 'shared civilizational values.'
[unverified] The grants are separate from $12m the US State Department is planning to allocate to UK organisations founded by Conservatives Jacob Rees-Mogg and Toby Young.
[verified] Liberal Democrat MP Lisa Smart said 'We have a proud tradition of liberty and freedom of speech in this country and we don't need Trump's Maga money meddling in our democracy.'
[verified] The grant proposal states it will not support 'projects relating to partisan political activity' or 'lobbying for specific legislation of programs.'
[verified] The US State Department is preparing grants in Europe including $2 million to 'counter censorship' stemming from EU regulations such as the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act.
[verified] The US State Department called for proposals from European civil society groups to develop 'civilisational self-confidence in Europe,' with grants between $1m and $3m, in a notice dated 13 July.
[contested] Senior State Department official Sarah Rogers traveled to Europe to meet right-wing think tanks and figures in Nigel Farage's Reform UK party about deploying money to spread American values.
The narrative clash
Whether the UK embassy grants constitute partisan/MAGA meddling or legitimate non-partisan public education
Left: The US government has been accused of attempting to "meddle in British democracy" with "Trump's Maga money" through an educational grant.
Right: The proposal however says this grant will not support "projects relating to partisan political activity" or "lobbying for specific legislation of programs".
Whether the funding is a novel MAGA export or a continuation/replacement of prior US public diplomacy
Left: Foreign money for right wing groups. Disguised as "public education" it promotes MAGA propaganda
Right: has discontinued Biden-era public diplomacy spending on divisive ideological projects such as 'climate justice,' LGBTQ activism, and race-based hiring initiatives
36 sources analyzed
Common Dreams JoeMyGod The New Republic The Mirror The Guardian NBC News The Independent Mediaite The Daily Beast U.S. News & World Report Politico CNN The Damage Report MSN (UK) House.gov Baton Rouge Business Report WPRI.com New Mexico Political Report Sky News Quiver Quantitative The Preamble | Sharon McMahon Modern Ghana AOL.com Yahoo GV Wire MS NOW rawstory.com NDTV Associated Press ITV BBC News CBS News i Ground News New York Post Charlie Kirk