The US embassy in London is offering grants of up to half a million dollars for new “public education” programmes in what has been criticised as interference in British domestic politics.
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. Priority will go to applicants aiming to celebrate “freedom of speech” and “limited government”.
It comes after senior Trump officials voiced sharp criticism of British authorities and repeated misinformation on a range of fronts including abortion and digital regulation, and allied with European far-right movements in attacks on hate speech and immigration policies.
The grants appear to be separate from other grants of $12m which the US state department is planning to allocate to organisations in the UK founded by the prominent Conservatives Jacob Rees-Mogg and Toby Young.
Those intended grants, revealed in US government documents leaked to the Guardian, are part of a package of support for European groups viewed favourably by the Trump administration.
However, the US government has now been accused of “meddling in British democracy” after documents published on the US embassy’s website invited charities, non-profit organisations and others to apply for grants under a scheme labelled “Liberty Under Law: The Shared Anglo-American Tradition”.
It seeks “innovative, high-visibility public education and civic-engagement programs” that “deepen public understanding of the shared Anglo-American common law tradition” and to commemorate the 70th anniversary next year of the American Bar Association (ABA)’s unveiling of the Magna Carta memorial in Runnymede.
The ABA – which is not involved in the grant scheme – is suing the Trump administration over alleged intimidation of lawyers and legal firms. European counterparts including the Law Society and the Bar Association in Britain have voiced support for US lawyers claiming that the US president’s attacks on law firms bear similarities to events in Nazi Germany.
A notice offering the funding states: “Priority will be given to ambitious initiatives that connect foundational principles, such as freedom of speech, due process, trial by jury, limited government, rule of law, property rights, taxation by consent, and ordered liberty to contemporary civic life.”
Proposed projects must meet one or more of a number of objectives, including the need to “demonstrate measurable impact on public discourse, media coverage, and civic engagement regarding the rule of law and democratic norms”.
Lisa Smart, a Liberal Democrat MP and the party’s Cabinet Office spokesperson, said: “Magna Carta aimed to limit the powers of tyrants and said everyone was subject to the rule of law, something for which Trump has repeatedly shown utter contempt.
“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.”
There is also deep unease among serving and recently departed US state department officials. One told the Guardian: “While it’s not unusual to support public diplomacy efforts to showcase the special relationship between the US and UK, to specifically fund topics related to a narrow vision of America First is highly unusual.”
The same person accused the US government of trying to “create UK-originated narratives to support Maga propaganda”.
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The notice states that the funding is not intended to support partisan political activity or lobbying.
A spokesperson at the US embassy in London said the funding initiative aimed to strengthen US-UK ties “and deepen public understanding of the constitutional principles, rule of law, and democratic norms that underpin both nations”.
Responding to Smart’s allegation of “meddling”, they added: “The Embassy is 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 – none of which, to our recollection, raised such complaints from officials.”
Eyebrows have also been raised by veteran former state department officials at some language used in a second grant opportunity being offered by the US embassy’s website under its Public Diplomacy Section program, an annual grant scheme.
Applications, including those intending to run “Educational and public awareness initiatives”, are invited to submit proposals for goals including strengthening US prosperity and UK economic resilience, securing UK support for US policy including “ensuring support for Israel’s right to defend itself” and countering competition from China.
A former state department official said: “In the past the language for this stuff would be more like ‘increase understanding of US policy’. This is very openly saying more ‘persuade people to agree with US policy’.”
“Increasing support for Israel in a third country is weird. Can’t say if it’s ever been done, but it’s weird.”
