New reports from JINSA and other watchdogs detail billions in Qatari donations to American colleges, including specific contracts at Georgetown University and partnerships at Northwestern.
Qatar has directed $8.8 billion into U.S. higher education since 2001, making it the largest foreign donor according to Foundation for Defense of Democracies data. Georgetown University received more than $971 million through 76 contracts over 20 years, with its Qatar campus partnership extended through 2035.
A June 2026 JINSA report examined nearly 900 pages of documents and highlighted a June 13, 2024, contract in which Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided Georgetown’s Bridge Initiative a $630,000 grant for Islamophobia research and conferences. The same report noted a 2013 memorandum between Northwestern University in Qatar and Al Jazeera covering research, training, and employment pathways.
JINSA analyst Hussein Aboubakr Mansour argued that the agreements allow Qatar to access intellectual property, governance input, and institutional prestige while advancing its national interests. Georgetown’s agreement sets a target of 60 percent Qatari students at its Doha campus, while Northwestern’s sets a target of 70 percent.
The funding also supports endowed chairs and research on the main U.S. campuses. Critics, including the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, have linked the donations to Qatar’s relationships with groups such as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.