A coalition of 19 Republican attorneys general is calling on the Department of Justice to launch a sweeping investigation into dozens of U.S.-based nonprofit organizations that collectively received nearly $2 billion in foreign funding over the past decade.
In a letter addressed to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg, the state officials argue there is “substantial evidence” that more than 150 nonprofits may have violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The concern, they say, is that foreign-based climate foundations may have used American nonprofits to influence U.S. energy policy without the required federal registration.
The letter, led by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen and first reported by Fox News Digital, names five foreign foundations: the Oak Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), the Quadrature Climate Foundation, the KR Foundation and the Laudes Foundation.
According to research cited from the conservative watchdog group Americans for Public Trust, these organizations collectively funneled nearly $2 billion to U.S. nonprofits engaged in climate advocacy, litigation, research and lobbying efforts.
Under FARA, individuals and entities must register with the Justice Department if they act as agents of a “foreign principal” and engage in certain political or quasi-political activities within the United States. The attorneys general contend that the foreign foundations qualify as foreign principals because they are incorporated abroad — in countries such as Switzerland, Denmark and the United Kingdom — and that their funding efforts were designed to shape domestic energy policy.
The letter alleges that the foreign groups directed funding toward advocacy campaigns, legal challenges, protests and policy initiatives aimed at influencing American energy independence and regulatory frameworks. It further asserts that at least one organization, CIFF, has documented ties to the Chinese Communist Party — a claim that has previously surfaced in public debate.
The coalition also referenced a separate December 2025 request from more than two dozen attorneys general seeking a FARA review into two U.S.-based groups connected to CIFF.
The attorneys general argue that none of the nonprofits appear to fall under statutory exemptions within FARA, emphasizing that the burden to establish eligibility for any exemption rests on the entity claiming it.
The Department of Justice declined to comment on the request, and the five foreign foundations named in the letter have not publicly responded to the latest allegations.
