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The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) rejects Columbia University’s dismissal of ISGAP’s research into undisclosed Qatari-linked funding and has called on the University to publicly disclose all foreign-sourced funding, financial arrangements, and affiliated entities connected to its academic programs.
ISGAP’s June 2024 report was based on extensive documentary analysis and publicly available evidence indicating that Qatari-linked funding and institutional partnerships associated with Columbia raised serious questions under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act. Columbia’s claim that it received no Qatari funding requiring disclosure does not address the central findings of the research, including whether foreign state-linked funds were fragmented, routed through intermediaries, or otherwise structured to avoid disclosure while still exerting influence.
Dr. Charles Asher Small, Executive Director of ISGAP, said: “Denying the findings of independent research is not the same as disproving it. Columbia’s response rests on narrow technical assertions rather than full transparency. If the University is confident in its compliance, it should release a complete accounting of all foreign funding sources, affiliated entities, and financial intermediaries, not simply assert that reporting thresholds were not met. The issue is not compliance on paper but whether American universities are willing to be fully transparent about who funds them, and what influence those funders may seek.”
ISGAP notes that federal authorities have repeatedly found that Section 117 disclosure requirements have been inconsistently applied and inadequately enforced across higher education. Columbia itself acknowledged these shortcomings in its 2025 agreement with the federal government, committing to strengthened compliance and transparency regarding foreign funding.
Given Qatar’s documented use of academic institutions as instruments of soft power, ISGAP reiterates its call for an independent federal review of Columbia’s foreign funding disclosures and for stronger enforcement mechanisms to ensure that universities cannot obscure foreign state-linked funding through technical or procedural loopholes.
