Trump Administration Plans $12 Million Grants to UK Conservative-Founded Groups

U.S. State Department documents obtained by *The Guardian* show that the department intends to award $12 million in “Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor” (DRL) grants to three UK organisations linked to prominent British conservatives. The proposed awards are $7 million to 878, a think-tank founded by Jacob Rees-Mogg and his former adviser Dr Radomir Tylecote; $5 million to Free Speech Union International, an overseas arm of the Free Speech Union founded by Conservative life peer Toby Young; and $3 million to the Jobs Foundation, a charity led by former Vote Leave chief executive Matthew Elliott and former Taxpayers’ Alliance director Georgiana Bristol. All three grants are designated as “sole source” awards, meaning they would be made without competition. 878 was incorporated in the United Kingdom in March 2026, launched its website in early July 2026, and lists its U.S. nonprofit registration as “pending.”

The Guardian

A State Department spokesperson said the grants “continue to undergo the Department’s standard and rigorous vetting process by grant professionals” and that “our foreign assistance programming is aligned to support our strategic priorities.” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that he “does not want the American government or institutions close to the government to interfere in German elections.”

The Guardian

Five former State Department officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the plan as “outrageous and absurd” and a “horrible stewardship of US taxpayer money.” One former official argued that the sole-source awards “are being funded to subvert legal and competitive processes.” Critics contend that the grants bypass normal competitive procedures that normally require demonstrable administrative capacity and a track record of handling funds.

The Guardian

• “We are not a functioning democracy at this point … it’s a worse system than in the United States.” — Dr Radomir Tylecote, former special adviser to Jacob Rees-Mogg

The Guardian

• “Sole source awards require significant legal justification to avoid required competitive processes,” — Former U.S. official (anonymous)

The Guardian

• “They are usually given to entities with unique capabilities that are hard to find elsewhere. But in this case I would argue that these entities are being funded to subvert legal and competitive processes.” — Former U.S. official (anonymous)

The Guardian

• “horrible stewardship of US taxpayer money.” — Former U.S. official (anonymous)

The Guardian

• “I do not ?want the American government or institutions close to the government to interfere in German elections.” — Chancellor Friedrich Merz

The Guardian

The grants remain under “active deliberation” and the organizations have not yet provided detailed project plans. Jacob Rees-Mogg and Dr Radomir Tylecote did not respond to requests for comment.

The Guardian