US grant for MAGA-aligned groups in Europe excludes French applicants

A U.S. grant program for organisations pursuing Trump administration priorities in Europe will exclude French groups because of sensitivities over allegations of foreign interference ahead of next year's presidential election, according to two sources.



The decision has already been communicated to French officials, one of the sources said. It reflects a recognition in Washington that funding MAGA-aligned organisations in France could jeopardise extensive economic ties between both countries.



U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has sought to support far-right parties across Europe, accusing the continent's centrist leaders of overseeing "civilizational erasure" and "the subversion of democratic processes."



The U.S. State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor grant program offers between $1 million and $3 million to organizations seeking "to strengthen and develop democratic resilience, rule of law, freedom of speech and freedom of the press, and the defense of human rights in Europe," according to DRL's July 13 funding guidelines.



Eligible groups may also focus on "national sovereignty, migration, censorship, and lawfare challenges."