Qatar schools are drawing new scrutiny after public records revealed that Qatar Foundation International (QFI), tied to the Qatari royal family, quietly funded K–12 education efforts in Georgia. The disclosures raise questions about foreign influence in American classrooms and whether parents are being kept in the dark as Qatar schools initiatives expand without mandatory reporting.
Documents show QFI funded teacher trainings, Arabic textbooks, and student travel, despite Qatar’s status as a foreign government with deep ties to extremist groups. QFI, the U.S. arm of the Doha-based Qatar Foundation, says it is “dedicated to Arabic language and culture education for students and teachers across the world.” But there are no federal laws requiring K–12 schools to disclose foreign funding, unlike colleges that must report gifts over $250,000.
In Georgia alone, QFI spent at least $281,000. Amana Academy, a public charter school requiring Arabic instruction, received more than $79,000 from 2019 through March 2025. In 2023, the school thanked QFI for funding a nine-day “cultural tour” of Qatar. Georgia State University received $202,000 for the Arabic Teachers Council of the South, which hosts K–12 teacher trainings.
One QFI-linked training video encouraged educators to weave activism into lessons. “Using Films to Explore Social Justice Issues in Arabic Classes,” the session advised teachers on navigating parent objections. “Let that person be a shield—otherwise you are opening yourself to being attacked by the parents,” one teacher said.
Critics point to Qatar’s record of supporting Hamas and hosting terror leaders. Yet Congress has not advanced the TRACE Act, which would require K–12 schools to disclose foreign donations and share foreign-funded materials with parents.
As foreign money flows into Qatar schools programs nationwide, lawmakers face growing pressure to mandate transparency before outside actors shape what American children learn.
