The USAID–Internews Media Cartel:

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Nearly half a billion in taxpayer-funded media manipulation.

If an obscure nonprofit received hundreds of millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars, trained thousands of journalists, influenced media outlets worldwide, and quietly scrubbed its leadership and key records from the internet—wouldn’t you want to know why?

That’s precisely what’s happening with Internews Network, a so-called “independent” media organization almost entirely bankrolled by USAID since 2008.

Through extensive U.S. government funding, Internews has trained journalists, produced media content, and shaped global narratives, all while supporting censorship initiatives under the guise of combating “misinformation.”

Internews has been systematically erasing its public-facing disclosures. Critical information about its governance, leadership, and programming has been removed or modified—particularly around Inauguration Day.

The executive and legislative branches must investigate this purging of key intelligence about the organization.

These actions suggest a concerted effort to limit public access to information about Internews’ leadership, funding sources, and ideological agenda.

If Internews is genuinely committed to press freedom, why is it selectively managing what information is accessible to the public?

Key Findings from the Recent Form 990

Internews’ most recent public Form 990 spotlights several key facets of its funding and operations:

• Revenue Sources: Over 95% of Internews’ revenue comes from U.S. government funding, primarily through USAID, the U.S. State Department, and other federal agencies. According to this disclosure, Internews reported total revenue of approximately $97 million, with over $92 million coming from government grants.
• Executive Compensation: CEO Jeanne Bourgault received total compensation exceeding $342,000, making her one of the highest-paid nonprofit executives receiving federal funds. Several other executives received over $200,000 in compensation.
• Offshore Entities: The Form 990 confirms Internews operates at least one subsidiary in the Cayman Islands alongside other offshore financial entities. Why does a nonprofit—almost entirely taxpayer-funded—require offshore financial structures?
• Lobbying and Advocacy: While Internews claims to be nonpartisan, its expenditures include policy influence spending, indicating an agenda beyond supporting “independent journalism.”

The USAID Gravy Train: Hundreds of Millions in Taxpayer Dollars

Internews markets itself as a champion of independent journalism, but the numbers tell a different story. A 2020 federal audit revealed that tens of millions of dollars flow from USAID directly to Internews annually. This wasn’t a one-time grant—over 95% of its funding has come from U.S. government sources in recent years, as confirmed by ProPublica’s nonprofit audit report and USAspending.gov.

Economic Dependency: Internews Can’t Survive Without U.S. Taxpayer Dollars

The 2023 audit report for Internews confirms that the organization depends nearly entirely on U.S. government funding. In recent years, over 90% of its revenue came from U.S. government grants and cooperative agreements.

Even Internews itself admits that without U.S. taxpayer funding, it would struggle to function:

Any interruption of these relationships (i.e., the failure to renew grant agreements or withholding of funds) would adversely affect Internews Network’s ability to finance ongoing operations.

Internews is not an independent nonprofit—it is a government-funded media entity whose survival depends on continuous taxpayer subsidies.

Scrubbing the Truth: What Are They Hiding?

Internews has systematically erased, altered, or obscured key information from its website, particularly close to Inauguration Day 2025. This raises serious questions about what the organization is trying to conceal.

The following pages were archived before being removed or altered:

• Board of Directors Page – Last archived on January 15, 2025
  • This page previously listed Internews’ Board of Directors, including their names and affiliations.
  • The current Internews website no longer displays this information.
• Key Staff Page – Last archived on December 28, 2024
  • This page contained biographies of Internews’ leadership, including CEO Jeanne Bourgault and other top executives.
  • The page has since been removed and now returns a 404 error on the live website.
• Gender and Sexual Minorities Program Rebranded
  • Previously labeled “Gender Equality,” Internews’ webpage focused on initiatives supporting women, girls, and gender and sexual minorities.
  • As of late December 2024, the page was rebranded as “Women & Girls,” all references to gender and sexual minorities were removed.
  • Compare the archived version (December 29, 2024) to the current version (Internews Website).
• Financial Transparency
  • Information about offshore financial entities, including a Cayman Islands-based subsidiary, remains undisclosed on Internews’ website despite being mentioned in its Form 990.
  • Why does a taxpayer-funded nonprofit need offshore financial operations?

Clinton Global Initiative Partnership: A Disappearing Act?

Internews launched a significant partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), which involved launching a $10 million media fund in 2023. 

The Clinton Foundation still publicly lists the partnership on its website: Clinton Foundation Press Release.

Why Hide a $10 Million Deal?

Curiously, Internews’s current sponsor page still lists major left-wing donors—including the Open Society Foundations (George Soros), the Ford Foundation, and the MacArthur Foundation—but does not include the Clinton Global Initiative.

Why would Internews downplay or scrub references to a multi-million-dollar partnership with the Clinton network while continuing to highlight other left-wing donors?

The removal of these public-facing disclosures strongly suggests that Internews is hiding something. If the organization has nothing to conceal, why scrub critical pages about its leadership, funding, and affiliations?

No More Taxpayer-Funded Secrecy

A nonprofit that relies on U.S. government funding must be fully transparent about who runs it, where its money goes, and its true agenda. Yet, Internews has systematically purged key information, making meaningful oversight nearly impossible.

This is a direct challenge to Congress and the Trump administration:

• They must demand full transparency and accountability.
• They must immediately halt the flow of taxpayer money into an unaccountable global influence operation.
• They must not be deterred by:
  • The stonewalling of the deep state
  • The apparatchiks of Internews and USAID, who operated as a shadow funding arm for media influence
  • The media acolytes who refuse to report on these abuses

The time for action is now.

No more hiding. No more funding. No more taxpayer-backed media manipulation shrouded from accountability.

Charlton Allen is an attorney, former chief executive officer, and chief judicial officer of the North Carolina Industrial Commission. He is the founder of the Madison Center for Law & Liberty, Inc., editor of The American Salient, and the host of the Modern Federalist podcast. X: @CharltonAllenNC

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