Fact check: Have there been any verified connections between political foundations and protest funding?

1. Summary of the results

The investigations into connections between political foundations and protest funding have not yielded verified direct links. While George Soros's Open Society Foundations has provided grants to some organizations that are tangentially connected to protests, PolitiFact's investigation found significant discrepancies in claims of direct funding ^[1]. Multiple universities and organizations, including Jewish Voice for Peace, have explicitly denied receiving funds specifically for protesting ^[1].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements need to be considered:

• The grants provided by Open Society Foundations were made years before the current protests and were for general operating support, not specific protest activities ^[2]
• There are several degrees of separation between foundation funding and actual protesters ^[1]
• Claims about specific individuals being involved were based on outdated information, such as fellowships from 2023 rather than 2024 ^[1]
• The discussion of protest funding often occurs within a broader context of social media disinformation campaigns, as evidenced by cases like the Los Angeles immigration raid protests ^[3]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The question itself may reflect several underlying biases:

• The narrative of political foundation funding of protests has been identified as potentially rooted in antisemitic conspiracy theories ^[2]
• Media outlets like the New York Post have made claims that were later contested and not fully corroborated ^[4]
• The focus on "verified connections" overlooks the complexity of nonprofit funding structures and legitimate forms of civil society support

Those who benefit from pushing these narratives include:

• Media outlets seeking controversial headlines
• Political actors attempting to delegitimize protest movements
• Social media platforms and users gaining engagement through spreading sensational claims about protest funding