AUAF Funding: US Withholds $25M Grant

The United States has refused to release a $25 million grant to the American University of Afghanistan. The State Department announced the decision, citing a history of repeated lack of accountability for taxpayer dollars. This move strips the institution of its primary financial support.

AUAF serves approximately 1,000 students, with women making up about three-quarters of the enrollment. Since the Taliban seized the physical campus in August 2021, students have attended classes online in secret. Laila, a mid-twenties political science major, said she joins lectures from home with classmates who use aliases and keep their cameras off. She noted, "I just know their voices."

The university opened in 2006 with initial backing from the Bush administration. Former First Lady Laura Bush described the project as a way to train future leaders. Patrick Fine, the former Afghanistan mission director at USAID, stated that many at the agency viewed the project as risky. However, the administration saw it as a method to stabilize a young democracy and build goodwill for the interim government.

Scrutiny of the university's finances began in 2016 when US inspectors launched an investigation. By 2018, officials determined that poor accounting made it difficult to track how aid money was spent. John Sopko, a former federal inspector who oversaw the probe, told DW, "I was surprised they were still funding AUAF."

Fine rejected the State Department's current explanation as smear tactics. He acknowledged that earlier audits found the university struggled with USAID's rules but said they did not find major fraud. He called the university a worthy investment because it remains one of the few organizations reaching Afghan women.

US reports indicated that the United States covered nearly 90% of AUAF's costs as of 2018. The State Department stated the university is free to identify other funders and partners. This means the end of American taxpayer money does not automatically close the institution, though its financial stability is now uncertain.

For Laila, the news has been crushing. She said she has lost all motivation and hope. She added that she now thinks she may find a way to continue her education in five or ten years. She has barely left her room since learning of the cut.