A new study in the journal Energy Research & Social Science argues that decades of donations from oil companies and allied industries left universities poorly defended against the Trump administration's recent funding freezes and investigations. The authors describe a pattern of "corporate capture," in which private donors gain influence over who gets hired, what researchers study, and what is taught in classes.
The paper traces this dynamic back to a 1971 memo by Lewis F. Powell Jr. and to conservative foundations such as Olin, Scaife, Koch, and Bradley. It notes that Exxon Mobil, BP, Chevron, Shell, ConocoPhillips, and Koch Industries donated at least $700 million to 27 U.S. universities from 2010 to 2020. Funded research has shown signs of bias: a 2022 study found that reports from MIT, Harvard, and Stanford published while receiving oil money were more favorable to natural gas than independent research.
The Trump administration has revoked grants and targeted climate research, including $4 million at Princeton. The authors argue that tight budgets push universities to accept private funding that bypasses normal academic practices, deepening their reliance on donors. They call for a dedicated congressional investigation into fossil-fuel influence in higher education.