ByteDance, the parent company of the popular social-media site TikTok, has been vying for influence in the United States even as lawmakers grow concerned with the national-security risks associated with the platform, given its ties to China. Since 2019, ByteDance has spent nearly $18 million on lobbying the American government. But its eight-figure funding campaign to American universities has fallen under the radar. This is because all but one of the recipients of TikTok funds failed to properly report the donations to the Department of Education.
Ten American universities signed gift agreements with TikTok, Inc., starting in late 2020 as part of TikTok’s Health Heroes Relief Fund initiative. All but one recipient university were minority-serving institutions, and they each received $1 million to “ensure the success of future Black, Latinx, and Indigenous health heroes.” The funds were meant to be distributed as scholarships to students pursuing medicine.
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