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Over the past year, Mr. McDonald has guided the agency in that direction. In January, it announced $75 million in new grants, including more than $40 million in large awards to conservative-backed civic thought centers and classical humanities institutes that have been established at or near some campuses, to combat the liberal tilt of academia. Many of the awards went to handpicked recipients who had been invited to apply, outside the agency’s tradition of open, competitive calls for proposals. The court documents shed some light on the origins of one large grant that has drawn particular scrutiny: a $10.4 million award — the largest in the agency’s history — to Tikvah, a conservative Jewish educational organization, for a broad project promoting the study of Jewish civilization and Western culture. Asked by the plaintiffs’ lawyers why Tikvah, which had never applied for a federal grant, was tapped for such a large uncompetitive award, Mr. Wolfson said Mr. McDonald had been impressed by an episode of its podcast and asked him to reach out. Asked about any personal connections with Tikvah, Mr. Wolfson said his wife had previously been involved with a program there, and is currently the managing director of a separate foundation established by a former Tikvah board chair.