The Trump administration’s sudden halt to over 60 years of international development work has sparked a new wave of initiatives to fill the gap left by US foreign aid cuts. With most programs funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) cut and staff told their jobs will end by September, workers and organizations are developing various strategies to stand in the breach.
A group of former USAID contractors, led by Laura Meissner, has set up a solidarity fund to provide direct cash support to laid-off workers. The fund, which started with $16,000 raised from 140 donors, will grant grants starting at $650 to help former workers meet basic expenses.
Meanwhile, research think tanks like Rethink Priorities are providing charts and guidance to help donors understand the impact of US cuts on international development programs. Tom Vargas, a senior researcher at Rethink Priorities, hopes that their research will influence donors to “spread the money around in a way that makes sense.”
Emergency funds have also been established by nonprofits to get money to life-saving programs or stabilize organizations that would otherwise close. These funds have raised millions of dollars, mostly from individual donors, and have granted out hundreds of thousands of dollars to various organizations.
However, many international development organizations face existential funding shortages, with more than a third reporting less than three months of funding left. Blair Glencorse, founder and co-CEO of Accountability Lab, has been tracking the impact of US cuts and estimates that it will cost between $30,000 and $50,000 for each transaction or merger.
As the Trump administration continues to cancel programs and consolidate remaining funds into the State Department, workers and organizations are finding innovative ways to adapt and respond to the new reality.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/usaid-foreign-aid-cuts-help-for-workers-nonprofits-176201cf23d19e8e012864f0e8da9dc6