U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a pause on American aid disbursements as of January 20th, 2025. As the United States is the largest single donor of aid globally, this decision will have an immediate and direct impact on millions of people. DevelopmentAid.org follows and publishes updates on the key events around this White House decision.
February 28, 2025. US funding cuts confirmed, ending lifesaving support for women and girls
The United States has cut $377 million worth of funding to the UN reproductive and sexual health agency, UNFPA, it was confirmed, leading to potentially âdevasting impactsâ on women and girls.
February 28, 2025. Terminations of USAID and State Department Programs: Massive impact for IRC clients
The news that the US State Department, as part of its review of foreign aid spending, is terminating at least 10,000 USAID and State Department grants and contracts will have a massive impact on clients of the International Rescue Committee (IRC).
February 27, 2025. 10 donor alternatives to USAID with open grant calls
The USAID funding freeze announced in January 2025 has wreaked havoc in the development ecosystem worldwide. Humanitarian workers, non-profit staff, international projects, and vulnerable populations across multiple countries have all been affected. To help organizations to function in these challenging times, we have compiled a list of 10 alternative donors with funding calls currently open and available on www.developmentaid.org.
February 20, 2025. The fallout from USAID cuts: Latin America faces a humanitarian and environmental crisis
The closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is dealing a severe blow to essential programs in Latin America, threatening humanitarian aid in Colombia, conservation efforts in the Brazilian Amazon, and anti-narcotics initiatives in Peru. The freezing of international funds has already affected projects aiming to reduce hunger, corruption, and inequality and will impact millions across the region, experts and NGOs warn.
February 20, 2025. Suspension of U.S. international aid has serious consequences as Ukraine marks three years of war
As Ukraine marks three years of war, Action Against Hunger confirmed that the U.S. governmentâs suspension of international aid has caused the nonprofit to stop distributing cash to families displaced near the front line. An estimated nine million Ukrainians live in poverty and as many as 12.7 million, or 40% of the population, depend on humanitarian aid to survive.
February 18, 2025. Surviving US Stop Work Orders: Recovery Tactics and Legal Recourse | DevelopmentAid Dialogues
This episode of DevelopmentAid Dialogues examines the rising trend of USAID stop work orders and the difficulties they pose for implementing partners. These unexpected pauses in project activity have left organizations struggling with the urgent need to continue essential development work, financial uncertainty, and compliance challenges. Stop work orders (SWOs), which USAID has been using more frequently lately, have left partners juggling compliance, financial survival, and the urgent need to continue essential projects.
February 14, 2025. A federal judge temporarily blocked the termination of USAID contracts in place before Trump inauguration. Furthermore, the judgeâs order issued on Wednesday, February 13th, temporarily blocks the U.S. Presidentâs administration from issuing terminations, suspensions, or stop-work orders for any U.S. foreign aid awards running before Donald Trump returned to the White House for his second term. At the same time, the order does not restrict Donald Trump from enforcing his own earlier executive order freezing foreign assistance for a 90-day period pending review.
On Wednesday, the Trump administration disclosed in court documents that it had terminated, since Tuesday morning, more than 200 awards issued by USAID. The World Health Organization, the Organization for Migration, but also companies like Deloitte, and big contractors, were among the companies affected by USAID award-termination letters.
February 14, 2025. Over 130 organizations call on congress to end the freeze of U.S. foreign assistance and protect USAIDâs vital programs
In an open letter to Congress, over 130 organizations called on lawmakers to oppose efforts to shut down U.S. foreign assistance, including the critical work of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
February 13, 2025. US funding cuts threaten global health response, WHO chief warns
The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed deep concern over the impact of US funding cuts on critical global health initiatives, warning they pose a direct threat to public health efforts worldwide.
In a media briefing, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted the consequences of funding suspensions, including disruptions to HIV treatment, setbacks in polio eradication, and limited resources for responding to mpox epidemics in Africa.
February 13, 2025. Uncertainty around PEPFAR program puts millions of people at risk
The decision by the US government to temporarily freeze funding to the Presidentâs Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) alongside all other foreign aid for at least 90 days has had immediate effects on people living with HIV, said Doctors Without Borders/MĂŠdecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
Although the US has since clarified that certain treatment programs can continue at least until April, MSF is concerned that critical elements of the PEPFAR program remain frozen.
February 13, 2025. Humanitarian aid for over 2 million people at risk as Danish Refugee Council faces suspension of U.S. funding
The recent directives by the U.S. government are sending shockwaves through communities already grappling with crises. Millions of vulnerable people, reliant on aid from organizations like the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), face an uncertain future.
The U.S. Government is DRCâs second-largest donor, contributing 20% of the global 2025 budget. While 80% of the programming remains unaffected and continues as planned, these unexpected decisions are disrupting critical funding that directly supports displaced populations and communities in some of the worldâs most devastated regions, from Afghanistan and Sudan to Yemen, Ukraine, and beyond.
February 13, 2025. Will US Trumpâs executive order ruin wind energy sector and revive oil, gas production?
US President Donald Trumpâs order to temporarily halt leasing of areas and the issue of permits for both offshore and onshore wind energy generation has aroused a wave of discontent in the country, with some voicing fears that the order spells the beginning of the end of the wind power industry. Experts have pointed out that at the same time, Trump is openly and fully supporting the development of the polluting oil and gas industry.
February 11, 2025. Lives hang in the balance as U.S. government freezes international aid
Since approximately 30% of Action Against Hungerâs global programs rely on U.S. government support, the organization is preparing for potential impacts. Uninterrupted funding is essential for us to deliver efficient, well-run programs and continuity of care for malnourished children, pregnant women, and families living in war zones, among others.
âWe have extremely malnourished children who cannot have the treatment that they need. If the funding uncertainty continues, then many of these people will actually die,â said Dr. Charles E. Owubah, CEO of Action Against Hunger.
February 11, 2025. What is USAID and can Trump legally dismantle it?
The decision by Donald Trumpâs administration to suspend the independent aid agency USAID has ignited debate over its legality, consequences, and the future of U.S. foreign aid. The move signals a major shift in Americaâs global engagement, raising concerns among lawmakers, aid recipients, and international allies.
February 10, 2025. Trumpâs order to put thousands of USAID workers on forced leave was blocked by a U.S. federal judge on Friday, February 7. According to media reports, the judgeâs order, which will be in effect until February 14, blocks the Trump administration from placing more than 2,200 USAID workers on paid leave and also reinstates 500 employees who had already been furloughed.
February 7, 2025. U.S. foreign aid freeze threatens critical programs in Africa
The U.S. aid freeze announced in late January is already dealing a harsh blow to African countries that are grappling with war and conflict. Millions of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Somalia, Mozambique, and Sudan are already facing extreme humanitarian crises, including displacement, food insecurity, and lack of access to basic services.
February 6, 2025. The impact of the U.S. aid freeze and its withdrawal from WHO on international development | Expertsâ Opinions
After several years marked by significant challenges for the international development sector, such as aid cuts by the U.K. and Germany, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and multiple natural disasters, nobody expected new turmoil. However, the end of January 2025 brought a fresh crisis as U.S. President Donald Trump entered the Oval Office in the White House and signed a number of executive orders. Two orders were particularly disastrous for the aid sector: a decision to freeze most U.S. foreign aid for three months, and the United Statesâ withdrawal from the UN World Health Organization (WHO). Although the Trump administration later exempted food and emergency humanitarian aid from the effect of its order, the consequences of this decision are already being felt in some of the most vulnerable communities globally. Aid workers fear that even if aid is resumed after the 90-day program review period, the interruption will have lasting consequences. Learn more about the impact of these decisions and how to be better prepared for all possible outcomes.
February 3, 2025. The White House issued a statement claiming that the U.S. Agency for International Development funneled massive sums of money to âridiculousâ projects.
âFor decades, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been unaccountable to taxpayers as it funnels massive sums of money to the ridiculous â and, in many cases, malicious â pet projects of entrenched bureaucrats, with next-to-no oversightâ, says an uncategorized press-release published on the official governmental portal.
The document contains a list of 10 to 12 past projects and activities funded by the USAID, with hyperlinks leading to official USAID reports, as well as media articles, posts by websites publishing gossip, and older publications without official reports attached for fact-checking. The White House press secretary, Karoline Levitt, described the USAID-funded projects from the list using the word âcrapâ.
February 3, 2025. The U.S. Department of State issued a media note, announcing that President Trump appointed Secretary Marco Rubio as USAID Acting Administrator. The note says that Secretary Rubio has notified Congress about a review of USAIDâs foreign assistance activities, with a further possibility of a âpotential reorganizationâ of the agency.
February 3, 2025. Elon Musk, appointed by President Trump as head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), was reported as saying that USAID was âbeyond repairâ and that âwork was underway to shut it downâ. In an earlier post on X social media platform owned by Musk, he described the agency as âa criminal organizationâ.
February 3, 2025. USAID stop-work orders: Consequences of USAâs âquasi-isolationismâ for vulnerable communities and development efforts
The decision by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to issue stop-work orders across its global portfolio has thrown the worldâs development and humanitarian sectors into crisis in recent weeks. These orders, which abruptly halted ongoing projects and contracts, left implementing partners scrambling to cope with the consequences. Given that the United States is the worldâs largest foreign aid donor â contributing more than $72 billion in 2023 alone â the suspensions have far-reaching consequences and are disrupting initiatives ranging from health programs to refugee resettlement efforts.
January 31, 2025. US Aid Freeze: Immediate Effects of the Executive Order | DevelopmentAid Dialogues
In this episode of DevelopmentAid Dialogues, host Hisham Allam delves into the consequences of the United Statesâ recent aid cuts, including their catastrophic impact on the global aid sector and vulnerable people. These decisions, mostly influenced by the Trump administrationâs foreign aid policy, have resulted in far-reaching changes, such as funding freezes, program suspensions, and withdrawal from major global projects such as the World Health Organization (WHO).
January 30, 2025. Kenyaâs 2024 humanitarian aid landscape: Impact of US 90-day aid suspension
Africaâs Kenya has received billions of dollars in humanitarian aid from international donors as well as local philanthropists. With the USA having been the countryâs main foreign donor for years, the suspension of foreign aid for 90 days recently announced by President Donald Trump has raised concerns about the impact of this decision on Kenyaâs health programs.
January 29, 2025. Supporting US organizations: up to 90 days of free access to tenders and grants
DevelopmentAid.org announced free access for U.S.-based organizations to the largest internet database of aid tenders and grants. The action aims to help organizations affected by Presidentâs Trump foreign aid order to diversify their funding portfolios.
January 29, 2025. U.S. State Secretary, Marco Rubio, approved a waiver on Presidentâs Trump foreign aid order, allowing organizations implementing âexisting life-saving humanitarian assistance programsâ to continue or resume work. The resumption is described as âtemporary in natureâ and âwith limited exceptionsâ. âNo new contracts shall be entered intoâ concludes the office of the Secretary of State.
January 27, 2025. A number of senior officials at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) were ordered to go on administrative leave. One of the possible reasons for this move was the âapparent efforts of some staffers to obstruct recent directives from President Donald Trumpâ, according to the media.
January 24, 2025. U.S. State Department issues a âstop word orderâ for all existing foreign assistance programs and pauses new aid initiatives.
January 20, 2025. United States President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order suspending all foreign aid disbursements for a 90-day period, pending âprogrammatic efficiencies and consistency with United States foreign policyâ. The United States is the largest single donor of Official Development Assistance (ODA) in the world. In 2023, the country provided $66 billion (out of nearly $224 billion provided by TOP -32 wealthiest nations).
