Rapid response funds for organizations affected by the US aid freeze

The U.S. aid freeze has halted many development and humanitarian programs worldwide, leading to massive layoffs and organizations at risk of shutting down. In response, several organizations have set up emergency funding windows to help affected groups continue some of their lifesaving work, or stay afloat while awaiting the 90-day review of U.S. aid programs. These funds aren’t a replacement for the frozen U.S. aid money, which is in billions of dollars, but are meant to serve as a stop-gap measure in the wake of the freeze. While a U.S. federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to reverse the freeze on existing programs, funding has yet to trickle down to organizations on the ground, with many programs remaining on pause. Here’s a list of funds we’ve curated to date, including details on how much funding is available, and which organizations can access these funds. 1. Foreign Aid Bridge Fund Unlock Aid, together with other individuals and organizations, is fundraising to provide emergency funding to organizations affected by the freeze. The goal is to enable “high-impact” organizations to “get back to work to prevent unnecessary harm and disruption to millions of people.” “In the immediate days after the U.S. foreign aid freeze, we saw a lot of people in the philanthropic community were talking about, well, how do we make decisions? Where do we even start?” Walter Kerr, co-executive director of Unlock Aid, told Devex. “The goal of this was just to bring down those barriers as quickly as possible, to make it as easy as possible for people of means to be able to put money to work immediately.” Shortly after launching last week, the Foreign Aid Bridge Fund was able to raise $200,000, according to Kerr, and the fund’s Grants Investment Committee made its first round of funding decisions on Friday. The first organizations to benefit are those working on HIV and AIDS, and humanitarian responses in places like Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Haiti. “The committee is open to looking at ranges of grants of $25,000 to $100,000 and beyond, if they are convinced that the funding disbursement is going to be making a difference for filling some kind of lifesaving gap,” Kerr said. Most of what the fund has raised to date came from individual donors, but Kerr said they expect larger foundations to get involved as they continue to fundraise. He added 100% of the donations they receive go to the organizations in need. Who is eligible? According to information on its website, donations will go to organizations that deliver “extraordinary impact at scale and cost-effectively,” those that work directly with communities, and those that are not dependent on a single source of revenue. “This is really a bridge fund,” Kerr said. “Organizations might be able to get this funding … to plug another two months or three months of work, but we want to make sure that on the other side of that, that that work [is] going to be able to continue.” Eligible organizations include those that work on health, water and sanitation, agriculture and food security, climate adaptation, livelihood and economic prosperity, education, and humanitarian response. Organizations must have been vetted and “undergone extensive due diligence” by funders such as top philanthropic organizations and/or bilateral and multilateral funders such as the U.S. government. They must be willing to report their results and impact and need to be approved by the fund’s investment committee which is composed of senior officials from different networks, funds, and foundations. Kerr said they’ve received applications for assistance from more than 220 organizations to date. 2. GlobalGiving Community Aid Fund GlobalGiving, known for its crowdfunding platform that connects donors with grassroots projects globally, is also fundraising for $1 million to support local organizations impacted by the freeze. So far, it has provided microgrants worth $1,000 each to 14 local organizations based in 10 countries whose budgets are less than $1 million. This includes a community-based organization in Uganda providing care for people living with HIV, tuberculosis, and cancer, and a network of small-scale farmers and producers in Honduras. “While these initial grants are small, they are a powerful message: We see you. We stand with you. You are not alone,” GlobalGiving CEO Victoria Vrana told Devex via email. She said the organization will be able to provide larger grants and longer-term support to meet community needs as the fund receives more flexible funding. “We plan to keep this fund open as long as possible in recognition of the fact that the US global aid freeze and stop work orders will have massive, long-term effects that will continue to emerge in the days, months, and years ahead,” Vrana said. Who is eligible? GlobalGiving has vetted thousands of nonprofit partners over the years in more than 170 countries, and the fund is aimed at supporting these organizations, but with priority given to local, national, and small organizations that are directly or indirectly impacted by the aid freeze. But as its resources grow, the fund will be able to “potentially consider nonprofit organizations globally that are currently outside of our existing community,” Vrana said, adding they are “always open to new partnerships from local organizations around the world.” 3. NEAR Bridge Funding Window The Network for Empowered Aid Response, which is composed of 287 local and national civil society organizations operating in 41 countries in the global south, has partnered with three funders — the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the Irene M. Staehelin Foundation, and the Vitol Foundation — to provide an initial $800,000 for those impacted by the aid freeze. Who is eligible? The funding is for its member organizations that were vetted by the network when they joined. But for access to this specific fund, NEAR is also collecting data on the impact of the freeze on a member organization’s overall budget and operations and is prioritizing those that are providing lifesaving humanitarian and development services. They are also prioritizing smaller organizations whose budgets are less than $1 million. “These organisations are directly embedded in the communities they serve, making them particularly vulnerable to funding disruptions,” Rachel Roseberry, NEAR’s communications and fundraising consultant, told Devex. “This process ensures that funding goes directly to organisations that need it most, while maintaining accountability and transparency.” She said all NEAR members will receive detailed guidance on eligibility criteria, the application process, and the timeline for disbursement. The $800,000 is on hand and ready to be disbursed, but they have not awarded any grants yet. The network expects this initial funding to last for three months. “NEAR recognises that this freeze is not just a short-term disruption—it has long-term implications for local and national organisations. We remain committed to supporting our members as they navigate this uncertainty and push for more sustainable funding solutions that reduce reliance on single donors,” Roseberry said. 4. Founders Pledge Rapid Response Fund Founders Pledge, an initiative where entrepreneurs pledge to commit a portion of their personal wealth to charity, has partnered with the nonprofit The Life You Can Save, which provides recommendations on the best charities people can donate to. Their goal is to also bridge funding gaps left by the U.S. aid freeze. “For years, philanthropists and governments alike have funded interventions to fight extreme poverty and to create a cleaner, safer and more sustainable planet. As the federal government takes a step back, it's vital that philanthropists step forward to ensure that the highest-impact initiatives can continue,” David Goldberg, cofounder and CEO of Founders Pledge, said in a statement. Data on the impact of the funding gap is “evolving daily,” according to Claire Thorpe, communications and marketing manager for Founders Pledge. So far, they’ve identified a potential deficit of over $60 million among the “high-impact” programs and organizations they recommend that have been affected by the cuts, she said, adding they will be “raising as much money as we can” to support them. Who is eligible? At present, eligible grantees are those that the two organizations have already evaluated and assessed to be “highly cost-effective,” and that have been heavily affected by the aid freeze. Thorpe told Devex they are now in the process of making their first grant under the fund, which will be to support community management of acute malnutrition programs in Africa. “We plan to completely spend down the fund by the end of 2025. If this situation remains dire into 2026, it's no longer really a 'rapid response' that's needed; it's a long-term strategy,” she said. 5. Keep the Lights On The Stop TB Partnership launched a $3 million fundraising campaign, called “Keep The Lights On,” to sustain the work of tuberculosis survivor networks and local community organizations combating TB that have been affected by the aid freeze. “Being small organizations in high-burden, low-income countries, this is very disastrous for them,” Dr. Lucica Ditiu, executive director of the Stop TB Partnership, told Devex. Who is eligible? The campaign is specifically targeting organizations whose funding under round 12 of the Stop TB Partnership’s Challenge Facility for Civil Society has been suspended because of the freeze, as well as Stop TB Partnerships at the country level. The funding suspension impacted over 100 organizations in 38 countries doing lifesaving work, from TB education and screening to helping reduce stigma for people with TB. All of the funds will go directly to the organizations and will be divided equally among these groups, according to Ditiu. She hopes that this will help organizations to sustain their operations until May, while the review of U.S. aid is ongoing. 6. GiveDirectly bridge fund GiveDirectly facilitates direct cash transfers to people living in poverty. This year, they had planned on sending $20 million in cash transfers to some 38,000 families in extreme poverty with USAID funding. But that has been impacted by the funding cuts. The nonprofit is now fundraising to continue delivering cash to these families, with an initial goal of $1 million. “Direct cash is flexible and fast, empowering these families to meet their immediate, essential needs like food and medicine,” said Nikole Wintermeier, who does communications for GiveDirectly. “We’d already put in the upfront costs to prepare these programs, but now lack the cash to send out. We’re able to fill some of the gap with emergency funds, but currently have enough to reach a fifth of those families,” she added. Who is eligible? The public bridge fund will go to people who were supposed to receive cash transfers as part of GiveDirectly’s programming. That includes those fleeing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and subsistence farmers in Mozambique. If you know of other new funds set up in response to the U.S. aid freeze, let us know so we can feature them here. Email the reporter at jennylei.ravelo@devex.com. The article will be updated regularly with new funds as they become available.