Funding freeze fallout: Tracking furloughs, layoffs, and cuts

It’s been over a month since U.S. President Donald Trump issued a funding freeze that shook the world. In the time since nearly everything about the aid sector has changed — with the U.S. Agency for International Development slated to lose between 1,600 and 2,000 staff members in late February alone — the remainder of the agency’s 4,765 direct hires have been placed on administrative leave. As of Feb. 23, nearly 500 more USAID employees under personal service contracts, a different hiring mechanism, had been terminated from the agency, with more than 800 slated to lose their jobs overall. For institutional support contractors, yet another cadre of staff, the number of terminations surpasses 1,100. And as the world’s largest donor has crumbled, many have followed close behind. Here are the organizations that have made cuts, furloughs, and suspensions across their workforce so far. This tracker will be continuously updated as the foreign aid freeze persists. Alight has had 600 to 800 staff members affected by the funding freeze, though it’s not clear what portion of the workforce is or whether those staff members were furloughed, terminated, or some combination of the two. Amref Health Africa initially placed 692 of its staff on unpaid leave for at least three months and halted 20 of its initiatives across multiple countries. The organization has since received waivers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to continue some work in Tanzania and Kenya, bringing about 300 of the 692 Amref staff on unpaid leave back to work. The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition has laid off a third of its staff, around 15 people out of just over 45. Blumont has furloughed staffers but did not comment on how many were affected. Catholic Relief Services has scaled down its programs and downsized staff, but as the organization has not responded to requests for comment, it is not clear how many are affected. Chemonics International has terminated 582 of its U.S. staff members, more than half of its workforce in the country. Overseas, the company has fired 64% of its U.S. expatriate staff, 42% of its third-country national staff, and more than 85% of its local staff. Creative Associates International has either laid off or furloughed staff, but the organization has not responded to requests for comment, so it is not clear how many are affected. DAI has furloughed and terminated more than 3,000 of its staff across the world, including 612 terminated U.S.-based staff. The Danish Refugee Council has laid off a quarter of its staff, around 2,000 jobs. Democracy International has furloughed all of its 95 U.S.-based employees and placed 93% of its staff working on USAID-funded projects on administrative leave. Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation has laid off 82 staff and reduced hours for 75, affecting just over 9% of its total 1,600 employees. EnCompass LLC has laid off its entire staff, stating in a social media post that they have been forced to “terminate its workforce,” “vacate its business premises,” and do a “final wind down” of all its work. However, as EnCompass has not responded to requests for comment, it is not clear how many are affected. FHI 360 has let go 483 U.S.-based staff members, including more than 140 in its home state of North Carolina. More than 700 international staff have also been affected, the nonprofit said. That’s through three rounds of cuts: the first in February, the second in mid-March, and the last in April. HIAS has laid off more than 500 of its international staff, shuttered its program offices, and deferred payments. IMPACT has laid off at least 27% of its 400 staff, including 40 at headquarters and nearly 70 across its field offices. The International Organization for Migration has laid off 3,000 of its 20,000 staff, with the organization hit by both the USAID funding freeze and Trump’s slashes to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. International Medical Corps has laid off vast numbers of staff, with a source at the organization telling Devex they and many others were affected. IMC declined to share more information. The International Republican Institute, or IRI — a nonprofit focused on freedom and democracy — has been forced to furlough two-thirds of its workforce, some 200 people. The International Rescue Committee has cut “thousands” of staff, a move that followed waves of furloughs earlier this year. It’s unclear exactly how many staff have been severed from the organization. JSI has laid off about 1,100 staff, accounting for half the organization’s workforce across the world. Management Sciences for Health has laid off almost 20% of its U.S. based staff — going from 242 employees to just 46 — while also terminating over 700 staff outside of the country. Together, 70% of MSH’s workforce has been eliminated. Mercy Corps made “workforce reductions” in early February, but it’s unclear how many staff are affected at this stage. The National Democratic Institute has furloughed more than two-thirds of its staff. On Feb. 10, the organization said it had begun closing many of its 55 offices across the world. The Norwegian Refugee Council has announced layoffs, but staff have not yet confirmed the magnitude of the cuts. The organization has already had to suspend humanitarian work in nearly 20 countries affected by wars, disasters, and displacement. RTI International has laid off more than 200 U.S. staff. It’s not clear at this stage what proportion of the workforce those cuts included. Plan International US has laid off 10% of its U.S. staff, with more cuts to international staff expected. The organization was “not able to confirm” the headcount of those laid off. Population Services International has laid off 292 staff and reduced hours for another 558, a move that affects 41% of the workforce. Save the Children USA cut 30% of its U.S.-based staff members, some 300 people across the country, in late February. That includes a combination of furloughs, voluntary resignations, and terminations. More cuts to international staff are expected. By mid-March, a second wave of layoffs had swept the organization, though exact numbers are not yet confirmed. Save the Children UK has laid off nearly 200 staff members, following the USAID funding freeze and “discussions” that took place before it happened, a press release stated. Resonance, a Vermont-based contractor, has laid off all but a dozen of its 100-person workforce. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, has reduced its workforce by 20% — some 500 staff — and cut more than 20 senior positions. The United Nations Refugee Agency is preparing for a “significant reduction” in workforce, with expected terminations of between 5,000 and 6,000 employees. The World Food Programme is planning to cut between 25%-30% of its staff, a move that will affect up to 6,000 roles at the organization. Have you been affected by layoffs? Let us know by reaching out to elissa.miolene@devex.com.