Impacted by the USAID job cuts in 2025? Check out these resources

  It’s been almost a year since sweeping layoffs in the aid and development sectors began, triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development. In response to these events, and with a sense of solidarity, many of the sector’s professionals immediately mobilized, offering what they could to help one another at a time of shock and hardship. While some of those affected by the job cuts have been able to find new positions, many are still figuring out their next steps. The support that initially emerged for this group may have shifted since that initial outpouring, say those in the space, but there are still resources out there. “What’s emerging now isn’t just job boards. It’s deeper support for people who want to design a career that fits the life they want, not the other way around,” Kelsi Kriitmaa, a social impact coach and consultant, told Devex in an email. “People are traumatized by what’s happened in the job market, and with this comes the question, ‘do I even want to jump back into an organization or sector with this volatility? Should I pivot?’ These are really tough questions, and finding a community to unpack them together is crucial.” From coaching circles to online guides, several new initiatives have emerged this year to help the sector’s professionals navigate these challenging times. Devex looks at the sources of support that remain available and that job seekers are finding most helpful. 1. LinkedIn While not a new resource, many in the sector have relied on this platform to mobilize, connect, and stay informed as the cuts evolved from USAID itself to NGOs and nonprofits globally. In the immediate aftermath of the layoffs, it was here that various accounts became the go-tos for job openings and career advice. All these months on, it is still a hub of activity. “There are a few LinkedIn accounts that have emerged, like Friends of USAID and OneAID … and these are almost like nonprofits that have been developed to help support former USAID staff, but also to keep a lot of the information alive,” said Joanne Sonenshine, a funding adviser to corporate sustainability leaders, who initially created a spreadsheet to collate job openings and over 1,400 job seekers profiles. The sheet is no longer active. Other useful LinkedIn groups that have emerged and were referenced by those Devex spoke to include Pivoting Parents, #FiredFed, and the Global Aid Alumni Marketplace. Aware that LinkedIn’s algorithm may swallow up the groundswell of posts from individuals and organizations offering résumé reviews, coaching advice, and referrals, several people have attempted to collate these into one space. Kriitmaa logs the resources she thinks are most useful to social impact professionals in a public spreadsheet. “Progressive Org & Resource Guide” lists relevant job boards, grouped by themes and geographic areas, while Alexandra Shannon, a global operations leader, has been aggregating resources into the Public Service Support Hub, formerly known as USAID Hub. “Interestingly, going into Christmas, I thought things would slow down, but the events this week are insane,” Shannon shared, highlighting that all these months later, resources to support those affected are still active. 2. Planning tools Facing an oversaturated job market, many out-of-work professionals are considering a switch to a different role or sector. Multiple resources have emerged to better equip these professionals in applying for roles within the likes of the private sector. “The most useful resources right now are the ones that help people get clear on what they actually want – not just what they can get – help them to build a stronger narrative, and to stay visible in a crowded market,” Kriitmaa said. The USAID to Corporate Roadmap by Mariela Vazquez offers practical advice for pivoting public sector experience into the private sector; The Public Value Lab offers workshops to federal workers, public servants, and others on building social entrepreneurial skills; and FedsFoward offers tangible tools for translating skills, rewriting resumes, and financial planning during the job search. Global Aid Marketplace lists businesses that former USAID and development staff have started this year. “You can support each other through these new businesses, and if you’re looking for resources, you can start there and try to hire somebody who's within the global development world,” Sonenshine said. Examples of new businesses highlighted include consulting firms and proposal writing enterprises in the likes of Haiti and Kenya, as well as travel agencies and coffee shops in the U.S. To help job seekers track the cuts as they happen and better understand the job market as well as the legal avenues to explore, Molloy Consultants launched USAID Stop-Work. “The website looks completely different from how it looked on day one because we really tried to adapt to the needs of our community,” said Sadie Healy, CEO of Molloy Consultants, which is running this site for free. She encouraged peers in the sector to keep sharing information on the redundancies. “We are here. We’ve paid for the website. We’re committed to updating it.” 3. Community forums Beyond the loss of their role, the existential questions around the future of global development mean many job seekers are looking for more than career advice — they are searching for a sense of community at this difficult time. “What I’m seeing across the sector is that people aren’t just looking for ‘the next job,’ they’re trying to make sense of a landscape that feels more unstable than anything we’ve seen in years,” Kriitmaa said. As a result, many platforms have arisen offering opportunities to connect and discuss on an emotional level. “They want a peer group that can lift them up a little bit when they’re feeling really down and crying,” Shannon said. The GlobalDevChat WhatsApp emerged out of exactly that need. Sonenshine created it when she herself was feeling lonely. “I wanted a place where the development community lived online, that we could talk to each other, share ideas, funding, and jobs, and just be together,” she told Devex. The chat is broken down into different channels according to themes such as climate, health, and water. There’s also an “I’m looking for …” channel and one for general questions. Aside from offering a sense of solidarity, at least about 30 people have found their next opportunity through this community, Sonenshine shared. Other community-based sites include the health-focused network Fired but Fighting and 27 UNIHTED, which provides a space to discuss the future of biomedical research. Meanwhile, Career Pivot, created by Wayan Vota and now run by Joe O’Connor, offers holistic resources through its newsletter and events; Aid on the Hill mobilizes advocacy efforts for international assistance to remain part of U.S. foreign policy; and the Never Search Alone community, borne out of a book of the same name by Phyl Terry, hosts support groups for job seekers. “Community works. Networking more or less works, and I’ve become a huge proponent of the book “Never Search Alone” and the community and the process that's grown up around that,” shared Colin Steele, executive director of the Public Value Lab. 4. Mental health support For many, the events of the last year have had mental health ramifications. “Some people go really inward and need to process and work through trauma because being laid off is extremely traumatic, especially when there's no performance-related reason for it,” Shannon said. Resources are available, many pro bono, to help. Aid Transition Alliance, which launched in April, offers webinars, counseling, and discussion groups focused on promoting mental health and wellness at this time, while StrongMinds Uganda has expanded its community-based therapy to former USAID staffers. A number of sector-specific coaches, such as Kriitmaa, are offering their services for mental well-being as well as career navigation. Shannon is seeing more offers for pro bono, low-cost, and pay-what-you-can coaching. We Are Well Fed hosts three weekly virtual programs designed to support professionals navigating career transitions and support their mental health via meditation and coworking; Grounded Idealist offers coaching, career transition support, and social entrepreneurship incubation for impacted workers; AID Coaching is a group of certified USAID coaches offering their services; and the Graduate Career Consortium, a nationwide consortium of universities and graduate programs, provide free resume reviews and match individuals with a faculty member cum coach. Months after the first job cuts, there remains a wealth of resources that those affected by the sector’s shrinking can turn to. This will likely continue to be the case into 2026, said those Devex spoke to, as more cuts come to fruition.