Q&A: What exactly does the State Department's 'F' bureau do?

WASHINGTON — The Office of U.S. Foreign Assistance Resources was established more than a decade ago, but the often under-the-radar State Department entity has a new leader who is eager to push for improved use of data and better coordination.

Jim Richardson has been in his job as the director of the office, often referred to as the “F” bureau, for only a few weeks. He moved over from the U.S. Agency for International Development, where he served as assistant to the administrator in the Bureau for Policy, Planning and Learning and as coordinator of USAID’s “Transformation Task Team.”