The Trump administration has effectively shut down the Inter-American Foundation, or IAF, as part of the broader effort to drastically cut down U.S. foreign aid. The independent government agency, which was created by Congress in 1969, awards small grants to civil society organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The foundation’s website and systems are nonfunctional, staff members were placed on administrative leave, and all contracts and grants have been terminated except for one grant, wrote Greg Jacobs, the managing director of programs, in a post on LinkedIn. He said the foundation is “basically closed.”
The dismantling of this foundation has unfolded in recent weeks alongside efforts to close down the U.S. African Development Foundation, or USADF, and the U.S. Institute of Peace. U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Feb. 19, calling for their effective elimination, describing them as “unnecessary.”
About the author
Sara Jervingsarajerving
Sara Jerving is a Senior Reporter at Devex, where she covers global health. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, VICE News, and Bloomberg News among others. Sara holds a master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she was a Lorana Sullivan fellow. She was a finalist for One World Media's Digital Media Award in 2021; a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists in 2018; and she was part of a VICE News Tonight on HBO team that received an Emmy nomination in 2018. She received the Philip Greer Memorial Award from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2014.
