On Friday afternoon, nearly three weeks after the Trump administration announced a pause on foreign development assistance, the Rockefeller Foundation issued a statement.
In addition to being one of the top development funders in the world, the foundation is helmed by Rajiv Shah, who served as the head of the newly-gutted U.S. Agency for International Development between 2009 and 2015. The statement came from Shah himself, who emphasized the significance of USAID’s work in everything from lifting global literacy rates to tempering the spread of Ebola. “The Rockefeller Foundation is dedicated to doing our part, and we will continue to work with anyone committed to the same,” the statement concluded.
It’s been a deeply turbulent three weeks for foreign aid, with the abrupt dismantling of USAID sending shockwaves through the sector. Funding for lifesaving programs has evaporated overnight, leaving many to wonder whether foundations will step in to fill the void.