Who were the top US grantees in 2025?

It has been over a year since the Trump administration started its purge on development aid that led to the demise of USAID — an agency that for more than six decades became a symbol of U.S. internationalism. Since then, its surviving programs have been subsumed by the U.S. Department of State. Up until now, it has remained difficult to completely map out how much the Trump administration has actually spent on aid. However, data from USASpending provides a workable estimate of the amount obligated via the assistance funding that likely went to development. It shows that in those eight months, the U.S.’ primary aid disbursing agencies — the State Department and USAID — obligated just around $3.5 billion. This represents a stark contrast to the $29.6 billion obligated by the two agencies through the assistance mechanism during the same period in FY 2024. In this analysis, we looked into the transactions data — which mostly consists of grants and cooperative agreements — of the U.S. Department of State from February 2025 up to the end of the fiscal year in September 2025, to identify the U.S.’s largest grantees during President Donald Trump’s first fiscal year in his second presidency. We also included the remaining active transactions still reported under USAID. What does the data say? The data from USASpending includes all kinds of government transactions and does not categorize them by objective. This makes it difficult to differentiate development from nondevelopment awards. For this reason, we only focused on the assistance obligations from USAID and the State Department. This is because although a portion of the State Department’s obligations might still be nondevelopmental, it’s still likely that the majority of its grants and cooperative agreements have a development objective. Overall, our findings show that the State Department obligated $1.7 billion for nearly 12,000 transactions between February and September 2025, while $1.8 billion for 457 transactions came from what remains of USAID. This gives us about $3.5 billion in total assistance funding. Of this, nearly $2.9 billion, 81.2% of the total, went to the top 10 bilateral and top 10 multilateral recipients. We ranked the recipient by combining their total federal obligations from USAID and the State Department. Bilateral National Endowment for Democracy Total obligation: $245,101,500 NED was initially established by the U.S. Congress in 1983 to promote democratic institutions globally. In 2025, it received $245.1 million from DOS, the largest total federal obligation among nonprofits, all of which is core funding. Institute of International Education Total obligation: $124,020,905 IIE manages hundreds of scholarship programs, facilitating international exchanges with more than 180 countries. IIE received $124 million from DOS for several U.S.-funded scholarships and fellowships, including the Fulbright Program, Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, and the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program. MAG US Total obligation: $66,551,273 MAG US is the U.S. affiliate of the U.K.-based Mines Advisory Group, an international nonprofit focused on clearing landmines and unexploded bombs in about 25 countries. It received $66.6 million from DOS to support its work in several countries, including Iraq, Lebanon, and Vietnam. The HALO Trust USA Total obligation: $44,792,125 According to its website, The HALO Trust USA was founded as a separate entity to raise funds for the activities of its mother organization, The HALO Trust, a U.K.-based nonprofit that works in clearing explosives globally. All of its federal obligations came from DOS, with the largest funding for its work in the West Bank and Laos. FHI 360 Total obligation: $34,660,257 FHI 360 was among the leading grantees of the now-defunct USAID. Of its total federal obligations in 2025, $25.4 million came from USAID, while $9.3 million came from DOS. The largest activity is for the provision of a range of emergency services in Ethiopia, worth $6.8 million. American Councils Total obligation: $24,995,593 The American Councils is another education-centered nonprofit that primarily facilitates cultural and international exchange programs. It received about $25 million from DOS to support its programs. United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan Total obligation: $23,773,089 Established by the governments of the U.S. and Pakistan in 1950, USEFP administers the Fulbright Program in Pakistan, for which it received $23.8 million in federal obligation from DOS in 2025. Norwegian People's Aid Total obligation: $21,625,894 Established in 1939, NPA works in the areas of mine action and disarmament, development, and humanitarian relief aid. The $21.6 million federal obligations from DOS support NPA’s ongoing projects in several countries, including clearance work in Vietnam and clearance and explosive ordnance risk education in southern Iraq. International Rescue Committee Total obligation: $21,052,249 IRC, a humanitarian nonprofit, is also among the largest recipients of funding from the U.S. government, with $21.1 million in federal obligations in 2025. Of this, $14.8 million came from DOS, while $6.25 million came from USAID. Its largest obligation, worth nearly $6.3 million, is for USAID’s three-year humanitarian program for the displaced populations in the states of Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara in north-west Nigeria. Meridian International Center Total obligation: $18,873,873 Meridian International Center is a nonprofit focused on U.S. diplomacy, with programs including international exchanges and leadership training. Of the total obligations Meridian International Center got from DOS, $15.7 million went to the International Visitor Leadership Program. Multilaterals and international partnerships The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Total obligation: $1,300,000,000 The Global Fund invests up to $5 billion annually to address the epidemics of HIV, TB, and malaria. The $1.3 billion in federal obligation from USAID is the U.S.’s core contribution to the multilateral partnership. World Food Programme Total obligation: $296,093,552 WFP, which refers to itself as the world’s largest humanitarian organization, is among the top recipient multilaterals, receiving $283.2 million from USAID and the remaining $13 million from DOS. WFP received funding for its humanitarian activities in several countries, the largest of which is for emergency food aid to Syrian refugees and vulnerable Lebanese in Lebanon, worth $65.4 million. UN Refugee Agency Total obligation: $220,807,143 The bulk of UNHCR’s funding, worth $185.2 million, is for the U.S.’s voluntary contributions in 2025. It also received funding for two activities: $22.6 million to facilitate the voluntary return of refugees between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda and $13 million for the administration of the al-Hol and Roj camps in northeast Syria. International Organization for Migration Total obligation: $104,792,575 IOM implements a range of programs funded by both DOS and USAID — from giving out lifesaving kits, strengthening border security in conflict-ridden countries, to providing shelters. IOM received $25 million in federal obligation from DOS to assist in the voluntary return of migrants in the U.S., as well as in low- and middle-income countries, to their countries of origin. UNICEF Total obligation: $102,447,329 UNICEF is the U.N. agency for the promotion and protection of the rights and welfare of children across the globe. In 2025, it received $94.6 million in federal obligations from DOS and $7.9 million from USAID. Of this, $39 million from DOS is for the U.S. contribution to UNICEF’s humanitarian appeal for Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory, as well as in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. Food and Agriculture Organization Total obligation: $78,239,464 FAO — the U.N.’s specialized body working for hunger, nutrition, and food security — received $78.2 million in core funding from DOS. Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency Total obligation: $60,000,000 FFA is a partnership that aims to promote sustainable fishing among its 17 member countries, most of which are small island developing states. The entire $60 million, which is core funding, came from DOS. UNOPS Total obligation: $35,275,000 UNOPS is a specialized agency, which, unlike most organizations within the U.N. system, does not rely on voluntary or core funding. Instead, it is paid to provide implementation, infrastructure, and program management services. Of its total obligations in 2025, $30 million went for the maintenance of land-based humanitarian corridors between the Gaza Strip and surrounding countries. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Total obligation: $28,997,818 UNODC is another U.N. agency among the top multilateral recipients, receiving almost $29 million in obligations from DOS. UNODC received funding for more than 80 activities, including $5 million to train maritime law enforcement in South Asia and $4 million to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in Gabon. Organization of American States Total obligation: $27,271,615 OAS is a multilateral partnership among the Americas. OAS received funding from DOS for a range of activities, including countering terrorism, drug trafficking, cybercrime, and money laundering. However, more than 60% of its federal obligations in 2025, worth $17.6 million, were core support. Try out Devex Pro Funding today with a free five-day trial, and explore funding opportunities from over 850 sources in addition to our analysis and news content.