9. Agency for International Development · Notable
Shift humanitarian awards from U.N. agencies to local faith-based entities
Printed page 268 9. Agency for International Development
“Transition from large awards to expensive, inefficient, and corrupt U.N. agencies, global NGOs, and contractors to local, especially faith-based, entities that are already operating on the ground.”
What has happened
- Partially done
Delivered on the ask's second object. The United States announced nearly $2 billion in partnerships with faith-based and community organizations, of which $538 million is humanitarian response funding for Samaritan's Purse and a consortium jointly led by World Vision and Compassion International, and $1.4 billion is health funding delivered through faith and community-based hospitals and clinics in more than 20 countries, including $570 million routed directly through the bilateral health memoranda of understanding. State says these partners put at least 80 percent of resources into frontline services against 35 to 40 percent in historical Department awards, and that 13 percent of the first OCHA contribution was obligated to local partners against 3.9 percent for other donors. `partial`, because the money moving to local and faith-based entities sits alongside, not instead of, the $3.8 billion now routed through a U.N. agency.
- State Department: United States announces nearly $2 billion in health and humanitarian assistance to faith-based organizations
- State Department: additional $1.8 billion to OCHA pooled funds, bringing the total to $3.8 billion across 21 countries; 13 percent of the first contribution obligated to local partners
- Not started
Moved the other way on the ask's first object. Rather than transitioning away from large awards to U.N. agencies, the Department consolidated U.S. humanitarian funding into a single U.N. channel: the "Humanitarian Reset" memorandum of understanding with UN OCHA replaces "the current unaccountable morass of projectized grants" with OCHA-administered pooled fund vehicles, anchored by a $2 billion pledge across 18 country-based and crisis-level funds, later raised to $3.8 billion across 21 countries.
- State Department: United States and UN OCHA sign the "Humanitarian Reset" memorandum of understanding, with a $2 billion anchor pledge to country-based pooled funds
- State Department: additional $1.8 billion to OCHA pooled funds, bringing the total to $3.8 billion across 21 countries; 13 percent of the first contribution obligated to local partners
Research log
What was searched, and what didn’t count as evidence
Research notes
Researched 2026-08-28.
- Action
- transfer
- Object
- Humanitarian awards to U.N. agencies, global NGOs, and contractors
- ID
- 698