Our $3M Rapid Response to Vanishing Foreign Aid

After the suspension of U.S. foreign aid last month, many humanitarian programs faced sudden collapse. Millions of people now risk losing access to life-saving interventions.

Our team has spent years evaluating organizations to identify where each dollar can save the most lives. To help keep critical programs operating, we’ve partnered with The Life You Can Save to launch the Rapid Response Fund—a fast, high-impact solution designed to fill time-sensitive funding gaps created by the suspension of U.S. foreign aid.

Since its launch in February, the Rapid Response Fund has already raised over $3 million to fill funding gaps for high-impact organizations, and it’s received coverage from multiple media outlets, including the New York Times, AP News, and Vox. Here’s how we made it happen—and what’s next.

Mobilizing resources to fill urgent gaps

When USAID funding was suddenly cut, many philanthropists in the Founders Pledge network felt a deep responsibility to step up and help keep critical programs running. But with such a massive funding gap and thousands of organizations potentially affected, many weren't clear on where donations could make the most impact.

Fortunately, we already had the expertise and infrastructure in place to act fast. Many of the charities affected by the cuts had already been through our Research team’s rigorous assessment process as part of our broader grantmaking strategy, such as through our longstanding Global Health & Development Fund. This means that we can immediately direct funds to the organizations best positioned to respond, ensuring that donations are both urgent and effective. So far, we’ve already disbursed $700K in urgent grants.

Beyond the research, we also have the right people and systems to move quickly. Our philanthropic advisors, deeply connected across the funding landscape, help coordinate resources and strategy. And thanks to our global Donor Advised Funds (DAFs), we have a streamlined way to distribute funds internationally—getting money where it was needed without unnecessary delays.

But most importantly, this effort came together because of the generosity and commitment of our community. Time and again, our donors have proven that when a crisis hits, they’re ready to step up. Their support has been essential in ensuring that life-saving interventions don’t grind to a halt.

The impact of the Rapid Response Fund so far

Since we launched the Rapid Response Fund, we’ve made grants to four organizations running highly impactful programs:

• $100K to the International Rescue Committee’s child malnutrition program to provide emergency lifesaving nutrition to children
• $50K to Iodine Global Network to combat the severe health problems caused by iodine deficiency
• $300K to Goal3’s IMPALA programme to provide neonatal and pediatric wards in Malawi with vital signs monitoring devices
• $250k to Sanku’s Project Healthy Children programme to provide micronutrient fortified flour via local mills in Ethiopia to combat child micronutrient deficiency

Iodine Global Network

Iodine deficiency is one of the world’s most preventable causes of cognitive impairment. In the Western Pacific, South-East Asia, and Africa, nearly two billion people suffer from iodine deficiency, which can cause lifelong brain damage.

Iodine Global Network (IGN) works with governments and industry partners to develop and sustain salt iodization programs. GiveWell estimates that the cost to give one person access to adequately iodized salt is in the range of only $0.05–0.10 per year, and our Research team has found that IGN’s work is highly cost-effective. Our $50K grant makes it possible for IGN to continue running salt iodization programs in countries such as Madagascar and Lebanon, protecting children from brain damage.

Sanku’s food fortification program

Micronutrient malnutrition—due to deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals like iron, folic acid, iodine, vitamin A, and zinc—causes millions of deaths every year. Fortifying food with key nutrients is common in developed countries, but over one billion people globally still lack access to fortified foods, especially in rural areas.

Sanku addresses this gap through an innovative program that fortifies flour by partnering with local mills in rural regions. By making essential micronutrients accessible through the flour used for staple foods, Sanku reaches people at the remarkably low cost of $0.12 per person, which is an even more cost-effective way of preventing disease than vaccination. Our $250K grant supports the expansion of their program into Ethiopia, aiming to provide fortified flour to over 10 million people by the end of 2025.