Recent US government funding cuts represent a significant shift in the global health funding landscape. The US has historically provided roughly 20% to 25% ($12 billion to $15 billion) of total global health assistance, and the administration has discussed potentially reducing that funding by 35% to 90% (though long-term effects remain uncertain and exact numbers remain difficult to ascertain). As a result, we’re seeing substantial disruption to global health programs.
Our research team has pivoted to address this situation, which is now a major focus. It is creating urgent, short-term gaps and impacting some of the most cost-effective interventions we’ve found for saving and improving lives—such as malaria nets, malaria chemoprevention, and community-based management of acute malnutrition.
We’ve created a webpage to provide an overview of how we’re responding, and we’ve started to record a series of conversations with our research team that shares timely snapshots of this rapidly evolving situation.
This episode was recorded on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 and represents our best understanding at that time.
In this first podcast discussion between GiveWell CEO and co-founder Elie Hassenfeld and Senior Program Officer Julie Faller, we provide snapshots of how US funding changes are affecting global health programs:
- Immediate program trade-offs: As funds are paused, country governments are having to choose between essential health services, including one country that said it would prioritize HIV treatment programs while indefinitely pausing HIV prevention programs.
- Supply chain breakdown: Essential supplies like ready-to-use therapeutic food for malnourished children have been stranded throughout the supply chain (in ports, warehouses, and transit) with no systems to track or distribute them, as the electronic logistics management systems were operated by now-dismissed US government contractors.
- Implementation capacity concerns: Widespread layoffs at implementing organizations raise questions about whether these groups can effectively deliver programs even if alternative funding becomes available.
The episode also offers a look at our initial response strategy, which has focused on:
- Addressing urgent gaps in high-impact program areas we’re familiar with, such as malaria prevention and malnutrition treatment
- Exploring flexible funding options such as forgivable loans or phased disbursements to help mitigate risks during this volatile period
- Preparing for longer-term needs that could arise due to sustained reductions in foreign assistance from the US and other donor countries
Visit our USAID Funding Cuts webpage to learn more, and listen or subscribe to our podcast for the latest updates.