After Aid: Funding, Partnerships, and Survival in a Post-USAID World
Event Description
As U.S. foreign aid contracts and the global development landscape shifts, many organizations are facing a stark new reality: funding is less predictable, needs are rising, and the systems that once sustained large parts of the sector are rapidly changing.
This session explores what it means to operate in a post-USAID world. How are nonprofits, funders, and community-based organizations adapting their strategies, partnerships, and delivery models in response to shrinking aid and shifting philanthropic priorities?
We will examine real-world responses to this disruption, from new forms of collaboration and resource-sharing to difficult decisions around mergers, downsizing, or closure. At the same time, the conversation will look beyond short-term survival to ask a deeper question: if the old aid model was always fragile, what should replace it?
Participants will engage in an honest discussion about the future of funding, including how to move beyond siloed, competitive approaches toward more coordinated, resilient systems that center local leadership and long-term sustainability.
Speakers
Anna Christina Thorsheim is Executive Director of Family Empowerment Media, expanding access to family planning through mass media across Africa.
Caitlin Sislin is Senior Advisor, Resource Mobilization at Namati.
Fernando Martin-Gullans is Co-Founder and Philanthropy Advisor at Ellis Impact, supporting families to scale philanthropic impact.
Harmony Hart is Head of Partnerships at Family Empowerment Media, advancing communications and partnerships for family planning access.
Jodie Jones is Director at The Social Good Network.
Katharina Mueller is Director of Growth & Development at Babies and Mothers Alive (BAMA).
Lorrie Fair is Chief Program Director at CTAOP.
Sellah Bogonko is Co-founder & CEO of Jacobs Ladder Africa, advancing youth-led green enterprises and climate resilience.
Lydia Charles Moyo is Founder and Executive Director of Her Initiative, advancing economic empowerment for young women through technology and entrepreneurship.
Discussion Questions
How are organizations adapting to the loss or reduction of traditional aid funding?
What new partnership models are emerging in response to funding volatility?
What should replace the current aid system, and what must we avoid repeating?
How can funders and practitioners build more resilient, locally grounded funding ecosystems?