Moving Beyond Aid: A New Vision for America's Global Engagement
Join Unlock Aid and the African Diaspora Network in Washington, DC on April 29-30. We're calling on lawmakers for a new vision for America’s engagement with the world.
Dear Unlock Aid Community,
Secretary Rubio's plan for U.S. international assistance was due to President Trump this weekend. According to recent Devex reporting, that deadline has now shifted by 30 days. Whatever the date, what happens next will shape America's role in the world for decades.
Let's be clear: The abrupt termination of life-saving programs has left millions hanging in the balance. It has uprooted dedicated public servants and dismantled infrastructure critical to America's foreign policy. This is an extraordinarily challenging moment – but it also offers a rare opportunity to build something fundamentally better.
We've done the work. We've developed the proposals. Now it's time to act.
Join Unlock Aid and the African Diaspora Network in Washington, DC on April 29–30, where we're bringing a new vision for America's global engagement directly to the people shaping it. Click here to register.
We Did the Assignment: Scenario Planning, Not Hypotheticals
This crisis didn’t catch us flat-footed. U.S. international assistance has been blinking red for years, with calls for major change coming from across the political spectrum and around the world. From Dambisa Moyo’s Dead Aid to Mia Mottley’s Bridgetown Initiative, from Mariana Mazzucato’s The Big Con to Clayton Christensen, Efosa Ojomo, and Karen Dillon's The Prosperity Paradox, to Ken Opalo's incisive critiques, and more—leaders from the Global South and North alike have long called for a reset.
Two years ago, sensing a seismic shift was brewing, we launched a global listening tour. We engaged hundreds of social innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, diaspora communities, faith leaders, and national security experts across America and around the world. Our central question was clear: "If we could start over with a blank sheet of paper, how would we redesign America's approach to global development?"
This wasn’t theoretical – it was scenario planning. In Foreign Policy last year, we warned that if Trump returned to office, he would likely move quickly to dismantle the existing system. We argued that defending the status quo would not be enough – or persuasive. We needed a bold, proactive agenda ready to meet the moment.
We translated what we heard into the Global Innovation and Prosperity Act (GIPA), a legislative proposal to reboot U.S. international assistance for the 21st century. GIPA prioritizes economic growth, innovation, and cost effective, strategic investment over traditional aid. It sets clear transition timelines, emphasizes measurable results, and offers scalable pathways to shift away from donor dependency.
Months later, Senators Ricketts (R-NE) and Coons (D-DE) announced their intent to introduce a proposal echoing many of GIPA's themes, a clear signal of bipartisan momentum for change.
We Were Always Going to Push for Change – No Matter Who Took Office
We always knew January 20 would mark a turning point. Regardless of who was sworn in, we were prepared to push for major reform within the first 100 days:
In November, we published ideas tailored to the incoming administration.
When it became clear the administration planned a major overhaul, we mobilized, updated our proposals, and prepared to meet the challenge.
Last month, we launched ReimagineAid.org, where over 600 people and 20+ experts voted on 30+ transformational ideas.
We also took immediate action to mitigate the aid freeze's impact:
Within 5 days of the foreign aid freeze, we hosted free "Ask Me Anything" sessions with legal experts for hundreds of affected organizations.
Within 6 days of the foreign aid freeze, we mobilized with partners to drive thousands of constituent calls to Members of Congress to lift the stop-work orders for life-saving programs.
Within 29 days of the foreign aid freeze, we launched the Foreign Aid Bridge Fund, raising nearly $2 million and channeling 100% of funds raised (minus bank processing fees) to dozens of affected frontline organizations. We made our first emergency grants within one week of launching the fund.
Join Unlock Aid and the African Diaspora Network in Washington, DC to Shape What Happens Next
Now we must shift our focus to what happens next. As part of our efforts to bring diverse voices to the issue, we are partnering with the African Diaspora Network (ADN), a leading organization that has championed the Beyond Remittances initiative over the past three years, to co-host our Capitol Hill Day in April in Washington, D.C. Click here to register to join us.
Get Involved Today to Build a New System
The administration dismantled the old system with record speed. We must rebuild with that same urgency – to create something better.
Next week, we're stepping up our campaign with specific, actionable proposals for the Trump Administration and for Congress.
In the immediate term:
Release global health and life-saving funds, but invest differently. We’re doubling down on our calls, first published in the Miami Herald, for Secretary Rubio to release already-approved funding for health and life-saving programs. But to invest these funds in a new way:
Pay frontline actors – like community health worker networks, private pharmacies, tele-health and other technology providers, logistics firms, and faith-based groups – based on results. Make investments in community health workers central to the strategy.
These groups are ready to deliver results in days and weeks, not months or years.
Expand direct cash transfers. Use tools like blockchain and other digital payments technologies to track disbursements and impact.
Where feasible, create clear off-ramps to transition from foreign aid to local financing.
When successful, scale this approach to other sectors.
Before the midterm elections:
Unlock Diaspora and American Co-Investment: Create new pathways for Americans – and especially African diaspora communities – to co-invest in Africa’s development. Enable remittances and other citizen investments to flow into vetted ventures, giving people a direct stake in global prosperity. The global African diaspora sends over $100 billion in remittances each year, more than three times the amount the African continent receives in foreign aid.
Build a Menu of Win-Win Partnerships: Offer countries a vetted menu of investment-ready projects in key sectors like health, energy, food security, and digital infrastructure – areas with clear strategic benefit to both sides. All partnerships include metrics, co-investment, timelines, and a clear path to local ownership.
Make Innovation America’s Calling Card: Launch a pilot-to-scale breakthrough fund and outcomes marketplace. Pay only for results delivered – on challenges like new vaccines and medicines, diagnostics, or new crop varieties – while incentivizing private sector R&D investment at no financial risk to taxpayers.
In addition to these proposals, we've compiled a comprehensive set of ideas at ReimagineAid.org, in our policy memo to the Trump Administration, and in the Global Innovation and Prosperity Act.
Join Unlock Aid and the African Diaspora Network in Washington, DC on April 29–30, where we're bringing a new vision for America's global engagement directly to the people shaping it. Click here to register.
Break Past the False Choice
The current debate around America's global engagement is trapped in a false choice: either restore an outdated status quo or drastically cut funding. This framing serves neither American interests nor those of our global partners.
The way ahead isn’t to go back – it’s to build forward. From Florida to Kenya, from North Carolina to India, from California to Colombia, we heard the same message: communities want something beyond aid. They want opportunity. Jobs. Trade. Health security. Technology. Partnership. Remarkably, these are the same things Americans want, too. Americans don’t want to "fix" other nations – and other nations don’t want to be "fixed."
What both sides want is partnership. Mutual benefit. A new model of engagement rooted in shared ambition, not charity.
The way forward will look different in humanitarian contexts than in stable economies. And no idea is one-size-fits-all. But across the board, we need a new approach to U.S. international investments – one that reflects the realities – and the opportunities — of the 21st century, for Americans, and for our partners.
The future of America’s global engagement is being decided now. Let’s make sure it reflects the values, vision, and future we believe in.
Join Unlock Aid and the African Diaspora Network in Washington, DC on April 29–30, where we're bringing a new vision for America's global engagement directly to the people shaping it. Click here to register.
To progress,
Unlock Aid