Humanitarian Aid Faces a Crossroads, New GW Study Finds

A new study from the George Washington University finds that the humanitarian aid system is undergoing fundamental changes following the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) withdrawal from key global operations.

The paper, "Surveying the Food Aid Ecosystem: Six Months Post-USAID," led by Caitlin Grady, director of research and policy at the GW Global Food Institute, pulls from interviews with more than 20 individuals across the global food aid and assistance community.

Grady worked alongside Erica Gralla, associate professor in the engineering management and systems engineering department at GW Engineering, and Maryam Deloffre, associate professor of international affairs and director of the Humanitarian Action Initiative.

Key Findings (from interviews in summer 2025):

• Trust relationships have fractured. With many local NGOs being left stranded mid-project, they are wary of re-engaging with U.S. funding partners.
• Coordination systems have broken apart. With some formal mechanisms no longer active, organizations now depend increasingly on informal networks.
• Priorities have narrowed. Agricultural development support has been broadly curtailed, leaving in place short-term in-kind food aid and some humanitarian assistance.
• Peer-to-peer networks are evolving. Organizations that once worked through formal networks convened by USAID, the United Nations, and others are increasingly sharing information and advocacy strategies through informal channels.

"These findings demonstrate that the humanitarian ecosystem is not simply experiencing temporary disruption, it is reconfiguring," said the team. "The pathways of funding, information and cooperation that defined the aid sector for decades are giving way to a thinner, more fragmented system. The urgent question is not only what was lost in 2025, but how humanitarian organizations will operate with each other and with communities moving forward."

To answer that question, the team has launched a real-time pulse survey to evaluate how funding, information and partnerships are changing across the humanitarian aid sector over the next year.

"The story of 2025 is not only one of crisis, but also of crossroads," Grady says. "If we act now to capture and analyze these changes, we can shape a more resilient, equitable and evidence-driven aid system for the years ahead."

The research was supported by the Global Food Institute and the Alliance for a Sustainable Future.