Trump Administration Names World Vision to Lead $2bn Christian Aid Initiative
The Trump administration has announced $2 billion in humanitarian aid for faith-based organisations, with a consortium of US Christian groups set to oversee a significant portion of the funding.
World Vision has been selected to lead a US-funded consortium focused on providing health services, including HIV treatment, while also co-leading a separate disaster-relief initiative alongside Compassion International and the Accord Network.
Of the total funding, $1.4 billion will support healthcare programmes, mainly in Africa. World Vision will oversee an initial $250 million award under a five-year programme known as the Faith and Community Initiative, subject to annual funding approval.
Another $538 million will support Christian organisations involved primarily in disaster response, as well as the provision of food and clean water in crisis-affected areas. World Vision and Compassion International will jointly receive $238 million from this fund for the first year.
A further $570 million will go to faith-based hospitals and clinics through agreements between the US government and local governments.
World Vision CEO Edgar Sandoval and other Christian aid leaders welcomed the announcement, describing it as an opportunity to restore humanitarian assistance to communities affected by previous cuts to US foreign aid.
World Vision’s chief impact officer, Margaret Schuler, said the organisation had worked with the administration for about a year to develop the consortium.
She stressed that the new funding would not simply restore programmes that were cancelled following cuts to USAID, but would instead create new funding channels capable of reaching affected communities.
World Vision said its programmes would serve people regardless of their religious background, with Schuler noting that the organisation would work with partners of different faiths.
The announcement comes after significant reductions in US global health and humanitarian assistance under the Trump administration, including cuts affecting programmes supported by USAID and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
The administration has previously criticised USAID over alleged fraud and misuse of funds, leading to major changes in the structure of US foreign assistance.
The new initiative is being presented by the State Department as the largest announcement of US global health assistance to faith-based organisations in more than two decades.
Other organisations involved in the consortium include World Relief, ADRA International, Catholic Relief Services, HOPE worldwide, International Care Ministries and LifeNet International. Samaritan’s Purse will separately receive $300 million over two years for disaster and humanitarian responses.
Christian aid organisations have broadly welcomed the development, although questions remain about how the new funding structure will operate and whether it will ultimately match the scale of assistance previously provided through USAID.
The initiative marks a significant shift toward using faith-based and community organisations as major partners in delivering US-funded health and humanitarian programmes worldwide.
