An Open Letter from the members of Start Network to the Global Donor Community: An Opportunity for Transformation

We, the Members of Start Network, are appalled that the poorest of the world have, once again, been dealt a devastating blow – the unwitting victims of power struggles and political interests far from their own making. 

The very concept of humanitarian aid is under attack and the life-saving work humanitarians deliver around the world is in jeopardy.

The United States’ decision to shut down the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has had ripple effects across the global aid system, halting emergency food, shelter, vaccinations, disease prevention – despite the promise of waivers for these very programmes – eliminating programmes that support women and marginalised groups and forcing unnecessary trade-offs between feeding the hungry and medicating the sick.

Rather than an isolated event, the termination of most US aid funding, is just a more devastating example of an overall a pattern of declining humanitarian resources and increasing public scepticism toward international aid. In February, the UK government announced plans to slash aid spending from 0.5% to 0.3% of gross national income from 2027 to boost the country’s defence budget. The Dutch government has also announced a reduction of international development spending of Euro 2.4 billion from 2027. Previously, the governments of Germany, Switzerland and Belgium had announced aid cuts from 2025. The cumulative effects of the above decisions will soon be measured in lives lost and will jeopardise social cohesion, economic prosperity and national security around the world, including in those same donor countries.

We, the Members of Start Network, have felt the direct and indirect impacts of this sharp decline first-hand. Those of us who were partners of USAID have lost up to 60% of our support. On average, we have seen one-third of our funding cut with more to come as the impacts of the UK and Dutch and other government reductions are put into practice. We also know the effects of these cuts on the at-risk communities whom we serve will be lethal. In the first month alone, the USAID cuts have terminated critical, in-country life-saving activities, disrupted our ability to procure essential supplies across 14 global regions and forced widespread layoffs, hobbling our capacity to deliver what activities remain. 

However, despite the shock we all feel, we believe these events must serve as an invitation for transformation: an urgent call to action to come together as a humanitarian community, re-commit to the core humanitarian principle of humanity, reimage our sector as one of global solidarity and restore the legitimacy of humanitarian aid in the eyes of the public everywhere – in the Global North and the Global South.

At this critical inflection point for international aid, we call on the global donor community to:

• Scale-up flexible funding to frontline civil society organisations. We urge all international donors—governments and philanthropies alike—to increase and front-load flexible, predictable and multi-year funding to civil society organisations to address the current funding gap. Alongside funding for life-saving assistance, we ask donors to prioritise funding for operational expenses and staff salaries so we may continue to deliver our actions. This will help organisations weather the disruptions caused by the aid cuts and allow us the time to get back on our feet. Philanthropies, in particular, have a unique opportunity to expand their risk appetite and model what good humanitarian donorship looks like.
• Prioritise local leadership and action. We call upon donors and all humanitarian actors to double down on their support to locallyled action through direct funding, decision-making power, and greater inclusion of those closest to the frontlines. The humanitarian system has faced challenges in improving its efficiency, effectiveness, and the dignity of its responses. A significant barrier to progress has been approaches that diminish and exclude the expertise, experience and capabilities of local organisations. Reimagining a more impactful humanitarian aid sector requires investing in those organisations who have the proximity, legitimacy and know-how to act in crisis contexts and reducing bureaucratic impediments for their engagement.
• Invest now in a more diversified humanitarian finance ecosystem. We ask all donors to use this moment as an opportunity to urgently reimagine the sources, uses and channels of humanitarian finance, helping us to broaden the donor base, stretch our limited funding through blended financial instruments and create more accessible finance by and for at-risk communities. As Start Network, we’ve been a pioneer of fast, agile, anticipatory and risk-aware financial instruments. The opportunity now lies in scaling these initiatives to include and reach more at-risk communities.
• Strengthen the foundational systems to ensure that international aid system remains agile, innovative and responsive. We request all donors to increase investments in the critical systems and services that enables the humanitarian system to operate. This includes investment in data collection analysis, standards and quality assurance, innovation and learning to improve the quality and transparency of our work and ensure we are held to account for the impacts we have.

We, the Members of Start Network, 134 local, national and international organisations working across six continents represent some of the best of what the humanitarian system has to offer. 

These turbulent times for the humanitarian system require putting people – not institutions – at the centre of our purpose, and collaboration – not competition – at the foundation of our actions. 

We are ready to stand together to ensure we maintain the efficiency, effectiveness and ethics of our humanitarian action and we are ready to lend our advice, our evidence and our support who share our call to action.

Signed,

1. AAINA
2. ActionAid UK
3. AFPDE asbl (Association des femmes pour la promotion et le développement endogène)
4. Age International
5. AJSA India
6. Appui aux Femmes Démunies et Enfants Marginalisés (AFEDEM)
7. Asociación de Servicios Comunitarios de Salud (ASECSA)
8. Association of Voluntary Actions for Society (AVAS)
9. Bright Star Development Society Balochistan (BSDSB)
10. CADENA
11. CAFOD
12. Chaitanya Jyothi Welfare Society (CJSW)
13. Christian Aid
14. Coastal Association for Social Transformation (COAST) Trust
15. CODE NGO
16. Cohesion Foundation Trust
17. Dhaka Ahsania Mission
18. Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM)
19. Doaba Foundation
20. Dorcas aid international
21. Dr. Ambedkar Sheti Vikas Va Sanshodhan Sanstha
22. Eco Social Development Organization (ESDO)
23. ED BNKS "Organization for Women & Children Development"
24. Environmental Protection Society (EPS)
25. Gargaar Relief and Development Organization (GREDO)
26. Gautam Buddha Jagriti Society
27. Handicap International
28. Help Foundation
29. HelpAge International
30. Humanitarian Aid International (HAI)
31. Initiative for Development and Empowerment Axis (IDEA)
32. JAGO NARI
33. Kottapuram Integrated Development Society (KIDS)
34. Laar Humanitarian and Devlopment Program (LHDP)
35. Mahideb Jubo Somaj Kallayan Somity (MJSKS)
36. Manab Mukti Sangstha (MMS)
37. Manzil Organization Balochistan
38. Muslim Aid
39. Nabolok Parishad
40. National Development Programme (NDP)
41. National Integrated Development Association (NIDA-Pakistan)
42. Nazrul Smriti Sangsad (NSS)
43. North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS)
44. Organisation for Social and Economic Development (OSED)
45. Plan International UK
46. PRO-VIDA
47. RDRS Bangladesh
48. RDRS Bangladesh
49. READY Pakistan
50. Rural Development Foundation (RDF)
51. Sangtani Women Rural Development Organization (SWRDO)
52. Save Somali Women and Children
53. Shahjehan
54. Shariatpur Development Society (SDS) 
55. Shushilan
56. SKS Foundation
57. SNIRD (SOCIETY FOR NATIONAL INTEGRATION THROUGH RURAL DEVELOPMENT)
58. Social and Economic Enhancement Programme (SEEP)
59. Solidarités International
60. The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA)
61. VEER DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION
62. VOC RURAL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE (VOCRDC)
63. Wajir South Development Association (WASDA)
64. War Child Alliance
65. Welfare Association Jared
66. World Vision UK
67. Yuganter 

For media inquiries, please reach out to: 

Matthew Stickland (matthew.stickland@startnetwork.org)

For Start Network members who want their signatures to be added, please reach out to:

Yolaina Vargas-Pritchard (yolaina.vargas-pritchard@startnetwork.org)