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title: Global Philanthropy Update - July/August 2025
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We continue to track policy changes at home and around the world that are bending the path of cross-border giving.

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| Greetings Friend, Policy changes at home and around the world are bending the path of cross-border giving. Check out what's new and where you can plug into conversations with other funders navigating these changes.  |
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| Upcoming at the Council LATAM & Caribbean Funder Circle Join fellow LATAM & Caribbean funders in September to unpack emerging legal and regulatory shifts, like OFAC developments and anti-NGO laws in Haiti and Mexico and hear how peers are adapting in real time. This is a space to connect, build relationships, share information, and surface questions together. Please email victoria.mendez@cof.org for registration details. Global Grantmaking Essentials Fall Training Join us on November 12, 13, and 19 for the last Global Grantmaking Essentials training of the year! As shifting policies, shrinking aid budgets, and uncertainty redefine global grantmaking, our three-day virtual training will immerse you in regulatory updates, hands-on strategies, and peer networking. Learn more and register now! |
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| Legal and Regulatory Resources Global Development in Transition: U.S. Cuts and International Response U.S. Rescissions Act of 2025 Cuts Foreign Aid Funding: President Trump signed the Rescissions Act, clawing back roughly $9 billion in government spending, about $7.9 billion from foreign aid and $1.1 billion from public media. That rollback hits core global health and development programs (many of which were already paused or stressed), undercutting budget predictability for partners. USAID has now been fully absorbed into the State Department: Secretary of State Marco Rubio has made clear that future aid will be “limited and targeted,” with an emphasis on advancing trade and strategic interests rather than long-term development and humanitarian priorities. This realignment, coming on the heels of months of freezes and program cancellations, signals a narrowing of U.S. focus on global development.  Global Legal and Regulatory Updates  U.S. imposes sanctions on a Palestinian NGO and other charities: In June, the U.S. Treasury designated Ramallah-based Addameer and five other charities over alleged ties to Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine citing concerns about misuse of humanitarian cover for militant support. Since then, financial scrutiny has tightened, creating real operational friction for legitimate aid and civil society actors. Kenya High Court victory for civic space: the court struck down forced re-registration provisions and bulk-donor-data disclosures in the Public Benefit Organizations Act, calling them unconstitutional. Partners can dial back intrusive data-sharing clauses but should still monitor implementing rules. Haiti Deportations and Diaspora Staffing Risk: the U.S. signaled plans to deport certain Haitian lawful permanent residents alleged to have ties to designated gang networks, layering a new degree of uncertainty onto diaspora-linked staffing for NGOs. Civil society actors are feeling the tension between the administration’s national security framing and the real operational disruption that sudden losses or pipeline shocks create. Germany is now mirroring U.S. retrenchment in global aid: in mid-2025 it slashed emergency development funding (cutting humanitarian aid by roughly 53% in some lines) and is rolling forward broader ODA reductions, with further cuts built into the 2026 draft budget. At the same time, political priorities are shifting aid toward domestic and strategic concerns and narrowing predictable support for partners.  |
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