Greetings Friend,

Policy changes here at home and abroad are reshaping the way we think about cross-border giving. With UNGA just ahead, take a look at the latest updates and join fellow funders who are navigating these shifts together.

Upcoming at the Council

United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and Climate Week NYC 2025 

We’re looking forward to being part of UNGA 80 and Climate Week NYC 2025. Our 2025 UN General Assembly Philanthropic Side-Events Calendar is live!

If you are hosting side-events featuring philanthropy that we should include in our calendar, please send event details to victoria.mendez@cof.org so we can promote your event.

LATAM & Caribbean Funder Circle

Save the date for our next LATAM & Caribbean Funders Circle meeting on Friday, September 12 at 11:00 AM EST. Co-hosted with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the International Center for Nonprofit Law (ICNL), this peer-learning space brings funders together to connect, share openly, and learn from one another while navigating legal, regulatory, and security shifts across the region.

Join the LATAM & Caribbean Funder Circle

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.

Register for Global Grantmaking Essentials

New! Aid Transparency Index

Publish What You Fund is relaunching the Aid Transparency Index with a new accreditation model, giving foundations, multilaterals, NGOs, and others the opportunity to be independently assessed and recognized for their transparency.

Learn more about the Aid Transparency Index

Legal and Regulatory Resources

Global Development in Transition: US Government Updates

• Uncertainty Around the US Aid Budget for FY2026: As Congress returns from the August recess, and with government funding set to run out at the end of the day September 30, the outlook for 2026 development funding remains unsettled. While the final government spending bill must have some bipartisan support, the Administration has been slow to release previously approved funds, and it is unclear what support will ultimately materialize.
• Shutdown of USAID Leaves Aid Spending in Limbo: The US is legally required to spend roughly $38 billion in foreign assistance by Sept. 30, yet the closure of USAID has left the State Department without the systems or staff to deliver. With new funding requests delayed, analysts warn the administration may attempt a “pocket rescission” to cancel the obligation, a move that would likely trigger legal challenges.

Global Philanthropy Updates

• UN80: U.N. Reform Under Pressure: Secretary-General António Guterres has launched the UN80 initiative to cut costs and streamline operations. Proposals include reducing Secretariat staff by 20% and trimming the regular budget by up to 20%, driven by $1.7 billion in US arrears and sweeping Trump-era cuts. While framed as modernization, critics see a rushed response to Washington that could weaken the U.N.’s core capacity.
• Territorial Funds Reshaping Global Philanthropy: In recent years, more than a dozen grassroots-led “territorial funds” have emerged across Africa, Asia, Brazil, and Mesoamerica; channeling resources to communities stewarding 40% of intact ecosystems and 80% of global biodiversity yet receiving under 1% of climate funding. The latest issue of Alliance magazine features a 30-page special on how Indigenous, local, and Afro-Descendant leaders are driving this shift in global philanthropy.
• Impact of ODA Cuts on Human Rights Funding: HRFN’s data show that human rights-focused ODA could fall by up to 31%, a loss of $1.4 to $1.9 billion by 2026 compared to 2023. This steep decline will make it even harder for human rights movements to sustain their work. Read the full report.
• Global South House Launches at COP30: A new initiative led by the Alianza Socioambiental Fondos del Sur and Comuá networks will bring together philanthropies and civil society from Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia, centering Global South-led solutions in climate and development.
• Africa Confronts Aid Cuts: Historic cuts from the US, UK, France, and Germany alongside the dismantling of USAID have created a sudden pullback that African leaders describe as both “painful” and “necessary birth pains,” forcing a reckoning on how development is financed.

Global Legal and Regulatory Updates

• Israel’s new NGO registration rules: Set to take effect in September, Israel’s new NGO regulations require sensitive staff data and give authorities sweeping discretion to revoke or deny registrations. More than 100 international NGOs warn the system is already obstructing aid deliveries and could soon trigger mass de-registrations, halting food and medical operations in Gaza and the West Bank.
• Ecuador’s Civil Society Faces Rising Restrictions: The Noboa government has put forward legislation that expands oversight of nonprofits through mandatory registration, donor disclosure, and risk suspension if deemed “against the national interest.” Echoing recent moves in Peru, El Salvador, and Paraguay, the proposal underscores a growing regional trend of tighter controls on civil society.
• Crowdfunding at Risk Under New EU Rules: New anti-money laundering regulations will classify crowdfunding platforms as “obliged entities” by 2027, placing heavy compliance burdens on tools many nonprofits rely on to mobilize local support. While there is little evidence of misuse, civil society leaders warn the rules could raise costs, shrink donations, and limit access to resources.

Global Disasters Update

• Deadly earthquakes in eastern Afghanistan: have claimed over a thousand lives and injured many more, with the response hampered by deep funding gaps. Since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover, many donors have withdrawn, leaving the UN and NGOs with limited resources. While the UK, EU, UAE, India, and China have pledged emergency aid, relief remains far from sufficient.
• Monsoon Floods Displace Millions Across South Asia: This year’s monsoon season has devastated India and Pakistan causing mounting casualties, destroying homes and farmland, triggering deadly landslides, and displacing millions. Communities continue to grapple with the damage while bracing for what more this relentless season may bring.
• Sudan Landslide: A massive landslide in Sudan’s Darfur destroyed the village of Tarasin, resulting in the loss of nearly all of its 1,000 residents. The disaster struck after weeks of heavy rain in the Marrah Mountains, a conflict-affected area already cut off from most humanitarian aid, worsening Sudan’s deepening humanitarian crisis. 

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