Strategic Aid. Stronger America. Prosperous World.

Dear Secretary Rubio –

We agree with you — aid needs an overhaul, not an elimination.

The $1 Billion Challenge

The 90-day foreign aid review ends on April 20, 2025. Meanwhile, Congress has already set aside billions of dollars for global health, food security, and other programs that must be spent by September 30, 2025.

We challenge you to immediately restart funding for life-saving programs, but do aid differently. Deploy at least $1 billion of the already-approved global health funds to address urgent, life-saving needs while pioneering a transformative model for U.S. foreign aid.

Frontline organizations stand ready to immediately absorb these funds, rapidly scale proven solutions, and deliver measurable impact within days and weeks—not months or years.

Click here to read an illustrative Request for Proposals the the State Department could issue today.

Aid Reimagined: A Better Way Forward

All grants included within the $1 billion challenge should meet the following criteria to prove that a new way forward is possible:

Pay for measurable results, not promises
Only release funds when real, verifiable improvements happen, backed by transparent reporting for accountability. (Provide up-front funding to get started with subsequent payments tied to results delivered.)
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Cut out middlemen, fund frontline heroes
Disburse funding directly to the organizations closest to the challenges.
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Harness innovation to cut costs and deliver results faster
‍Leverage evidence-based approaches and technology to bring down costs, scale what works, and verify impact.
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Advance American interests while saving lives
‍Transform traditional aid relationships into mutually beneficial partnerships where host country partners co-design and co-invest.
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Build self-reliance from day one
‍Commit to shifting long-term management to local actors, promoting genuine self-reliance.
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Finally, clearly define success from the outset, set transparent and measurable goals, and publicly report progress rapidly. Once we demonstrate this approach works, replicate it in other sectors and regions.

Why This Matters to Americans

This new approach will:

Achieve better results for every taxpayer dollar spent
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Cut red tape slowing critical programs
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Foster innovation and competition
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Strengthen global self-reliance
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Transform America's relationships beyond traditional aid
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Create new business opportunities by fostering healthier markets
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Curb disease outbreaks before they reach America's shores‍

Real Solutions, Ready to Go

This proposal can be announced immediately because we don’t need to start from scratch. Across the globe, there are organizations ready to absorb funds and get to work on the basis of delivering results. In countries like Ghana and Kenya, for example, the U.S. government could partner with:

Local community health workers and faith groups that already provide essential care to millions every day.
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Private pharmacy networks, telehealth companies, and direct-to-consumer healthcare platforms that use market-based solutions to deliver medicines and tests.
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Modern logistics companies that use fast, transparent supply chains with 99% on-time delivery rates.
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Mobile money providers enabling secure, instant, and traceable payments.
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World-class tech platforms to help decision makers rapidly collect and analyze data, and determine how to allocate resources in real time.

These organizations know their communities and have proven business models that work. But they've too often been left out of U.S. aid programs because the system wasn’t designed with them in mind. Worse, traditional aid has frequently displaced opportunities for this new generation of organizations to have a bigger and more sustainable impact.

‍The solution is simple: Go directly to these proven partners, set clear goals, help them scale, and pay them when they deliver results. Over time, these programs can transition to being funded locally through government health systems or as self-sustaining businesses.

America – And The World – Is Demanding A New Model That Delivers Results

Jobs created. Lives saved. Diseases contained. Famines averted. Prosperity for all.

This isn't just a technical change—it's a completely new way for America to engage with the world that better serves both American interests and global needs.

Start with life-saving health programs to demonstrate success, then apply this model to other sectors and countries where there are partners who are ready to deliver measurable results - from food and water security and agriculture to targeted investments that boost livelihoods and unlock economic growth.

For more information, or to learn about other proposals or our vision for the future of U.S. engagement with the world, click here.

Unlock Aid. Deliver Results.

Our $1 Billion Challenge