Project Overview & Purpose

The Aid Report is a news site dedicated to tracking the real-world impacts of U.S. foreign aid cuts. We combine original reporting, verified crowdsourced updates, and curated data and stories from credible sources to provide a clear, evidence-based view of what’s happening on the ground — across sectors, around the world.

Our goal is to inform the debate about the future of U.S. international aid. We do that by delivering real-time intelligence on the human and national security effects of aid decisions for policymakers, journalists, researchers, and the general public.

The Aid Report begins with no assumptions about the effectiveness of U.S. international aid policy. Our reporting follows the evidence wherever it leads, spotlighting both challenges and solutions. Every original story or anecdote in The Aid Report is grounded in rigorous reporting and verification according to an editorial policy outlined below.

This project is supported by a media grant from the Gates Foundation. Devex, the platform for insider journalism on global development, maintains full editorial independence for this initiative. This means funders have no influence over story selection, reporting, or publication.

Why Contribute Information?

The impacts of foreign aid cuts are uneven. Some are immediate: clinics close, staff are laid off, programs scale back. Others unfold quietly, as supply chains falter or outcomes slip. And some effects can be positive, as inefficient programs are streamlined, local actors find new footing, or critical initiatives gain renewed attention. Data from organizations like yours is essential to capturing the full story.  

By contributing data and anecdotes, you can help:

  • Field data helps trace both short-term disruptions and the longer-term erosion of systems and services that often go undocumented. Want insight into which funders are stepping in to fill gaps left by aid cuts, or which regions have been most deeply impacted across sectors? These are the trends we’re eager to track. By sharing verified information from the field, you help create a central record not only of impacts, but who is responding, where, and how.

  • Neutral, verified program data strengthens public understanding and informs policy debates, grounding discussions about U.S. foreign aid in facts rather than assumptions. Your data—combined and triangulated with other sources—can support constructive budget discussions, guide appropriations decisions, and bolster advocacy efforts to protect essential aid programs.

The Aid Report works collaboratively and ethically with information contributors. All information is contextualized and handled with care to ensure accuracy before publication.

Editorial Policy

Scope & Focus

The Aid Report focuses exclusively on the impacts of U.S. aid cuts, while recognizing that isolating those effects from other factors can be complex. Content is selected based on relevance to U.S. policy, global development outcomes, and on-the-ground effects for communities worldwide.

Ethical Standards

We center dignity in storytelling and follow standard journalistic ethics: reporting truthfully, avoiding conflicts of interest, respecting privacy, and minimizing harm to vulnerable populations.

Verification & Accuracy

All submissions are reviewed by source type, with verification rigor adjusted according to contributor transparency and internal capacity such as M&E systems, third-party audits, and data ethics policies. This allows for contributions from a wide variety of sources, from organizations with established data-quality assurance processes to emerging individual contributors. When required, anecdotes and reports are verified using multiple sources, including publicly available data or on-the-ground follow-up. We note uncertainty where evidence is incomplete. We aim to provide accurate, reliable, and timely information.

Transparency

We clearly distinguish between verified reports and aggregated information. When aggregating external reporting, we may rephrase headlines or summaries for clarity or audience relevance. We always link to the original source and take care not to distort intent or meaning. In our Impact Tracker, sources are cited wherever possible; in cases where anonymity is requested to protect safety, we indicate that the information comes from an anonymous source. Our data entries are periodically updated to reflect new or revised information. Updates are documented with timestamps and notes describing what has changed and why.

Data Sources

We draw from a combination of:

  • Public aid and budget databases 

  • Implementing partner and NGO reports

  • Verified crowd-sourced updates from field practitioners

  • Original reporting and interviews by The Aid Report freelance contributors

Editorial Independence

Even as we collaborate with organizations to collect data, The Aid Report maintains full editorial independence to ensure that all reporting remains impartial, evidence-based, and free from external influence.

Feedback & Corrections

We welcome corrections and additional data. To submit new evidence or request a correction, contact TheAidReport@devex.com