Editor’s note: A version of this message was initially shared with the R4D community via email.
Dear friends,
The past few weeks have been devastating for our global development community with wide-ranging impacts on individuals and organizations across the globe. It’s been heart-wrenching to speak with people who have lost their jobs, and it is even more heartbreaking to think about those around the world who have lost access to life-saving food, health services and medicines overnight.
Results for Development (R4D), like many other organizations, has been impacted by the U.S. State Department’s stop work order and the subsequent cancellation of most USAID contracts and grants. We were expecting about 25% of our funding to come from USAID this year.
It has been very difficult to abruptly stop some of our health, education and nutrition programs, which were achieving real impact by supporting local leaders to create sustainable, domestically financed services for their people.
We are making hard choices to keep R4D financially sound with potentially more difficult decisions on the horizon as the full ripple effects become clear. These are the kinds of choices no CEO wants to make, and my heart goes out to peers who are dealing with similar situations, or worse, and to all who are impacted.
Amid our frustration and disappointment, we are grateful for our diverse set of funders and partners. I have been so moved by the ways in which our R4D community has pulled together. I also appreciate the many friends and partners who have reached out to offer support and ideas.
We remain focused on strong delivery of our ongoing global programs and our support for governments of countries such as Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania. We are also giving deep and creative consideration to what will be needed from organizations like us at a moment when there are fewer development assistance resources flowing to countries. I have been connecting with R4D’s country leaders and with many peers and partners across the world to begin this brainstorming process.
Despite the turmoil, opportunities may emerge from this moment: opportunities to grow financial commitments for essential services from LMIC governments, to reduce fragmentation of foreign assistance, to position local organizations to become go-to sources of support for their countries’ leaders. These goals are central to R4D’s work.
Innovative, nimbler, and more local approaches will be necessary, and I am optimistic that together we can find pathways to achieve more with less.
R4D is committed to continuing to pioneer — alongside our partners — ways to enable country leaders to navigate the complex challenges they will face now, such as effectively mobilizing and deploying domestic resources, making the best use of remaining donor funds, designing high-impact policies, and strengthening institutions for effective implementation.
We are proud to belong to such an incredible global community, and we will continue to pull together and collectively move forward. Your collaboration and support are deeply meaningful and always welcome.
Sincerely,
Gina Lagomarsino
President and CEO
Results for Development
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About Results for Development
Results for Development (R4D) is a leading nonprofit global development partner. We collaborate with change agents — government officials, civil society leaders and social innovators — supporting them as they navigate complex change processes to achieve large-scale, lasting outcomes in health, education and nutrition. We work with country leaders to diagnose challenges, co-create, innovate and implement solutions built on evidence and stakeholder input. We also support them to engage in learning to adapt, iterate and improve the efficacy of programs. At the same time, we are working to strengthen global, regional and country ecosystems that support country leaders with expertise, evidence, and innovations. R4D helps country leaders solve their immediate challenges today, while also strengthening systems and institutions to address tomorrow’s challenges. And we share what we learn so others around the world can achieve results for development too. www.R4D.org
