The Foreign Aid Bridge Fund: A Rapid Response to Keep Global Development Moving

In the weeks after the U.S. foreign aid freeze, thousands of frontline organizations were thrust into uncertainty. Unlock Aid responded with the Foreign Aid Bridge Fund, one of the fastest philanthropic mobilizations in recent memory.

In this Q&A, Co-Executive Director Amanda Arch reflects on how the fund came to life, what it revealed about the future of global development, and the builders leading the way.

What first drew you to this work, helping global development efforts continue amid uncertainty?

What motivated me was simple: I will always bet on the builders. At Unlock Aid, we see hundreds of innovative organizations on the frontlines of global health and development —organizations with sustainable models, trusted community partnerships, and proven results.

After the U.S. foreign aid freeze, what they needed most was time. Time to adjust, communicate with partners, and stabilize cash flow without interrupting essential services. And when no one stepped forward publicly in those first days to hold the line or reassure the ecosystem, it was clear Unlock Aid had to act.

The Foreign Aid Bridge Fund was about continuity and solidarity. It showed frontline organizations that someone was standing with them when the system did not.

Take us back to the moment the Foreign Aid Bridge Fund was conceived. What made this fund necessary, and how did the idea first come to life?

The morning after the freeze, my phone lit up with messages from organizations across Africa, Latin America, and Asia and from funders asking the exact same question: What is happening?

Unlock Aid was suddenly sitting in a unique position of trust. Frontline doers needed clarity. Donors wanted a responsible way to help. But there was no coordinated response and no mechanism able to move at the speed required. Even the most stable organizations were facing an immediate 30 to 90 day shock. So, we asked ourselves the defining question:

What would it take to build a fast, credible mechanism to keep proven solutions steady while the system recalibrated?

That question became the foundation for the Bridge Fund.

The Fund was built and launched in just two weeks. What made it possible to move that quickly?

This Fund made its first grant recommendations within eight days of launching, despite starting with zero dollars in the bank. We moved fast because the stakes demanded it, and we approached the challenge with entrepreneurial discipline.

• Speed over perfection allowed us to act before disruptions took root.
• A diverse, trusted Investment Committee ensured rapid but responsible decisions.
• A focus on sustainable organizations meant we were stabilizing the future, not just the moment.
• And by using radical simplicity, clear criteria, streamlined intake, and transparent decision-making, we created a model that could move funds in days instead of months.

The Bridge Fund worked because urgency met judgment, and values met execution.

What impact has the fund had so far? Can you share an example of its value?

Nearly two million dollars was deployed rapidly to 40+ organizations working across global health, food systems, and social services, helping them avoid service disruptions, retain staff, and stay anchored in their communities.

A clear example comes from Maisha Meds, which strengthens community pharmacies across East and Southern Africa. The freeze threatened to slow access to malaria treatment, HIV services, and other primary care. Bridge Fund support provided immediate stability, allowing them to continue operations for patients who rely on their services.

Another example is alignAfrica, which shared that this emergency support was a lifeline for maintaining HIV-related services in Ethiopia, ensuring continuity of care at a moment when stability was essential.

This is exactly what the Fund was designed to do: buy time for strong organizations to adapt without sacrificing impact.

It also helped serve as a model for other efforts. In the weeks after launching the Bridge Fund, several other funds emerged to support different groups and issue areas. We shared our criteria and process with some of them, and many of our donors supported those efforts as well. Some of these funds are still active today and continue to deliver meaningful results.

How did partnerships, including with Panorama, help you go further and faster?

The Bridge Fund would not have been possible without Panorama Global. Their speed, trust, and operational discipline allowed us to translate urgency into action. They provided the fiscal infrastructure, compliance support, and operational systems needed to move funds both responsibly and quickly.

We are also deeply grateful to:

• Smarter Good, for their operational process excellence
• The independent grant committee, for their dedication and judgment
• Partners like Joanne Sonenshine who amplified the fund, supported applicants, and ensured we remained anchored in community realities

This was not Unlock Aid acting alone. It was an ecosystem responding together.

What does this experience reveal about the future of development financing and the role of innovation?

The aid freeze exposed how vulnerable global systems are to political shocks. But the Bridge Fund showed what’s possible when innovation and public purpose financing come together with speed and trust.

The future requires shock-resistant capital pathways, rapid-response models that operate in days rather than months, and deep partnership with organizations grounded in real community accountability. This is the work I’m committed to: building the connective tissue between entrepreneurial innovation and resilient public systems.

What advice would you give to donors or organizations that want to support bold systems change?

Our recently released State of the Builders report is clear: the organizations best positioned for long-term systems change are those already trusted by governments and communities. These builders operate inside real accountability loops, where results are visible daily to parents, nurses, mayors, and patients. That proximity makes their solutions durable, locally led, and aligned with national priorities.

For donors and policymakers, the guidance is simple: Invest in organizations that are already embedded in their communities and have earned credibility with government partners.

These are the systems that hold steady in moments of instability and the ones that grow stronger with catalytic, flexible support.

How do you find balance while tackling big global challenges while prioritizing self-care?

This work comes with intense seasons. Staying grounded in the question of “what is this effort ultimately for?” is essential. For me, that means maintaining sustainable personal rhythms that pair urgency with restoration — time in nature, quiet reflection, and creative reset. This year, that has looked like rediscovering the Central California coastline, finding daily joy with my two kittens, and returning to the practice of writing daily pages.

About the Foreign Aid Bridge Fund

Unlock Aid—in partnership with Panorama Global and others—launched the Foreign Aid Bridge Fund to keep critical programs running while donor commitments were retracted or delayed. Panorama was proud to lead grantmaking activities for the Fund, disbursing more than $2M from 350+ donors to 45 organizations across Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Read the Bridge Fund’s Impact Report for lessons on how nimble, risk-tolerant financing can protect progress and sustain local partners when aid flows falter.