Choose to Invest

Fiscal Year 2027

Choose to Invest is a public resource from InterAction, the alliance of 150 U.S.-based nonprofit organizations working around the world to save lives and build a safer, more stable future.

Why Choose to Invest Matters

InterAction’s Members partner with the U.S. government to deliver development and humanitarian assistance that advances U.S. interests abroad and reflects American values at home. Choose to Invest explains the key federal accounts that fund emergency response, recovery and long-term stability. While these accounts make up a small share of the federal budget, they support programs that reduce poverty, strengthen global security and help prevent crises from escalating and affecting Americans.

What the Guide Covers

The guide provides results and funding recommendations for fiscal year 2027 across 4 core accounts, primarily funded through the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations bill. It also covers international food security programs funded through the agriculture bill. Each recommendation reflects the minimum investment needed to sustain U.S. leadership in the world while protecting U.S. interests.

International Assistance

A Core Tool of U.S. Foreign Policy

Congressional action—aligned with the administration’s priorities, from the President’s National Security Strategy to the Department of State Strategic Plan and America First Global Health Strategy—reinforces a clear reality: international assistance is a vital tool of U.S. foreign policy.

Results That Matter to Americans

Fiscal year 2027 offers an opportunity to strengthen that leadership and deliver results Americans care about:

Safer borders
Stronger allies
Healthier global markets
Fewer security threats

These outcomes are achieved at a fraction of the federal budget, while helping millions of people build better lives and reduce long-term dependence on aid.

Proven Global Impact

U.S. international assistance has driven major global gains—reducing extreme poverty, expanding education, rebuilding after disasters, and improving global health.

Since 2000, extreme poverty has fallen from one in four people to one in 10.
U.S.-supported HIV programs report 20.6 million people receiving lifesaving treatment.
An estimated 26 million lives saved since 2003 (PEPFAR, FY 2024).

Building Lasting Stability

Progress at this scale depends on strong economies, effective schools and health systems, and sound national policies. U.S. humanitarian assistance provides a critical foundation—stabilizing countries, strengthening health infrastructure, and building capacity so other investments can succeed.

Real Benefits at Home

U.S. assistance is not abstract. It is an investment in stability, economic growth, recovery from conflict—and in preventing larger, costlier crises.

In 2025, Uganda declared the end of an Ebola outbreak after rapid detection, contact tracing, and treatment limited cases to 14 and stopped wider spread. U.S. investments in disease surveillance, health worker training, and stronger health systems in Africa helped contain the outbreak and prevent it from reaching U.S. shores.

A Smart, America First Investment

As Secretary Rubio has said, “We will not apologize for recognizing America’s longstanding commitment to life-saving humanitarian aid and promotion of economic development abroad must be in furtherance of an America First foreign policy.”

Consistent, sustained support keeps diseases from spreading, helps communities avoid falling back into poverty, and delivers long-term returns for U.S. taxpayers.

Global Snapshot

Poverty

839 million people live in extreme poverty (under $3/day)

Food Insecurity & Nutrition

2.3 billion people face moderate or severe food insecurity
720 million people experience hunger
150 million children are stunted from chronic undernutrition

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH)

2.1 billion people lack safe drinking water
3.4 billion people lack safe sanitation
1.7 billion people lack basic hygiene at home

Girls’ Education

Gender equality achieved in only 49% of countries (primary)
119 million girls are out of school worldwide
Girls in conflict settings are 2× more likely to be out of school

Humanitarian Need

305 million people need humanitarian assistance

FY 2027 Funding Recommendations

Changes to humanitarian aid last year also included revisions to the appropriations bill. Through the FY 2026 National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, Congress created new accounts, merged others, eliminated some and added important oversight requirements.

The bill includes key congressional directives spanning economic development, global health, basic education, agriculture, food systems, nutrition, clean water, energy access, conservation, malaria, vulnerable children and more. These directives flow from funding within specific accounts—such as Global Health Programs or National Security Investment Programs—making robust account-level funding critical.

Key Structural Changes Affecting CTI

Three major changes in the FY 2026 appropriations bill affect CTI:

Creation of the National Security Investment Programs account
Creation of the International Humanitarian Assistance account
A shift of most assistance implementation to the Department of State

Building on FY 2026 for FY 2027

CTI’s funding recommendations build on the recently enacted FY 2026 National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act and the Agriculture Appropriations Act. The FY 2026 NSRP bill reflects strong bipartisan and bicameral support for transparent, effective and lifesaving foreign assistance and affirms its essential role in U.S. foreign policy and global leadership.

The FY 2027 funding recommendations support critical work that rarely makes headlines but delivers a strong return on investment. For less than 1 percent of the federal budget, the United States gains safer borders, stronger allies, healthier global markets and fewer security threats—while helping millions of people build better lives.

Why These Accounts Matter

Funding for the Global Health Programs, National Security Investment Programs, International Humanitarian Assistance and Food for Peace accounts—along with directives on basic education, clean water and sanitation, food security, malaria, nutrition and more—strengthens U.S. investments in stability, economic growth, post-conflict recovery and crisis prevention.

These accounts work in concert with the broader NSRP bill to shape U.S. foreign and development policy. Important elements outside CTI and Title III include multilateral assistance, contributions to international organizations, security assistance, peacekeeping and diplomatic security. Fully funding the entire bill is essential to U.S. global leadership.

Oversight, Accountability and Implementation

Appropriations must be paired with strong implementation, oversight, accountability and transparency. After a year marked by program terminations, funding cuts and major disruptions, Congress reaffirmed the urgent need to restore funding, programming and operations.

Implementation—including timely obligation of funds, adequate staffing and capacity, competitive procurements, oversight and reporting—has been inconsistent. The FY 2026 NSIP bill seeks to address these gaps through important and necessary provisions. It is imperative that the administration obligate and expend FY 2026 funds as Congress intended.

Looking Ahead to FY 2027

FY 2027 presents an opportunity to build on the oversight and accountability provisions established in FY 2026. CTI’s recommendations, coupled with improved oversight, advance shared priorities of the president and Congress to deliver lifesaving assistance, respond to global crises and strengthen U.S. global leadership.

National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations	FY 2027 Recommendation
National Security Investments Program	$6.76 Billion
International Humanitarian Assistance	$6 Billion
Global Health Programs	$9.415 Billion
Millennium Challenge Corporation	$830 Million
Development Finance Corporation	$983 Million
Agriculture Appropriations Bill	FY 2027 Recommendation
Food for Peace, P.L. 480 Title II	$1.4 Billion

National Security Investment Programs

The National Security Investment Programs (NSIP) account consolidates five former medium‑ and long‑term development accounts—the Economic Support Fund (ESF), Development Assistance (DA), Assistance to Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia (AEECA), Transition Initiatives (TI), and the Complex Crises Fund (CCF). NSIP funds critical work to reduce poverty, support U.S. allies, strengthen stability and resilience, and create new markets.

NSIP must be the engine for long‑term U.S. development at the Department of State. It supports allies through bilateral assistance—such as energy and economic growth programs in the Philippines—while also funding core priorities including education, food security, and the President’s America First objectives on critical minerals. Though broad, the account is essential to helping countries grow, stabilize, and integrate into global markets.

The NSIP account includes key funding directives—appropriations provisions that target specific countries, regions, sectors or programs—to advance long‑term development, address the root causes of poverty, promote economic self‑sufficiency and reduce future humanitarian needs. Key directives funded out of NSIP include:

Basic education: Schools, learning materials and teacher training, with expanded access for girls and children with disabilities (authorized by the READ Act).
Water and sanitation: Water and sanitation: Clean water and sanitation to reduce disease and mortality, and support water security for people, agricultural, and industry (authorized by the Water for the World Act).
Global food security: Agriculture‑led growth to reduce hunger, malnutrition and poverty through resilience and improved nutrition (authorized by the Global Food Security Act).

Feed the Future illustrates NSIP’s impact: extreme poverty fell by about 19 percent, child malnutrition dropped 26 percent in its first decade, and farmers and local businesses generated roughly $28 billion in sales. Though currently at risk, recent State Department crop research awards show that reviving Feed the Future benefits partner countries as well as American farmers and businesses. NSIP provides support that strengthens the capacity of developing countries to take on the kind of projects that the Development Finance Corporation and other agencies aim to finance alongside the private sector and enable countries to truly go from aid to trade. NSIP enables long‑term development—education, nutrition, clean water, agriculture, and economic growth—while advancing the Administration’s vision by leveraging American businesses, universities, and producers.

International Humanitarian Assistance

The International Humanitarian Assistance (IHA) account is a new account in the fiscal 2026 National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act. It consolidates the former International Disaster Assistance and Migration and Refugee Assistance accounts. IHA provides life‑saving assistance to civilians affected by natural disasters, conflict, insecurity and other emergencies.

America’s bipartisan leadership in humanitarian assistance strengthens vulnerable communities while advancing U.S. security interests. When disasters strike, the United States responds. The State Department’s rapid response to Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean—including emergency aid to Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba and the Bahamas—demonstrated continued U.S. leadership. The response included deployment of Disaster Assistance Response Teams and search‑and‑rescue teams from Los Angeles and Fairfax counties, reflecting the transfer of full humanitarian response authorities to the State Department.

By responding to crises and natural disasters in places such as Sudan and the Philippines, IHA saves lives, builds partnerships and fosters goodwill. U.S. humanitarian assistance has also helped reduce the risk of violent conflict in crisis zones including Syria, Sudan and the Sahel, making the United States and the world safer. Sustained and now increased funding for FY 2027 is critical to meeting growing global humanitarian needs and advancing U.S. foreign policy and national security goals.

Global Health Programs

U.S. global health assistance delivers clear results: healthier families, stronger communities, fewer crises and saved lives. For more than two decades, U.S. investments have saved millions of lives, prevented the spread of disease, strengthened local health systems and reduced health threats to Americans.

Building on the success of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and longstanding U.S. leadership, the America First Global Health Strategy supports partner countries in leading their own health development, reflected in more than 15 memorandums of understanding. The State Department is also leveraging new technologies and partnerships to deliver life‑saving medicines and supplies more efficiently.

Under PEPFAR, the United States will begin distributing a highly effective, twice‑yearly HIV prevention injection, in 8 to 12 high‑burden countries in 2026, working with American companies and partner governments. This approach saves lives while reducing long‑term dependence on U.S. assistance.

U.S. leadership has also accelerated the rollout of new malaria vaccines. More than 20 countries began offering the vaccines last year, and by late 2025 more than 39 million doses had reached communities, protecting millions of children.

These examples underscore the high return on U.S. global health investments and the Global Health Programs (GH) account funds key directives—appropriations provisions that target specific health programs and interventions from malaria to nutrition to PEPFAR. By combating infectious diseases, strengthening health systems and leveraging innovation and partnerships, the GH account saves lives and protects the American people.

Food for Peace Title II

Authorized by the Farm Bill, Food for Peace Title II (FFP) is a cornerstone of U.S. global food security and humanitarian leadership. The program provides emergency and nonemergency food assistance to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable populations, addressing both immediate hunger and the root causes of food insecurity and malnutrition.

Emergency assistance supports communities affected by natural disasters, conflict and chronic food insecurity. Nonemergency programs help bridge the gap from crisis to stability by supporting early recovery and building resilience, reducing future dependence on humanitarian aid.

FFP is implemented through American nonprofit service organizations and U.N. partners using U.S. agricultural commodities, generating significant domestic economic benefits. In 2023, the United States purchased 1.15 million metric tons of food from American farmers to assist more than 45 million people, generating more than $1.9 billion in revenue. By stabilizing food‑insecure countries, FFP also strengthens U.S. security and builds long‑term partnerships. The program reflects a whole‑of‑America effort, connecting farmers, transporters, ports, service organizations and government agencies.

FFP was administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development and transitioned to the Department of State in summer 2025. In early 2026, implementation shifted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture following an interagency agreement and the issuance of a new award. As USDA leads FFP for the next two fiscal years, restoring full operational capacity is critical to delivering results for American farmers and vulnerable populations worldwide.

Additional Accounts

Millennium Challenge Corporation

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) uses time‑limited agreements to invest in country‑led projects that create jobs, expand markets and promote economic growth. Through its compact and threshold programs, MCC supports investments in sectors such as agriculture, transportation infrastructure, health and anti‑corruption.

MCC partners with countries that meet rigorous eligibility criteria and demonstrate a commitment to good governance, economic freedom and investing in their citizens. By engaging the private sector throughout program implementation, MCC creates opportunities for American companies in emerging markets while promoting long‑term stability and growth.

Development Finance Corporation

Reauthorized in 2026, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) advances U.S. foreign policy and national security by mobilizing private capital in developing markets. Through tools such as debt financing for small businesses and political risk insurance, DFC helps increase development investment while supporting American companies operating overseas. DFC invests in projects that strengthen stable, healthy communities and address risks before they reach U.S. borders, making America more secure. The agency also supports key allies, including Ukraine, by financing reconstruction and recovery efforts.

CONVENER. THOUGHT LEADER. UNITED VOICE.

Founded in 1984, InterAction is the largest U.S.-based alliance of international NGOs and partners. We mobilize our Members to think and act collectively to serve the world’s poor and vulnerable, with a shared belief that we can make the world a more peaceful, just, and prosperous place—together.