# US foreign aid shift toward faith-based organizations > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/us-foreign-aid-shift-toward-faith-based-organizations > Updated: 2026-08-18T21:40:21.000Z. Sources: 5. Developments: 2. The United States has initiated a significant shift in its foreign assistance strategy by redirecting humanitarian funding toward faith-based and community organizations. This transition began with a directive from Secretary of State Marco Rubio to pause spending and work across government agencies, including a 90-day suspension of foreign development assistance via the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Under the ‘America First Global Health Strategy,’ the U.S. Department of State has announced nearly $2 billion in funding for faith-based groups. This includes $1.4 billion for life-saving health services in more than 20 countries and up to $850 million over five years to support organizations such as World Vision, Compassion International, and Samaritan’s Purse. The initiative aims to strengthen thousands of faith-based hospitals and clinics while training tens of thousands of community health workers, moving away from broad funding models toward direct partnerships intended to foster country self-reliance. ## Timeline ### 2026-08-18: U.S. State Department pledges $2 billion for faith-based global aid The U.S. State Department is pledging nearly $2 billion to faith-based organizations for global health and humanitarian aid under the ‘America First Global Health Strategy’. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-state-department-pledges-2-billion-for-faith-based-global-aid ### 2026-08-12: USAID faces funding pause as U.S. directs $2 billion to faith-based groups The U.S. is pausing USAID foreign development assistance via executive orders while simultaneously directing nearly $2 billion in humanitarian funding toward faith-based organizations. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/usaid-faces-funding-pause-as-us-directs-2-billion-to-faith-based-groups --- Cite as: US foreign aid shift toward faith-based organizations. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/us-foreign-aid-shift-toward-faith-based-organizations