For decades, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has served American interests by providing humanitarian assistance to developing countries, strengthening domestic security, and supporting economic development. But you might not know that USAID has also quietly shaped higher education right here at home.
In 2025, funding for USAID programs was slashed, a decision that will cost up to 14 million lives by 2030 according to reputable medical journal The Lancet. The impacts of these cuts are not exclusive to countries outside the U.S. though. According to the Center for American Progress, the USAID shutdown affected nearly 90 American colleges and universities, each losing over $10 million in federal funding. Although foreign aid may appear disconnected from domestic affairs, students at college campuses, research institutions, and universities across the country are speaking out to prove otherwise.
USAID in Education
USAID was a broad agency that not only provided international aid, but also supported academic research across our country. As just one example, USAID played a large role in funding Feed the Future Innovation Labs. These innovation labs were hosted by 17 universities and 29 states across the country, conducting research for agricultural sustainability studies that increased crop yields, protected food systems, and optimized nutrition. According to the Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, “Over the lifetime of the universities-USAID partnership, the labs have returned $8 of impact for every $1 dollar invested, in total yielding over $8 billion in impacts.” In addition to agricultural programs, USAID launched $26 million in 2012 in funding to MIT, UC Berkeley, Duke, and other colleges for technology development studies. Unfortunately, when USAID was defunded, these university programs were also cancelled.
Student Advocacy
When USAID funding was axed in 2025, it was not only education programs around the world that were destroyed. American education suffered too. Before the cuts, USAID was critical to student involvement in global health initiatives. Junior Karlee Waugh, co-president of the global health club at Notre Dame University, discussed her aim to increase awareness among students about the USAID shutdown and its repercussions for health education through advocacy workshops. According to Notre Dame’s independent newspaper, The Observer: “The event will educate undergraduate and graduate students on USAID’s funding freeze and its impact on student career opportunities, nonprofit organizations in America and abroad, partnerships with global organizations and US foreign aid support. The workshop will also teach students how to send emails to local, state and national government officials addressing their concerns over USAID.” For students like Waugh, the devastating funding cuts require taking action by organizing movements like these to defend USAID-funded programs and advocate for the opportunities that promote education—and stand up for those around the globe whose livelihoods depended on USAID.
Photo by Emma Christie
Student Protests
On February 10th, students of Washington State University (WSU) organized peaceful protests to call for restoration of necessary USAID funding. According to The Daily Evergreen, a student newspaper at WSU, when microbiology student Erin Smith discovered that USAID cuts meant cuts to organizations like the National Institute of Health, she knew she had to do something. She met with Partners In Health Engage at her university to organize a protest outside the Compton Union Building. The demonstration informed the community about what was happening and that the USAID freeze also impacted college programs outside WSU. Similarly, around 250 protestors gathered in Jefferson City with both undergraduate and graduate students from Washington University and St. Louis University to oppose cuts to research funding. Social activism has been a critical step in raising awareness that essential opportunities for college students are in jeopardy due to USAID’s demise.
USAID and the Future
University funding not only affects students, but also the world at large. Consequences of the funding cuts will reverberate across the globe for decades to come. Whether it’s through developing productive crops to feed children facing hunger, reducing international poverty, or finding treatments for HIV/AIDS, restoring USAID programs can help protect millions of lives in just the next few years.
At the Alliance for American Leadership, university students and young people are at the core of our organization and its mission. We are working hard to advocate for the return of foreign assistance, and by donating to our work, you can invest in the future prosperity of the United States and help restore funding for our education system as well.
Students have made it clear where they stand. They have called out the government, and now it’s time for policymakers, citizens, and leaders across the U.S. to do their part. USAID is imperative not only to the world and its health, but for the future of our own country. Please donate to our efforts today.
Sources:
https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(25)01186-9/fulltext
https://www.cfr.org/event/virtual-roundtable-year-without-usaid-and-what-comes-next
https://dailyevergreen.com/185343/news/wsu-students-protest-usaid-cuts/
https://www.ndsmcobserver.com/article/2025/02/usaid-story
https://abcnews.com/US/anti-trump-protests-nationwide/story?id=118501194
https://www.aplu.org/wp-content/uploads/Feed-the-Future-Innovation-Labs-Summary.pdf
https://www.k-state.edu/news/articles/2025/03/feed-the-future-labs-pause.html
https://www.dai.com/news/usaid-launches-program-tap-brainpower-university-students
https://www.dai.com/our-work/projects/worldwide-fiscal-reform-and-economic-governance
https://innovationcenter.msu.edu/msu-experts-on-usaid-potato-production/
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of the Alliance 4 American Leadership (A4AL) alone. Alliance 4 American Leadership would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.
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