Key facts
- The UN World Food Programme received an $800 million grant from the United States.
- The US is the WFP's largest donor, but its contribution for 2025 was significantly reduced prior to this grant.
- The funds will be used to increase assistance and respond to emerging global hunger crises.
- The grant will support pre-positioning food, cash assistance programs, and supply chains in regions like Lebanon, Haiti, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- The US State Department also allocated $218 million to UNICEF.
The United Nations World Food Programme has welcomed a significant $800 million contribution from the United States, a move that helps offset previous funding cuts. This new grant aims to bolster assistance efforts at a time when global hunger is at record levels and is projected to worsen this year.
The U.S. has historically been the WFP's largest donor, but its contribution was slated to more than halve from 2024 to approximately $2 billion for 2025. The latest funding injection will enable the WFP to pre-position food supplies, expand cash assistance programs, and sustain critical supply chains in regions facing severe crises, including Lebanon, Haiti, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
While the U.S. remains the world's largest humanitarian donor, its foreign aid contributions have seen considerable fluctuations in recent years due to shifts in policy. In 2025, U.S. humanitarian funding to the UN dropped to about $3.38 billion from $14.1 billion the previous year following major spending reductions. The U.S. State Department also recently announced $218 million in aid for UNICEF.
The World Food Programme is currently operating under temporary leadership. The U.S. is in the process of seeking to appoint another American to head the agency, following the resignation of Cindy McCain due to health reasons.