The headwinds don’t seem to stop: historic contraction in ODA following the closure of USAID, declining press freedom globally, rising news avoidance, and the rapid scaling of AI-generated disinformation. But, the path forward lies in radical collaboration, shared infrastructure, diversified and locally-rooted revenue, and deep audience engagement. We cannot simply wait for ODA to return to what it was. We have to build differently.

July 1 marked the official end of USAID. Much attention, rightly so, has focused on the humanitarian cost—14 million projected deaths by 2030 due to cuts in global health and disaster relief, according to a recent Lancet article. A quieter casualty was USAID’s mission to promote “resilient, democratic societies”—a goal harder to measure than vaccine doses or trade growth, but just as vital.

July 1 marked the official end of USAID. Much attention, rightly so, has focused on the humanitarian cost—14 million projected deaths by 2030 due to cuts in global health and disaster relief, according to a recent Lancet article. A quieter casualty was USAID’s mission to promote “resilient, democratic societies”—a goal harder to measure than vaccine doses or trade growth, but just as vital.