Launching Choose to Invest FY2025

The United States’ role in the world stands at a critical juncture—humanitarian and development needs are rising across the globe, democratic gains continue to erode, decades-long progress against poverty and disease are backsliding, and competitors that do not share American values are gaining influence.

Central to these challenges is one pressing question: Does America scale back its international engagement and allow others to fill the void, or should America invest in a future marked by collective security and respect for human dignity?

The answer is clear: for less than 1% of the federal budget, the United States’ global development and humanitarian assistance can lift millions of people out of poverty, end extreme hunger, protect human rights, build resilience, and promote responsive democratic governance—all while advancing core American values and economic and security interests.

As the nation’s leading policy advocate for development and humanitarian relief programs, representing over 160 U.S.-based nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that mobilize nearly $18 billion in programs around the world, InterAction is proud to present Choose to Invest (CTI).

What is CTI?

CTI is a public resource that highlights essential accounts that support international development, global health, humanitarian response, resilience and adaptation, and democratic strengthening. It provides information and funding recommendations across 55+ accounts and activities primarily financed through the annual State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill. CTI also covers international food security programs funded by the Agriculture Appropriations Bill and international health and labor protections funded through the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill.

For each account and activity, a comprehensive funding history and a recommended baseline funding level for FY2025 are compiled based on the collective expertise of InterAction’s coalition. As a community, it made sense for InterAction to represent the baseline funding levels that represent current political realities and restrictions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act. As a result, we recognize that our recommendations may be inconsistent with the rest of the coalition and some accounts, except for those that are annual contributions to pledges, may be lower than past CTI levels. More details on our recommendations can be found on the CTI website.

Notable Accounts

InterAction has strategically pinpointed five key accounts to prioritize in advocacy efforts for FY2025 appropriations. These accounts play a pivotal role in funding numerous initiatives within our coalition, including:

• Development Assistance
• International Disaster Assistance
• Migration and Refugee Assistance
• Global Food Security Strategy (Feed the Future)
• Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance

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For more details on our accounts and recommendations, please check out the CTI website. For any questions or clarification on content, contact Kelsey Maddox.

To access the Choose to Invest social media toolkit, click HERE.