1. Emergency Lifelines - Places to find mutual aid and immediate financial support

Individual Survival Kit: assistance programs from the state and foundations that provide vital resources in times of need

• Compensation for Unemployment: Unemployment Insurance / Unemployment Assistance / Unemployment Benefits. The various state-provided schemes vary regarding scope, eligibility and name, depending on location and circumstances. These state-administered programs temporary financially support unemployed individuals. 

  • Claiming, receiving and benefits from unemployment schemes often come with feelings of embarrassment, and conflicting emotions one’s identity and worth. Overcoming the Shame of Unemployment by Elizabeth Pearson 

• Nutrition Programs and Soup Kitchens: Soup Kitchen / Food Kitchen / Volxkuche / Meal Center / Food Bank / Food Not Bombs / Conscious Kitchen 

  • Many factors besides unemployment, such as inflation, can strain a family or household easily, leading to food insecurity. Resorting to these nutritional assistance projects might come with societal stigmas, yet they are worth to be checked out. Food Insecurity, Food Banks, and Why You Shouldn’t Be Ashamed by Chloe Morgan 

• Job Centers and Dislocated Worker Funding: OneStop Career Center / Public Employment Service / Workforce Center / Community Action Agencies. These centers connect job-seeking with hiring organizations, offer employment and training services. 

• Other Assistance Programs: Housing Assistance, Rental Emergency Assistance, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

• Charities and Foundations: There are many charities working worldwide providing aid in various forms, among them Salvation Army, Direct Relief, Caritas and Modest Needs. 

Alternative Funding Sources: Political movements have been chronically underfunded thus over-relying on non-profit organizations. With the shifting funding landscape the development sector and its individuals need to seek for alternative financial sources:

• Grants for Individuals and Organizations: Global Greengrant Funds, Global Changemakers and Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme. Some platforms offering databases, strategies and resources for grant-seekers, like Foundation Directory or Grant Station. The article on USAID Funding Alternatives: Government Agencies & Foundations by Pilar Segarra Catasús compiles a list of organizations supporting international development project implementation.

• Impact Investing and Venture or Corporate Philanthropy: these alternative avenues can provide emergency grants, aiming to positively influence society and the environment, while also seeking financial returns. This approach allows development organizations to access funds for scaling their initiatives while maintaining accountability for outcomes. Foundations have shown reluctance to fund advocacy due to to the perceived impact-measurement challenges and legal concerns. 

• Mutual Aid and Exchange of Services: organizations and individuals can support each other by voluntarily, mutually and collaboratively offering services and resources instead of financial payment. That could be done bilaterally or also in a circular manner (within a balanced offer-and-demand dynamic). Some examples include The Mutual Aid Hub, The Social Change Agency Mutual Aid Fund, My Community's Mutual Aid Resource Bank 

  • Mutual Aid Networks can also be created locally: How to create a mutual aid network by Mary Zerkel  

• Emergency Funds

  • The Rapid Response Fund by Founders Pledge and The Life You Can Save aims to support in a fast, high-impact way critical programs running and cost-effective organizations. 

  • The Foreign Aid Bridge Fund by Unlock Aid and other partners operates on a short-term grant-based manner to enable high-impact organizations with sustainable business models to get back to work. 

  • The Bridge Funding Window by the Network for Empowered Aid Response is a flexible, trust-based grant-making initiative open to NEAR current members. 

  • The Community Aid Fund by GlobalGiving fundraises for grassroots international organizations.

  • The Support USAID Staff in Transition Fundraiser by Juliet Bravo offers support for USAID staff that need financial assistance. 

  • There are also programs that directly support families that were directly benefiting from foreign aid, such as Cash for Families Impacted by USAID Cuts by GiveDiirectly.

• Crowdfunding Platforms: For example GoFundMe, Kickstarter, and Indiegogo enable individuals and organizations to fundraise, either for specific projects, a particular story that engages the donors, or with one worker raising on behalf of an organization. Mobilizing a broad base of small donors is possible by engaging and interacting with the online community. As Abdul Mannan puts it in an article on Navigating the Shift: Alternative Funding Strategies for Nonprofits in the Wake of the USAID Funding Halt crowdfunding succeeds best when create compelling narratives and building strong digital campaigns that resonate with their audience.  

  • Create your own Crowdfunding Campaign by following Crowd101‘s Crowdfunding: An Ultimate Guide for Individuals & Nonprofits

• Social and Environmental Impact Funding Opportunities: Many can be found on Linkedin (Post Search) in form of Fellowships, Funding Programs or Scholarships

  • Youth4climate by the UNDP’s Call for Solutions funds early and mid-career innovators with an idea to tackle climate change

  • Morgan Stanley Inclusive and Sustainable Ventures Lab is a startup accelerator for early-stage social impact innovators 

  • Dag Hammarskjöld Fund for Journalists funds journalists (primarily based in the Global South) to report on the deliberations of the 2025 UN General Assembly

  • Walking Softer Young Leaders Award funds early and mid-career professionals in Canada and the US working on climate solutions

  • Seek Initiative Environmental Investigators Citizen Journalism Fellowship offers training, mentorship and financial support for environmental journalist based in Europe with a passion for community-driven investigations 

  • Strategic Data Project Fellowship by the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University is a fellowship opportunity for those with US domestic education policy knowledge to be placed as full-time employees at SDP partner organizations

  • Institute for Advanced Study Fellowships offers residential fellowships to highly accomplished senior and promising young scholars seeking to spend 3-9 months in an interdisciplinary intellectual community of their peers while pursuing their own research. 

  • D-Prize awards startup grants of up to $20,000 to entrepreneurs launching new anti-poverty organizations.

  • Devex compiles funding opportunities across the development sector.