The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) welcomes the State Department’s announcement last week awarding $2 billion in lifesaving support through faith-based partners working on the front lines in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. 

“For more than eight decades, the National Association of Evangelicals has championed both public and private support for health and humanitarian aid,” said NAE President Walter Kim. “Faith-based hospitals, clinics, community health workers and humanitarian organizations combine trusted local relationships and compassionate service with the resources and diplomatic support that government can provide.”     

According to the State Department, funding will support “integrated, life-saving health services through faith and community-based hospitals and clinics in more than 20 countries” as well as “critical, lifesaving assistance across 16 humanitarian crises.” In separate announcements, the State Department also announced the release of congressionally appropriated funding for vaccinations, HIV/AIDS, Ebola, nutrition and other humanitarian and health programs.  

The NAE especially welcomes the administration’s recognition that faith-based organizations are more than implementing agencies. Their decades of trusted community presence make them indispensable partners for advancing health and humanitarian goals.  

Following significant changes to poverty-focused international assistance programs in 2025, the NAE issued an urgent call for Compassion for a World in Need, which has been signed by Christian leaders and concerned citizens throughout the country.   

The statement calls on evangelical Christians to pray and give generously to support ministries of compassion and on Congress and the administration to maintain support for poverty-focused international assistance, working with faith-based implementing partners wherever appropriate. 

Galen Carey, NAE vice president of government relations, added, “Since the release of our statement, we have seen renewed engagement in both private giving and public advocacy. The administration’s announcement is a big boost to those efforts and an encouraging sign that lifesaving global health and humanitarian partnership will remain a national priority for years to come.”  

The NAE will continue engaging Congress and the administration in the coming months on FY2027 appropriations, the CDC-PEPFAR transition and the broader question of how U.S. global health and humanitarian assistance can most effectively serve the world’s most vulnerable while honoring the essential role of faith-based providers. Individuals and organizations who share this commitment are encouraged to add their names to the Compassion for a World in Need statement.