This was a year when the ground shifted.

Global aid faltered. Long-standing funding streams disappeared. And millions of people were left without the support they once relied upon.

The world felt more fragile.

And yet, through it all, we witnessed something stronger.

Across the GlobalGiving community, we saw local leaders continue their work without pause—adapting, stretching every resource, and caring for their communities even as the systems that once supported them around them fell away.

We saw it in places like Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and Uganda, where grassroots organizations became lifelines. We saw it in Gaza, where community kitchens kept going—meal after meal—refusing to let neighbors go hungry.

And we saw it in you.

We saw it in the individuals who didn’t just give—but gathered others to give alongside them.

In the wake of sudden U.S. foreign aid cuts, a small group of women—former USAID staff—came together to launch a fundraiser on GlobalGiving. In a moment when their work was abruptly halted, they chose not to step away. What began as heartbreak and uncertainty quickly became action, resulting in more than $3 million mobilized through GlobalGiving to deliver critical support to frontline health organizations.

It was a powerful reminder: generosity doesn’t just move through individuals—it moves through the communities we come together to build.

When traditional systems pulled back, this community stepped forward.

Together, we launched the Community Aid Fund—mobilizing flexible, trust-based funding for local leaders navigating an impossible moment. Through the generosity of the GlobalGiving community, more than $45 million reached nonprofit partners across 100 of the countries most affected by aid cuts in 2025.

This is what it looks like to meet the moment—together.

And this year, GlobalGiving also reached an extraordinary milestone: $1 billion raised to support local leaders around the world.

A billion dollars—and a billion acts of trust.

That support helped midwives deliver care, farmers adapt, artists create, and activists push for justice. It helped Gazan cooks feed families, Rohingya children reclaim joy, Indigenous women protect water in Paraguay, and girls in Nigeria raise their voices for equality.

This is where a billion dollars goes.

Not into systems—but into people.

At GlobalGiving, we believe generosity is more than an act—it’s a commitment. A commitment to showing up when it matters most. To trusting local leaders. To building a future that is more resilient, more equitable, and more human.

We don’t know exactly what the road ahead will bring. The challenges are very real, and they are not over.

But this year made something clear: When we stand together, where we stand together, we are stronger.

Throughout 2025, you showed what’s possible when compassion turns into action. Your belief in community-led change—and your willingness to show up, again and again—made all the difference.

That gives me hope.

Thank you for standing with communities around the world. Thank you for believing in a better way forward. And thank you for being part of the GlobalGiving community.

With gratitude,

Victoria Vrana