Key Topics

The Office of Foreign Assistance (F) offers a holistic approach to coordinating foreign assistance resources for the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through our three pillars: Budget, Planning and Performance Management, and Policy Analysis. These three pillars allow F to:

Lead coordination of U.S. foreign assistance to advance U.S. national security and development priorities.
As the strategic manager of more than 90 percent of U.S. foreign assistance resources, and as the lead coordinator for foreign assistance policy, planning, performance management, and evaluation, F provides a comprehensive view of U.S. foreign assistance funding and helps to bridge the gap between evidence and policy making. F ensures strong support for our foreign policy priorities, and that we that are able to find resources when unforeseen crises hit.

Develop the foreign assistance budget request for the State Department and USAID.
Each year F, the Department’s Bureau of Budget and Planning, and USAID’s Office of Budget and Resource Management  work closely to create a cohesive budget request for Congress. F manages the resulting foreign assistance budget for State and USAID, ensuring that our development and diplomacy needs are met, and that we can respond to unforeseen crises around the world.

Make informed, data-driven decisions.
F supports making data-driven foreign assistance decisions, and the U.S. government is committed to making foreign assistance programs more transparent and accessible. The State Department and USAID  have comprehensive evaluation policies, and require the public posting of foreign assistance evaluations. Additionally, through the Foreign Assistance Data and Reporting Team (FA-DART), F and USAID jointly manage ForeignAssistance.gov, the U.S. government’s platform to advance the transparency, accessibility, and accountability of U.S. foreign assistance data. By publishing U.S. foreign assistance data that is accurate and timely, ForeignAssistance.gov presents a multi-dimensional picture of the U.S. foreign assistance lifecycle in a highly visual, interactive website. 

Work on behalf of the American taxpayer.
At less than one percent of the total federal budget, foreign assistance resources work on behalf of the American people to: end the scourge of epidemic diseases like malaria; bolster democracies and human rights around the world; counter violent extremism; enhance nations’ law enforcement capacity; foster economic growth; and much more.