The United States on Thursday announced more than $200 million in disaster and humanitarian assistance to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).  

This assistance, including a nearly $133 million contribution to ICRC’s 2026 Global Appeal and $70 million to IFRC, furthers the Department’s approach of flexible humanitarian assistance awards with global coverage, enabling implementing organizations to address ongoing crises and respond to new disasters using funding they already have on hand, bypassing lengthy procurement timelines. 

"Today’s contributions support organizations that respond quickly when disasters strike, provide unparalleled access to people in need in conflict settings, and leverage preexisting worldwide disaster and humanitarian response infrastructure," said the Spokesperson at the US Department of State.  

Rapid, flexible, and efficient 

Through its extensive network of National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, comprising 18 million trained volunteers, IFRC delivers rapid, scalable humanitarian assistance in response to sudden onset disasters and complex emergencies.  

When disasters strike, these National Societies are often first on the ground, providing immediate life-saving assistance.  

This U.S. funding will help IFRC surge support to National Societies as needed, helping to meet immediate needs.  

Worldwide access 

This contribution to ICRC will support its work to deliver life-saving assistance to people living through armed conflict.  

ICRC’s unique mandate and neutral and impartial positioning enable it to achieve unparalleled access to conflict-affected populations across frontlines and in hard-to-reach areas, providing life-saving assistance to people that may otherwise be inaccessible to other humanitarian implementers.   

Efficient assistance through existing infrastructure  

By providing assistance through such well-known and well-established organisations, the Department is leveraging existing response infrastructure to provide assistance quickly and efficiently.  

The rapid, flexible, and global focus of this assistance complements similarly structured awards to Catholic Relief Services, UNICEF, and the World Food Program, in addition to the Department’s historic memorandum of understanding and $3.8 billion commitment to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.  

By prepositioning assistance with trusted and proven implementing organizations, the Department is enabling faster, more efficient humanitarian and disaster response while reducing bureaucratic burdens on Department staff.  

"The United States remains the largest humanitarian donor in the world, and we continue to call on other governments and the private sector to join our push for a faster, more accountable, efficient, impact-driven, locally driven, and hyper-prioritized model of global humanitarian assistance," said the US government in a media note.