What happens when the aid system meant to protect the world’s most vulnerable……vanishes overnight?

Earlier this year, the abrupt freeze in USAID funding sent shockwaves through the global nonprofit community. Refugee shelters closed, food distribution stopped, and hospitals ran out of medicine. But even before this crisis, one organization was quietly rewriting the rules of international philanthropy—putting power into the hands of local leaders and reimagining what aid could look like.

That organization is GlobalGiving, and at its helm is Victoria Vrana, a veteran systems thinker and relentless advocate for community-led change. As the organization’s CEO, she’s navigating one of the most consequential disruptions to global aid in decades.

I mean, shockwave is the right term. I mean, I think it’s like tectonic plates in our sector have shifted really forever.

In this episode, Victoria talks about the real-time impact of the funding collapse, what it reveals about the fragility of traditional aid systems, and why GlobalGiving’s founding vision—connecting private capital directly to grassroots leaders—is more urgent than ever.

It’s a pivotal moment for the sector—and one that calls for bold leadership.