# The FIGDA Act: Making U.S. Foreign Aid More Innovative

This bill is about changing how the United States spends its international development money—the aid we give to other countries to help fight poverty, disease, and other challenges. Right now, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) tends to do things the traditional way. This bill wants to shake that up by making innovation a bigger priority and giving USAID more flexibility to try new approaches.

The core idea is straightforward: instead of always relying on the same organizations and methods, USAID should actively seek out fresh ideas from entrepreneurs, tech companies, universities, nonprofits, and other creative problem-solvers. The bill creates a new position called Chief Innovation Officer who will oversee this shift. This person will have real power to fund experimental projects, run competitions for the best ideas, and help scale up solutions that actually work. For example, if someone develops a cheap water purification system or a new way to teach kids in remote areas, USAID could quickly test it and expand it if it proves effective.

The bill also creates two specific programs. The Development Innovation Ventures program will fund people testing new ideas in developing countries, focusing on what actually works and whether solutions are cost-effective. The Proven Solutions program will take innovations that have already been proven to work and push USAID offices to actually use them in their regular programs. Additionally, the bill allows USAID to work more closely with the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (a government agency that invests in development projects) and to participate in something called the Global Innovation Fund, which pools resources from multiple countries to fund promising development innovations.

On a practical level, this means USAID will have more tools to work with—they can now offer prize competitions, make deals where organizations only get paid if they hit specific results, and give out grants with simpler requirements. The bill also authorizes at least $45 million per year through 2028 specifically for these innovation efforts. For American taxpayers, the goal is to get more bang for the buck—finding solutions that work better and cost less than traditional approaches. For people in developing countries, it could mean faster access to new solutions for health, education, agriculture, and other challenges. The bill requires USAID to report back to Congress regularly about what they're funding and whether it's working, so there's built-in accountability.

FIGDA Act

Castro, Joaquin

Fostering Innovation in Global Development Assistance Act or the FIGDA Act This bill provides statutory authority for the position of Chief Innovation Officer in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).&nbsp; The bill also (1) authorizes the Chief Innovation Officer to provide flexible funding to support expanded use of innovation, (2) authorizes USAID to hire up to 30 Innovation Fellows, (3) provides statutory authority for USAID's Development Innovation Ventures program, (4) establishes a program in USAID to integrate proven solutions into programming and operating budgets, and (5) authorizes USAID to participate in the Global Innovation Fund and enter into agreements with the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation.