USAID - Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance

What USAID - Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance does

The USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) is the U.S. government bureau responsible for coordinating and funding U.S. international disaster relief and food assistance programs. Established in 1961 as part of the U.S. Agency for International Development, BHA operates as a federal agency under the executive branch, headquartered in Washington, D.C. The bureau has historically employed between 5,001 and 10,000 personnel and serves beneficiaries of U.S. foreign aid across global regions including Africa, Asia, Europe/Eurasia, Latin America/Caribbean, the Middle East/North Africa, and Afghanistan/Pakistan. Its functional mandate covers humanitarian assistance, disaster response, and food security programming in coordination with other foreign assistance agencies.

USAID's Office of Inspector General (OIG), established in 1980 and operating under the Inspector General Act of 1978, provides independent audit, inspection, evaluation, advisory, and investigative oversight for USAID and four additional agencies: the Millennium Challenge Corporation, U.S. African Development Foundation, Inter-American Foundation, and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (now DFC). OIG's technology footprint is limited to FISMA-compliant federal IT infrastructure, a public Hotline Complaint System enabling anonymous fraud reporting, and a searchable Oversight Reporting System. The bureau is not a commercial entity; it does not generate revenue, does not have commercial pricing, and is funded exclusively through congressional appropriations. There is no commercial product portfolio, no API offering, and no disclosed AI/ML capabilities.

The agency's business model is appropriation-driven: BHA and its OIG operate on federal funding allocated through congressional budgeting cycles, with statutory authority governing scope and independence. Distribution occurs entirely through official government channels — the usaid.gov and oig.usaid.gov websites, semiannual congressional reports, press releases, and a GovDelivery email subscription service. As of February 23, 2025, the agency underwent a material restructuring event: a Reduction-in-Force affecting approximately 1,600 U.S.-duty personnel was initiated, with all non-essential direct hire personnel placed on administrative leave globally, signaling a significant operational contraction.

Name

USAID - Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance

Legal name

U.S. Agency for International Development

Website

https://usaid.gov

Company type

Public

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance coordinates and funds U.S. government international disaster relief and food assistance programs globally; its Office of Inspector General provides independent audit and investigative oversight for USAID and four other federal foreign assistance agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Humanitarian Assistance

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Community Food Services (62421), International Affairs (928120)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Food Assistance & Nutrition Response (BPADADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Humanitarian & Disaster Assistance (Bilateral) (BPADABAB), Humanitarian Logistics, Supply Chain & Air/Sea/Land Relief Transport (BPAGAAAI)

Keywords

• Humanitarian assistance
• International disaster relief
• Food aid programs
• Emergency response
• International development aid

Headquarters

HQ city

S Central Washington Co

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Federal Appropriations: USAID OIG is funded through federal appropriations as an independent oversight body. It does not generate revenue but operates on congressional funding to provide oversight of foreign assistance programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance coordinates and funds U.S. government international disaster relief and food assistance programs, delivering emergency and life-saving humanitarian aid to populations affected by disasters, conflicts, and complex emergencies worldwide. It works through grants and cooperative agreements with implementing partners (NGOs, UN agencies, and partner governments) to provide shelter, food, health care, water, sanitation, and protection services in crisis settings.

Product overview

USAID OIG (Office of Inspector General) is a U.S. federal government oversight body that provides audit, inspection, evaluation, advisory, and investigative services for USAID and related foreign assistance agencies. It does not offer commercial products or software services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• International Disaster Relief Programs Coordination and funding of U.S. government international disaster relief programs delivered through implementing partners (NGOs, UN agencies, partner governments) to populations affected by natural disasters and complex emergencies worldwide.
• International Food Assistance Programs Funding and coordination of U.S. government international food assistance programs, including emergency food assistance, food security programming, and management of food aid inventories and warehousing operations in support of crisis-affected populations.
• Emergency Humanitarian Response Coordination Coordination of U.S. government emergency humanitarian response across multiple crisis areas including Gaza, Ukraine, and Ebola outbreak responses in Africa, delivered through partnerships with NGOs, UN agencies, and host-country actors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Oversight plans include audits, inspections, evaluations, and investigative efforts for multiple agencies

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Inter-American Foundation (IAF)coreOthers · 29 November 1999Mandated under the Admiral James W. Nance and Meg Donovan Foreign Relations Authorization Act (Public Law 106-113) to supervise, direct, and control audit and investigative activities for all IAF programs and operations worldwide.
• Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)coreOthers · 29 December 1981USAID OIG provides independent oversight of MCC as mandated under the Inspector General Act of 1978. MCC is a U.S. government agency that reduces poverty through economic growth in developing countries.
• U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF)coreOthers · 29 December 1981USAID OIG provides oversight of USADF as part of its mandate to audit and investigate all phases of operations for agencies under its purview.
• Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) / U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC)coreOthers · 29 December 1981USAID OIG has oversight authority over OPIC (now DFC) as specified under Section 239(e) of the Foreign Assistant Act of 1961. OPIC serves as the U.S. Government's development finance institution.
• U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)coreOthers · 29 December 1981USAID OIG provides oversight of USAID, the primary agency under its purview. USAID is the principal U.S. agency for international development and humanitarian assistance.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Mercy Corps: Mercy Corps is a leading NGO implementing BHA-funded humanitarian and food security programs in fragile contexts. Direct overlap in target beneficiaries and delivery model.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC): IRC is a major NGO implementing partner that delivers humanitarian programming funded substantially by BHA grants. Operates in overlapping geographies and sectors (refugee response, food security, health).

Broad incumbents

• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): ICRC is the world's largest humanitarian organization with a mandate overlapping BHA's in conflict-related emergency relief, protection, and assistance. A key partner and policy peer.
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ): GIZ is Germany's primary bilateral development and humanitarian cooperation agency. Comparable institutional role to USAID in delivering government-funded humanitarian assistance.
• UN Children's Fund (UNICEF): UNICEF is a major multilateral humanitarian agency with significant overlap with BHA in emergency response, nutrition, and food assistance programming targeting vulnerable populations.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO): FCDO is the closest bilateral peer agency to USAID, combining diplomatic and development/humanitarian functions for a major donor government. Highly comparable governance, scale, and donor-side coordination role.

Direct peers

• UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): OCHA coordinates international disaster response across the UN system. BHA's mandate in coordinating U.S. disaster relief directly mirrors OCHA's multilateral coordination role.
• UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR): UNHCR leads global refugee response and is a major recipient of BHA's migration and displacement funding. Overlapping mandate on IDP and refugee humanitarian assistance.
• U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM): PRM is the other principal U.S. government funder of international humanitarian assistance, working alongside USAID/BHA on refugee, IDP, and migration crises. It is the closest direct peer in mission and funding channel.
• UN World Food Programme (WFP): WFP is the leading multilateral implementer of emergency food assistance globally. BHA routinely channels U.S. contributions through WFP, making it the most direct operational peer in food assistance delivery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/usaidsaveslives
• Instagraminstagram.com/usaid.oig

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about USAID - Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance