The Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN) is a reform coalition of international development and foreign policy practitioners, policy advocates and experts, concerned citizens and private sector organizations. MFAN’s goal is to help build a safer, more prosperous world by strengthening the United States’ ability to reduce global poverty, create opportunities for growth and to secure human dignity in developing countries.

MFAN is working to achieve two main priorities in modernizing U.S. foreign assistance:

• A first-ever U.S. global development strategy: In order to elevate development as a core component of U.S. foreign policy alongside defense and diplomacy and ensure that U.S. taxpayer dollars are well invested, the United States needs a comprehensive and coordinated global development strategy.
• A rewrite of the Foreign Assistance Act: U.S. foreign assistance is currently managed by the outdated and unwieldy Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. New legislation is required to clarify the objectives and guiding principles of U.S. foreign assistance.

New Day, New Way
A bipartisan proposal for modernizing U.S. foreign assistance to enhance and streamline the system for the 21st century

IGD support for MFAN actions

August 5, 2010 IGD and 38 Board and leadership Council members endorsed an MFAN open letter published in "Politico" urging President Obama to follow through on his pledge to support foreign assistance reform.

March 17, 2009 MFAN published an open letter in "Politico" urging the President and congressional leaders to make global development a co-equal pillar of U.S. foreign policy alongside defense and diplomacy. IGD signed as an MFAN member organization and 28 Board and Leadership Council members added their individual signatures

November 2008 MFAN circulated a letter and strategy paper to President-elect Obama's transition team with recommendations for U.S. foreign assistance actions. Transition recommendations were supported by leading global development experts, including IGD Leadership Council members Nancy Birsdall and Michael Gerson, and IGD parner and former USAID Administrator Brian Atwood.