New humanitarian players have been active at the United Nations General Assembly this week, aiming to address the effects of reduced foreign aid to poorer countries. This aid has historically supported efforts to combat disease, malnutrition, and poverty globally. Nonprofit organizations, foundations, and corporations have been gathering in Manhattan for meetings and closed-door discussions each September to focus their resources and attention on their missions. This year's efforts are especially urgent due to recent decreases in funding from wealthier nations to those in need. The week highlighted the growing divide between major aid organizations, which have the resources and influence to navigate the current period of reduced public funding, and others that are struggling to adapt to this changing landscape. Despite this, major foundations have made significant commitments. The Gates Foundation pledged $1 billion to support AI tools for farmers, educators, and health workers. Bill Clinton encouraged attendees of the Clinton Global Initiative to "step into the void created by retreating governments," while former USAID administrator Samantha Power discussed how her coalition to end childhood lead poisoning evolved after the dismantling of her former agency under the Trump administration. Power emphasized that "Philanthropies took risks. Governments took ownership. Multilateral institutions invested and the coalition kept moving," describing this as a story of optimism. However, mid-sized organizations expressed a more mixed outlook. According to John Hecklinger, co-CEO of the Global Fund for Children, major foundations are still in a period of "soul-searching," unsure of how to fill every gap without reverting to the previous status quo. Ann Lee, co-founder and CEO of Community Organized Relief Effort, described the current approach as "very, very sort of ad hoc." New nonprofits and funders have been eager to make their mark at the U.N. sidelines. William Moore, CEO of the Eleanor Crook Foundation, is working to gain support for his nonprofit, Operation End Starvation, which aims to eliminate child deaths from acute malnutrition. The organization launched this summer with a $100 million, two-year commitment from the U.S. State Department, but Moore anticipates needing 17 times more annually to provide therapeutic foods. On Wednesday, Operation End Starvation announced a $5 million grant from the Gates Foundation, aiming to eventually become for malnutrition what Gavi is for immunizations or the Global Fund is for infectious diseases. Moore noted that new partnerships with high-burden countries are forming, with Nigeria's health minister expressing readiness to take on additional responsibilities. Operation End Starvation is also engaging with Arab Gulf nations, where leaders have recognized the need "to fund and to bridge the gap" created by aid cuts.