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Children's Savings Accounts Are Reaching More Children than Ever, Now Programs Are Focused on Helping Families Use Them
WASHINGTON, July 11 [Category: Economics] (TNSrpt) -- Prosperity Now (formerly the Corporation for Enterprise Development) posted the following news release:
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Children's Savings Accounts Are Reaching More Children than Ever, Now Programs Are Focused on Helping Families Use Them
New Prosperity Now analysis finds Children's Savings Accounts reached nearly 8 million children and youth in 2025, up from 313,000 when Prosperity Now began publishing State of the Field reports in 2016.
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As Children's Savings Accounts (CSAs) reach historic scale, a new Prosperity Now report finds that the field's
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, July 11 [Category: Economics] (TNSrpt) -- Prosperity Now (formerly the Corporation for Enterprise Development) posted the following news release:
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Children's Savings Accounts Are Reaching More Children than Ever, Now Programs Are Focused on Helping Families Use Them
New Prosperity Now analysis finds Children's Savings Accounts reached nearly 8 million children and youth in 2025, up from 313,000 when Prosperity Now began publishing State of the Field reports in 2016.
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As Children's Savings Accounts (CSAs) reach historic scale, a new Prosperity Now report finds that the field'snext phase is increasingly focused on helping families claim, understand, contribute to, and use accounts over time.
The 2025 Children's Savings Account State of the Field Report captures a major shift in the field since Prosperity Now began publishing State of the Field reports in 2016. What was once a promising strategy reaching 313,000 children and youth has grown into a national field reaching nearly 8 million by the close of 2025. By the end of 2025, 129 active CSA programs were operating across 42 states and the District of Columbia.
Among surveyed programs, 57 percent provide benchmark incentives, 35 percent match participant savings, 19 percent offer deposit bonuses, 11 percent offer prize-linked savings incentives, and 11 percent offer enrollment incentives separate from initial seed deposits. Some programs reported incentives tied to financial education, opening personal savings accounts, school engagement, health behaviors, social engagement, and other activities that support children and families, suggesting that programs are using incentives not only to grow account balances, but also to strengthen family engagement over time.
"Children's Savings Accounts programs have spent years building the infrastructure, partnerships, and trust needed to reach families and reduce barriers to participation," said Marisa Calderon, President and CEO of Prosperity Now. "As the field continues to grow, the next challenge is making sure families can claim, understand, and use these accounts in ways that support education, career training, and long-term financial stability."
Drawing on Prosperity Now's national CSA field-tracking work and survey responses from 39 CSA programs serving more than 6.8 million participants, the report identifies several trends shaping the field:
* Automatic enrollment continues to drive reach. More than 6.75 million children and youth were served through automatic or opt-out enrollment models, representing 98.5 percent of participants in the surveyed programs. National field-tracking data show the same pattern across the broader field, with 85 percent of all CSA participants enrolled through automatic or opt-out models.
* Large-scale statewide programs continue to account for much of the field's growth. California's CalKIDS added more than 660,000 new participants in 2025, while Pennsylvania's Keystone Scholars program added an estimated 143,000 new accounts, according to program responses to Prosperity Now's survey.
* Account structure matters for scale. Programs using entity-owned 529 accounts served more than 6.75 million participants, or 98.5 percent of participants in surveyed programs with account-type data, underscoring the role of 529 infrastructure in helping CSA programs reach scale.
* CSA programs continue to reach children from households with low incomes. Among the 23 programs that provided participant demographic information, over 86 percent reported that at least half of their participants were from households with low incomes.
* Programs are using incentives to support engagement. In addition to seed deposits, programs are using benchmark incentives, savings matches, deposit bonuses, enrollment incentives, and prize-linked savings to encourage participation, account growth, and family engagement.
The report also shows that CSA programs are evolving alongside a broader youth asset-building landscape. While education and career training remain central goals for the field, some programs are exploring allowable uses connected to workforce credentials, professional development, entrepreneurship, and homeownership where permitted by account structure and program rules. As the broader landscape evolves, recent federal changes to 529 rules and emerging implementation questions around Section 530A Accounts will be important to monitor in future analyses of the CSA field.
Prosperity Now has tracked, studied, and supported the expansion of child asset-building strategies since the emergence of the CSA field. Since 2016, Prosperity Now's State of the Field reports have documented the growth and evolution of CSA programs through landscape analysis, practitioner engagement, and field-building efforts.
The 2025 Children's Savings Account State of the Field Report was developed with research support from Brandeis University and financial support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.
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REPORT: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/64f22f0478cf70a81b4dc7a9/6a4d6a98099f824f4cbe6291_2025%20CSA_State%20of%20the%20Field%20Report.pdf
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Original text here: https://www.prosperitynow.org/news-and-insights/childrens-savings-accounts-are-reaching-more-children-than-ever-now-programs-are-focused-on-helping-families-use-them
Trump Administration's Rule Deals Devastating Blow to Endangered Species Protections
BOSTON, Massachusetts, July 10 -- Conservation Law Foundation issued the following news release:
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Trump Administration's Rule Deals Devastating Blow to Endangered Species Protections
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The United States' "national bird" was at serious risk of extinction when the Endangered Species Act passed. Photo: Frank Cone.
July 10, 2026 (Boston, MA) - The Trump administration has finalized a rule that threatens the survival of countless species by claiming that destroying habitats doesn't necessarily harm wildlife, seriously undermining the Endangered Species Act. Conservation Law Foundation (CLF)
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BOSTON, Massachusetts, July 10 -- Conservation Law Foundation issued the following news release:
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Trump Administration's Rule Deals Devastating Blow to Endangered Species Protections
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The United States' "national bird" was at serious risk of extinction when the Endangered Species Act passed. Photo: Frank Cone.
July 10, 2026 (Boston, MA) - The Trump administration has finalized a rule that threatens the survival of countless species by claiming that destroying habitats doesn't necessarily harm wildlife, seriously undermining the Endangered Species Act. Conservation Law Foundation (CLF)released the following statement in response.
"This rule is an all-out assault on wildlife," said Erica Fuller, CLF senior counsel. "If we can't stop habitat destruction and harm, we will watch wildlife go extinct; it's that simple. This move by the Trump administration yet again ignores law and science and forces industry to navigate a new rule after fifty years of a reliable process."
Enacted in 1973, the Endangered Species Act establishes protections for fish, wildlife, and plants that are listed as threatened or endangered. Organizations, scientists, and states argue that narrowing the Act will ruin vital habitats and that removing the protections will lead to population declines not only in endangered species but also in other wildlife.
CLF experts are available for further comment.
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Original text here: https://www.clf.org/newsroom/trump-administrations-rule-deals-devastating-blow-to-endangered-species-protections/
WLF Asks Eleventh Circuit to Reverse Punitive Damages Award Against Tesla
WASHINGTON, July 9 [Category: Law/Legal] -- The Washington Legal Foundation issued the following news release:
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WLF Asks Eleventh Circuit to Reverse Punitive Damages Award Against Tesla
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"Punitive damages are meant to punish wrongdoing. The jury found the driver primarily responsible for the accident. A $200 million punitive award against Telsa has no legal basis."
-Jay DeSanto, WLF Senior Litigation Counsel
Click HERE to read WLF's brief.
Washington, DC-Washington Legal Foundation (WLF) today asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit to reverse a $200 million punitive-damages
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WASHINGTON, July 9 [Category: Law/Legal] -- The Washington Legal Foundation issued the following news release:
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WLF Asks Eleventh Circuit to Reverse Punitive Damages Award Against Tesla
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"Punitive damages are meant to punish wrongdoing. The jury found the driver primarily responsible for the accident. A $200 million punitive award against Telsa has no legal basis."
-Jay DeSanto, WLF Senior Litigation Counsel
Click HERE to read WLF's brief.
Washington, DC-Washington Legal Foundation (WLF) today asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit to reverse a $200 million punitive-damagesaward in a products-liability case against Tesla. WLF contends that the award violates Florida law and due process because Tesla did not engage in any kind of reprehensible conduct to warrant punishment.
The case arises from a collision involving a 2019 Tesla Model S equipped with "Autopilot," a driver-assistance system featuring adaptive cruise control, collision warnings, and lane-centering assistance. Although the jury found the driver primarily responsible for the accident-assigning him 67% of the fault-it nonetheless imposed a $200 million punitive-damages award against Tesla.
In its amicus brief urging reversal, WLF argues that punitive damages are unavailable as a matter of law because Tesla adhered to industry standards and worked to mitigate safety risks, while primary fault for the accident rested with the driver. WLF further argues that the punitive award exceeds both Florida's statutory cap and constitutional due-process limits. It warns that expanding punitive liability under these circumstances will discourage the development of innovative vehicle-safety technologies that have the potential to make the roadways safer.
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Original text here: https://www.wlf.org/2026/07/09/communicating/press-releases/wlf-asks-eleventh-circuit-to-reverse-punitive-damages-award-against-tesla/
Health Foundation Responds to Baroness Casey's Speech at the LGA Conference 2026
LONDON, England, July 9 -- The Health Foundation issued the following statement on July 8, 2026, by senior policy fellow Lucinda Allen:
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The Health Foundation responds to Baroness Casey's speech at the LGA Conference 2026
Responding to Baroness Casey's speech to the LGA Conference today, Senior Policy Fellow Lucinda Allen said,
'We welcome the prospect of a 'Big Conversation' with the public on social care funding reform. This will be an important opportunity to raise awareness of the problems with the current system and build support for improving it.
'Our polling with Ipsos suggests
... Show Full Article
LONDON, England, July 9 -- The Health Foundation issued the following statement on July 8, 2026, by senior policy fellow Lucinda Allen:
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The Health Foundation responds to Baroness Casey's speech at the LGA Conference 2026
Responding to Baroness Casey's speech to the LGA Conference today, Senior Policy Fellow Lucinda Allen said,
'We welcome the prospect of a 'Big Conversation' with the public on social care funding reform. This will be an important opportunity to raise awareness of the problems with the current system and build support for improving it.
'Our polling with Ipsos suggestsconfusion among the public about who is responsible for providing and paying for social care. It also shows a clear preference for the state playing a bigger role in paying for care. Under the current system, only the very poorest people with the highest needs are eligible for publicly funded support.
'It is encouraging that Baroness Casey recently told MPs she is open to speeding up her work. The government's 2028 deadline for the commission has always been a concern, as it risks its recommendations landing dangerously close to the next general election. Andy Burnham knows better than most how the white heat of election campaigns has burnt previous plans for social care reform.
'The next prime minister must make social care an early priority to finally deliver the reforms needed to improve millions of people's lives. The other parties also need to step up to support the change needed. After decades of political failure, this is a test of our political system as well as the leadership of the next Labour leader.'
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Notes to editors
For more on the case for social care reform, read our briefing covering funding (https://url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/KzCpCGv5oTJM3X2iKfPfBGWC0?domain=74n5c4m7.r.eu-west-1.awstrack.me), wider investment, workforce pressures and public support for change.
Additionally, the Health Foundation has an ongoing programme of work on public perceptions with Ipsos. Key findings on social care include that:
* Public awareness and understanding of social care is low. 33% of people incorrectly believe the NHS provides most social care. After the 2024 general election, 76% were not aware of the promise to create a National Care Service.
* Only 12% of people agree their local social care services are good and 6% think government has the right policies for social care.
* In-depth research finds strong support for funding reform, once people understand how the current system works. 77% prefer a system where the state has a bigger role in paying for care.
* 57% of people either currently provide unpaid care or think it is likely that they will have to at some point in their life.
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Original text here: https://www.health.org.uk/media-office/press-releases/the-health-foundation-responds-to-baroness-caseys-speech-at-the-lga-conference-2026
Foundation for Economic Education Issues Commentary: Data Show Rising Demand for Innovative Schooling Models
DETROIT, Michigan, July 9 -- The Foundation for Economic Education issued the following commentary by Education Entrepreneurship Lab Director Kerry McDonald:
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New Data Show Rising Demand for Innovative Schooling Models
Education entrepreneurship is becoming scalable and replicable.
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Demand for new schooling models continues to climb, and entrepreneurial educators plan to grow to meet that demand. That is the key takeaway from a recent survey of school founders conducted by our team here at FEE's Education Entrepreneurship Lab.
This spring, we asked the 200+ applicants to last year's
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DETROIT, Michigan, July 9 -- The Foundation for Economic Education issued the following commentary by Education Entrepreneurship Lab Director Kerry McDonald:
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New Data Show Rising Demand for Innovative Schooling Models
Education entrepreneurship is becoming scalable and replicable.
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Demand for new schooling models continues to climb, and entrepreneurial educators plan to grow to meet that demand. That is the key takeaway from a recent survey of school founders conducted by our team here at FEE's Education Entrepreneurship Lab.
This spring, we asked the 200+ applicants to last year'sFEE Enterprising Founding Award to complete a survey about the status of their innovative schools and learning spaces, including private schools, microschools, hybrid schools, homeschooling collaboratives, and online learning platforms. More than 70 school founders responded, offering eye-opening insights about the current landscape of emerging schooling models and its future direction.
Below are some of the main findings from this survey:
First, when asked how demand for a founder's school or space has changed in the past year, nearly half of survey respondents said it increased significantly and another third said it increased somewhat. Only 1% of founders said that demand declined.
Second, and not surprisingly based on the nearly 400 interviews with school founders on the weekly LiberatED podcast, more than two-thirds of today's school founders are former professional educators, with more than half having worked previously as public school teachers.
Third, roughly half of founders currently participate in a school-choice program, and more than one-quarter of additional founders are planning to participate in such a program. Some 11% of founders are uncertain about participation, with many of these entrepreneurs unsure whether or not their learning environment will be eligible as school choice programs expand.
Finally, growth is a primary goal for the majority of today's founders. Nearly 40% expect to expand their programs in the next three years. An additional 28% of founders expect to replicate their programs in new locations in three years, and another 10% hope to help new founders to start their own schools.
It's an exciting time in American K-12 education, as demand for innovative models grows alongside the expansion of school-choice programs and entrepreneurial educators build the supply of schools and spaces that families want.
Visit the Education Entrepreneurship Lab's website (https://edentrepreneur.org/?_gl=1*u8zcjl*_ga*MjA1MzE1OTExMC4xNzc1MTE0ODg3*_ga_NVQ1VDK76N*czE3ODM1OTg4MDEkbzYxJGcwJHQxNzgzNTk5MzE3JGo2MCRsMCRoMA..*_gcl_au*NjM4MzUzMDUwLjE3ODI4OTg0ODg.) for regular articles on finding or building innovative schools.
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Kerry McDonald is a Director, Education Entrepreneurship Lab and Senior Fellow at FEE, where she leads the Education Entrepreneurship Lab and hosts the LiberatED podcast. She is also the Velinda Jonson Family Education Fellow at State Policy Network, an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute, and a regular contributor at Forbes.com and The 74. Kerry is the bestselling author of Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom (Chicago Review Press, 2019), and the author of the forthcoming book, Joyful Learning: How To Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling (Hachette/PublicAffairs, 2025).
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Original text here: https://fee.org/articles/new-data-show-rising-demand-for-innovative-schooling-models/
Fat cells transform to help heal wounds, OMRF finds
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, July 9 -- The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation posted the following news:
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Fat cells transform to help heal wounds, OMRF finds
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You probably never imagined your fat cells could heal wounds.
Scientists also didn't think it was possible. But now they know differently, thanks to an Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation discovery.
OMRF's Lorin Olson, Ph.D., recently led a team of scientists who found that fat cells can morph into scar-forming cells to help repair wounds. This finding could someday lead to major treatment implications for certain types of wounds.
... Show Full Article
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, July 9 -- The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation posted the following news:
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Fat cells transform to help heal wounds, OMRF finds
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You probably never imagined your fat cells could heal wounds.
Scientists also didn't think it was possible. But now they know differently, thanks to an Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation discovery.
OMRF's Lorin Olson, Ph.D., recently led a team of scientists who found that fat cells can morph into scar-forming cells to help repair wounds. This finding could someday lead to major treatment implications for certain types of wounds.
"We've long viewed fat cells as having reached their final identity," Olson said. "This study shows they can completely change that identity by losing their stored fat, beginning to divide again and becoming fibroblasts that help repair injured tissue."
Fibroblasts are the cells responsible for producing the connective tissue that closes wounds and forms scars. One study elsewhere had suggested fat cells might change - only temporarily - to help heal wounds, but the idea remained controversial, with conflicting findings from other labs.
Using a new genetic tracing technique, Olson's lab followed individual fat cells over 21 days during wound healing. In a result that surprised Olson, the cells changed into fibroblasts, and they remained that way after the wound healed.
"Like most scientists in this field, I was highly skeptical that fat cells could transform," he said. "We think this discovery alters scientific dogma."
While the experiments were done in mice, Olson said there's no reason to think the process differs in humans.
"Dr. Olson's study changes the way we think about fat cells," said OMRF's vice president of research, Courtney Griffin, Ph.D. "Turns out they are much more adaptable than we realized."
The findings also might explain diseases in which scar tissue develops abnormally, Olson said. In conditions such as scleroderma, fat beneath the skin disappears as excessive scar tissue forms. Similar changes may take place in some cancers, where fibroblasts surrounding tumors may contribute to disease progression.
Olson is now investigating the earliest steps of the process in which fats cells change to scar tissue. A better understanding of wound healing, he hopes, could lead to strategies to reduce harmful scar tissue and surgical adhesions while preserving the body's ability to repair itself.
This discovery was published in the journal Cell Reports. The work was funded through grant Nos. R01-AR080896 and F32-AR083823 from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, and by grants from the Presbyterian Health Foundation and the Oklahoma Center for Adult Stem Cell Research, a program of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust.
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Original text here: https://omrf.org/fat-cells-transform-to-help-heal-wounds-omrf-finds/
As Ebola Surges, 3 in 4 Americans Back Restoring U.S. Aid to Fight It, Per New Echelon Poll Commissioned by Rockefeller Foundation
NEW YORK, July 9 (TNSrep) -- The Rockefeller Foundation posted the following news release:
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As Ebola Surges, 3 in 4 Americans Back Restoring U.S. Aid to Fight It, per New Echelon Poll Commissioned by Rockefeller Foundation
* Conducted ahead of America's 250th anniversary, the survey finds nine in ten Americans (90%) across the political spectrum support funding programs to prevent disease outbreaks abroad, the highest-testing program area in the survey.
* Those who primarily support President Trump are the least concerned about Ebola spreading to the U.S., yet more than one in two (52%)
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, July 9 (TNSrep) -- The Rockefeller Foundation posted the following news release:
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As Ebola Surges, 3 in 4 Americans Back Restoring U.S. Aid to Fight It, per New Echelon Poll Commissioned by Rockefeller Foundation
* Conducted ahead of America's 250th anniversary, the survey finds nine in ten Americans (90%) across the political spectrum support funding programs to prevent disease outbreaks abroad, the highest-testing program area in the survey.
* Those who primarily support President Trump are the least concerned about Ebola spreading to the U.S., yet more than one in two (52%)back restoring U.S. aid to contain the outbreak, along with 60% of Republican-leaners and 89% of Democrat-leaners.
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With the Ebola outbreak the third-largest on record, and growing, survey data from The Rockefeller Foundation and Echelon Insights shows that 75% of Americans -- including more than one in two (52%) who primarily support President Trump -- agree that the United States should restore disease prevention aid to contain the virus. An American Perspective on Foreign Aid (https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/reports/an-american-perspective-on-foreign-aid/), which evaluated Americans' opinions on foreign assistance ahead of the nation's 250th anniversary, also reveals near universal support across political party lines (90%) for funding overseas disease prevention programs. The findings suggest that despite the official closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) one year ago this month, Americans across the political spectrum continue to see disease prevention abroad as a core U.S. interest, not a partisan one.
"Twelve years ago, Ebola reminded the world the hard way what happens when we are unprepared. This outbreak is doing the same--and may become far worse," said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation and former USAID Administrator, who led USAID during the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, one of the costliest in history. "The answer now is not to rebuild the old system but to build a smarter one, pairing AI-powered surveillance and real-time data with strong local health systems where outbreaks spread fastest. This is not charity, it's national security, and as this data shows, Americans across the political spectrum already know it."
In May 2026, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) declared a new Ebola outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, that has since spread into Uganda. The World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17. With more than 1,500 confirmed cases and over 500 deaths reported as of July 5, and counts still climbing, it is already the third-largest Ebola outbreak on record, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned it could become one of the largest ever recorded. There is no approved vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain, and conflict and weak health infrastructure in eastern DRC complicate detection and treatment. While U.S. officials consider the domestic risk low, the CDC raised its response to its highest level in late June. Aid workers and former U.S. officials have pointed to U.S. funding cuts for disease surveillance as a factor that hampered detection and response, a characterization the U.S. State Department disputes (see statement (https://www.state.gov/state-department-ebola-response-updates)).
Americans' Views on Foreign Aid to Fight Ebola:
More than 2,000 adults were surveyed by U.S.-based Echelon Insights, commissioned by The Rockefeller Foundation's public charity, RF Catalytic Capital (RFCC), from June 12-16, 2026 across all 50 states, balanced across party, region, age, gender, and race/ethnicity. Three of the questions were directly tied to the Ebola outbreak as follows:
1. "How concerned are you about the potential spread of Ebola into the United States?" After responding, they were presented with the following information: "For over 20 years, the U.S. government has provided aid to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to combat the spread of Ebola, including surveillance, pandemic response, and healthcare infrastructure. Since 2018, U.S. global health aid to the Congo has prevented the spread of seven outbreaks, saving countless lives. In 2026, the World Health Organization declared a new Ebola outbreak in the Congo, featuring a rare and especially lethal strain of the virus. Health experts have pointed to cuts in U.S. funding for disease monitoring and pandemic response as key factors behind the latest outbreak."
2. "Would you support or oppose restoring U.S. disease prevention aid to help contain this new Ebola outbreak in the Congo?" Immediately following their response, they were asked:
3. "In light of the recent Ebola outbreak, would you support or oppose the U.S. government changing course to restore some or all global health aid?"
Across all three questions, a clear majority favored restoring aid:
* Broad Support for Action on the Ebola Outbreak. Three in four Americans (75%) support restoring Ebola-specific aid to DRC, including more than one out of every two who primarily support President Trump (52%, a net +18), 60% among Republican-leaners overall, and 89% among Democrat-leaners. That support holds even though Americans aren't especially alarmed by the threat at home: more than one in two (54%) are very or somewhat concerned about Ebola spreading to the U.S. Concern is lowest among those who primarily support President Trump (37%) and Republican-leaners (40%), compared with 68% of Democrat-leaners.
* A Mandate to Restore Global Health Funding. 72% support the U.S. changing course to restore some or all global health funding worldwide in light of the outbreak, including 46% among those who primarily support President Trump, 56% among Republican-leaners overall, and 88% among Democrat-leaners.
"This poll makes clear that Americans remember what too many in Washington forget about outbreaks: diseases don't check your party registration or your passport," said Dr. John A. Gans, former Chief Speechwriter at the Pentagon, author of White House Warriors, and current Senior Vice President at The Rockefeller Foundation. "One year after USAID's razing, three in four Americans, across every political line, understand that stopping deadly diseases at their source is a matter of national security, not just generosity. The lesson for Washington is clear: don't doubt the generosity and concerns of Americans, act on them."
Additional Global Health Findings from the Poll Include:
* An Overwhelming Mandate for Global Health Security. Nine in ten Americans (90%) support funding overseas disease prevention programs, the single highest-testing program area in the whole survey. Support is 82% among those who primarily support President Trump, 85% among Republican-leaners overall, and 94% among Democrat-leaners. Support for global health funding more broadly reaches 84% overall, including 68% among those who primarily support President Trump, 74% among Republican-leaners overall (81% among Republicans who prioritize the Party over Trump), and 93% among Democrat-leaners.
* Support Holds When Americans See the Human Cost. When told experts estimate aid cuts could cause over 9 million preventable deaths by 2030, primarily from disease and malnutrition, 70% said they would support restoring aid funding, including 47% among those who primarily support President Trump, 55% among Republican-leaners overall, and 85% among Democrat-leaners.
* A Proven Success Story Resonates. The story of U.S.-funded tuberculosis programs in Bangladesh, which cut TB deaths by 35% over a decade, was convincing to 77% of Americans, including 58% among those who primarily support President Trump, 65% among Republican-leaners overall, and 88% among Democrat-leaners.
Dr. Shah concludes: "When presented with a real-world example of a fast-moving threat that can easily cross borders and where U.S. foreign aid can save lives, most Americans want their government to help. The findings also point to a path forward. Americans support foreign aid when they understand its purpose, its cost, and its impact." Read the full Statement from Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation, on New Public Opinion Research on Foreign Aid Programs.
An American Perspective on Foreign Aid is the latest research commissioned by The Rockefeller Foundation's Build the Shared Future Initiative, through which the 113-year-old philanthropic organization aims to inspire and inform global cooperation and international development work that matches the challenges of the 21st century, including efforts to align with governments around the world on country-led solutions that maximize every dollar of remaining aid and stimulate new investments.
Recent research includes The Impact of Two Decades of Humanitarian and Development Assistance and the Projected Mortality Consequences of Current Defunding to 2030, which examines the human costs of the historic slashing of official development assistance (ODA) in 2025 by the U.S. and other wealthy nations. Those cuts exceeded the modeling assumptions used in an earlier Rockefeller Foundation-supported study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), published in The Lancet Global Health. That study warned that at least 9.4 million additional people, including 2.5 million children under the age of five, could die by 2030 across 93 low- and middle-income countries.
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Note to Editors: Methodology
Echelon Insights conducted a survey on behalf of The Rockefeller Foundation to better understand voters' attitudes on foreign aid. The survey was fielded online from June 12-16, 2026 in English among a sample of 2,022 voters in the likely electorate nationwide using non-probability sampling, with a base sample of N=1,512 Registered Voters in the Likely Electorate Nationwide and an oversample of N=510 Republican Voters, achieving a total of 1,080 Republican voters in the sample. This oversample was included in order to be able to more closely examine opinions within this cohort of respondents. The sample was drawn from the Lucid sample exchange based on demographic quota targets for registered voters in the likely electorate nationwide, and matched to the L2 voter file to verify respondents' voter registration status. Measures taken to ensure data quality included measures to prevent duplicate responses, questions designed to disqualify inattentive respondents, and the removal of respondents from the data file who answered more than one-third of the questions they were asked in less than one-third of the median response time per question. The sample was weighted to reflect modeled turnout and demographic characteristics of the population of voters in the 2026 likely electorate nationwide based on a probabilistic model that incorporates data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey and Current Population Survey Voting and Registration Supplement, as well as L2 voter file data. Weighting dimensions included gender, age, race/ethnicity, education, region, and turnout probability, as well as gender by age, education by gender, race by age, race by education, and age by education. The sample was also weighted on party affiliation to reflect an even balance between Republican/Republican-leaning and Democratic/Democratic-leaning voters. Calculated the way it would be for a random sample and adjusted to incorporate the effect of weighting, the margin of sampling error is +- 2.5 percentage points. To download a full copy of An American Perspective on Foreign Aid, visit: https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/reports/an-american-perspective-on-foreign-aid/.
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Note to Editors: Statement From Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation, on New Public Opinion Research on Foreign Aid Programs
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, new polling shows that the American people want an active, engaged relationship with the world. They recognize that helping vulnerable people and building a safer, healthier, and more prosperous world is an investment in America's own security and prosperity. At a moment when many U.S. and world leaders are pulling back from global engagement, a report published today by Echelon Insights, supported by The Rockefeller Foundation, finds that Americans across political parties back efforts that prevent disease outbreaks, feed hungry children, reduce suffering, and create opportunity. The polling shows that 72% of Americans believe foreign aid keeps the U.S. safer from threats. Support is even stronger for specific types of aid: preventing disease outbreaks (90%), humanitarian and disaster relief (90%) and global health (84%). As an example, after receiving information about the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo respondents overwhelmingly (3 in 4) supported restoring U.S. foreign aid funding to fight the disease. When presented with a real-world example of a fast-moving threat that can easily cross borders and where U.S. foreign aid can save lives, most Americans want their government to help. The findings also point to a path forward. Americans support foreign aid when they understand its purpose, its cost, and its impact. They overwhelmingly favor strengthening and modernizing effective programs rather than eliminating them, and they want resources focused where they can save the most lives and deliver the greatest results. Americans' support for foreign aid and global engagement remains strong. The opportunity before us is to answer that call by building a more modern model of development -- one that is country-led, results-driven, and capable of meeting today's challenges through innovation, partnership, and impact. In the 21st century, foreign aid should deliver better outcomes for vulnerable communities while continuing to advance America's long-term interests. Americans are ready to help build what comes next. Their leaders should listen. Available here: https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/news/statement-from-dr-rajiv-j-shah-president-of-the-rockefeller-foundation-public-opinion-research-foreign-aid-programs/.
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About The Rockefeller Foundation
Investing $30 billion over the last 113 years to promote the well-being of humanity, The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on unlikely partnerships and innovative solutions that deliver measurable results for people in the United States and around the world. We leverage scientific breakthroughs, artificial intelligence, and new technologies to make big bets across energy, food, health, and finance with our partners and our affiliated public charity, RFCC. For more information, follow us on LinkedIn @the-rockefeller-foundation, X @RockefellerFdn, Instagram @rockefellerfdn, and YouTube @RockefellerFdn, and sign up for our newsletter at www.rockefellerfoundation.org/subscribe.
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Original text here: https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/news/ebola-surges-americans-back-restoring-us-aid-echelon-poll-rockefeller-foundation/
