Bread Urges Lawmakers to Restore Feed the Future Innovation Lab Funding

Washington, D.C., October 7, 2025 – Bread for the World issued the following statement regarding the cancellation of the remaining Feed the Future Innovation Lab funding. The statement can be attributed to Rev. Eugene Cho, president and CEO of Bread for the World.

“Bread for the World urges members of Congress to restore funding for Feed the Future Innovation Labs, a network of U.S. universities researching innovative ways to feed the world and position the United States as a leader in global food security and research.  

“Housed and led by U.S. universities, Feed the Future Innovation Labs have helped advance solutions to reduce global hunger and malnutrition. The knowledge gained by the labs has led to game-changing breakthroughs, including developing crops that can grow in harsh growing conditions, improving livestock resilience to disease, and strengthening the resiliency of aquatic food systems.”

Earlier this year, the White House cut off almost all funding for the innovation labs, forcing the vast majority of labs to close. On October 1, the White House cancelled the remaining $72 million in federal funding for the labs as a part of its “pocket rescission” of nearly $5 billion in international assistance. Senate Republicans had spared the $72 million for innovation lab funding from the White House’s first rescissions package in July.

Before the White House cancelled funding for the program, innovation labs were based in more than 80 universities across the United States. While a few innovation labs have been able to sustain or resume operations thanks to private donations and funding from individual universities, most remain closed down.

The innovation lab program has enjoyed broad, bipartisan support among members of Congress. Every $1 invested in the program has resulted in an $8 return in investment for U.S. taxpayers.

“Innovation lab research breakthroughs, as well as the education the labs provided, have enabled numerous communities around the world to become self-sufficient. The knowledge gained in innovation labs have also greatly benefitted U.S. farmers and growers who were able to apply that knowledge, as well as the communities the labs were based in.

“The defunding of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab network will have adverse ramifications both in the U.S. and globally. Bread urges Congress to restore funding for this consequential program.”