[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1888 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1888
To establish the United States Foundation for International Food
Security to leverage private sector investments in order to improve and
scale economically viable agricultural production, build food systems
to mitigate food shock, reduce malnutrition, and drive economic growth,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 22, 2025
Mr. Graham (for himself, Mr. Coons, and Mr. Boozman) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the United States Foundation for International Food
Security to leverage private sector investments in order to improve and
scale economically viable agricultural production, build food systems
to mitigate food shock, reduce malnutrition, and drive economic growth,
and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``United States
Foundation for International Food Security Act of 2025''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
Sec. 3. United States Foundation for International Food Security.
Sec. 4. Governance of the Foundation.
Sec. 5. Corporate powers and obligations of the Foundation.
Sec. 6. Outcome-based funding, safeguards, and accountability.
Sec. 7. Ventures, financing, and grants.
Sec. 8. Prohibition of support in countries that support terrorism or
violate human rights and of support for
sanctioned persons.
Sec. 9. Annual report.
Sec. 10. Authorization of appropriations.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act, the term ``appropriate congressional committees''
means--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
(2) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
of the Senate;
(3) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
(4) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives;
(5) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of
Representatives; and
(6) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
SEC. 3. UNITED STATES FOUNDATION FOR INTERNATIONAL FOOD SECURITY.
(a) Establishment.--
(1) Finding.--Congress finds that there has been
established, in the District of Columbia, a private, nonprofit
corporation, which is known as the United States Foundation for
International Food Security (referred to in this Act as the
``Foundation''), which is not an agency or establishment of the
United States Government.
(2) Savings provision.--Nothing in this Act may be
construed as--
(A) making the Foundation an agency or
establishment of the United States Government; or
(B) making any member of the Board of Directors of
the Foundation or any officer or employee of the
Foundation an employee of the United States.
(3) Transfers or consolidation require act of congress.--
Neither the Foundation nor any of its functions, powers, or
duties may be transferred to, or consolidated with, any
department, agency, or entity of the Federal Government absent
an Act of Congress to such effect.
(4) Tax-exempt status.--The Board shall take all necessary
and appropriate steps to ensure that the Foundation is
established as an organization described in subsection (c) of
section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, which exempts
the organization from taxation under subsection (a) of such
section.
(b) Purposes.--The purposes of the Foundation are--
(1) to accelerate enduring, primarily locally led
agriculture investments that foster food security and
resilience in the crop, poultry, aquaculture, and livestock
industries, that focus on building economically resilient food
systems by investing in--
(A) financing for, distribution of, and training
around key inputs required for increasing crop and
animal productivity, distribution, and profits;
(B) infrastructure, such as irrigation,
warehousing, storage, and food processing, to improve
food production and market access through better
product quality and the prevention of food loss;
(C) applied agricultural research; and
(D) economically viable technology deployment that
reduces hunger and increases agriculture production or
distribution methods;
(2) to prevent unnecessary or inefficient vetting
processes, due diligence, project financing, or evaluation
reviews by seeking out partnerships and contracting with
existing government and nongovernmental entities that have
proven track records;
(3) to deploy and scale technology and innovation to
accelerate food security and agricultural-led economic growth
that reduces global hunger and malnutrition;
(4) to coordinate with the United States Foundation for
International Conservation;
(5) to advance the national security interests of the
United States;
(6) to complement international and government investment
and technical assistance mechanisms, such as those employed or
managed by the United States International Development Finance
Corporation, and United States Government food security
programs, to jointly catalyze private and public sector
engagement, spur agricultural-led economic growth, and
strengthen local food and nutrition systems; and
(7) to ensure the effective use of United States taxpayer
dollars and the prioritization of United States foreign policy
interests.
SEC. 4. GOVERNANCE OF THE FOUNDATION.
(a) Board of Directors.--
(1) Governance.--The Foundation shall be governed by a
voting Board of Directors (referred to in this section as the
``Board'') that--
(A) shall not exceed 15 members; and
(B) may consult with a nonvoting Board of Advisors
when making decisions related to the Foundation's work.
(2) Qualifications.--Individuals appointed to the Board
shall include individuals who are knowledgeable and experienced
in matters relating to--
(A) agricultural production, livestock, land
management, or forestry;
(B) agricultural economics, business development,
technology deployment, market access, agribusinesses
(including food companies), market access, supply
chains, infrastructure, or commodities groups;
(C) international finance and multilateral
governance;
(D) outcome-based and impact funding concepts,
including the role of impact evaluations and data
collection, to measure the progress of ventures, and
innovative grantee or investee selection and funding
structures;
(E) agricultural research and development; or
(F) national security.
(3) Limitation on political affiliation.--The Directors of
the Board shall include members of both major political parties
in a relatively equal number.
(4) Chairperson.--A quorum of the voting Directors of the
Board shall elect a Chairperson, who shall serve in such
position for a 4-year term.
(5) Voting.--All voting Directors of the Board shall have
equal voting rights.
(6) Terms; vacancies.--
(A) Terms.--The term of service of each Director
may not exceed 5 years and is renewable for not more
than 1 additional 5-year term.
(B) Vacancies.--Any vacancy in the membership of
the appointed Directors of the Board--
(i) shall be filled in accordance with the
bylaws of the Foundation;
(ii) does not affect the power of the
remaining appointed Directors to execute the
duties of the Board; and
(iii) shall be filled by an individual
selected in accordance with the bylaws of the
Board.
(7) Quorum.--A majority of the current membership of the
Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of
Foundation business.
(8) Meetings.--
(A) In general.--The Board shall meet not less
frequently than twice per year.
(B) Authority.--The Board shall maintain full
control and decision-making authority of the
Foundation.
(C) Removal.--Any Director may be removed from the
Board if--
(i) the Director is absent from 2
consecutive regularly scheduled meetings
without reasonable cause; or
(ii) the Board, by a majority vote of the
other Board members, determines that such
Director should be removed from the Board.
(9) Reimbursement of expenses.--Directors of the Board
shall serve without pay, but may be reimbursed for the actual
and necessary traveling and subsistence expenses incurred by
such members in the performance of their duties on behalf of
the Foundation.
(10) Not federal employees.--Appointment as a Director of
the Board shall not constitute employment by, or the holding of
an office of, the United States Government for purposes of any
Federal law.
(11) Duties.--The Board shall--
(A) establish bylaws for the Foundation;
(B) provide overall direction for the activities of
the Foundation and establish priority activities;
(C) carry out any other necessary activities of the
Foundation;
(D) hire and evaluate the performance of the
Executive Director of the Foundation; and
(E) take steps to limit the Foundation's
administrative expenses to the extent practicable and
in accordance with industry standards.
(12) Bylaws.--The bylaws of the Foundation shall require
the Board to establish--
(A) policies for the selection of Directors of the
Board, Members of the Board of Advisors, and officers,
employees, agents, and contractors of the Foundation;
(B) policies, including ethical standards, for--
(i) the acceptance, solicitation, and
disposition of donations and grants to the
Foundation; and
(ii) the use and disposition of the assets
of the Foundation;
(C) policies that subject all employees, fellows,
trainees, and other agents of the Foundation (including
all of the Directors of the Board and all of the
Members of the Board of Advisors) to prevailing
conflict of interest standards for the industry;
(D) the specific duties of the Executive Director
of the Foundation;
(E) policies for winding down the activities of the
Foundation upon termination, including a plan--
(i) to return unobligated appropriations to
the Department of the Treasury; and
(ii) to donate unspent private and
philanthropic contributions to projects that
align with the goals and requirements described
in this Act; and
(F) specific policies and requirements governing
project criteria, measurable outcomes, impact
evaluations, and country eligibility requirements.
(b) Board of Advisors Composition.--
(1) In general.--The nonvoting Board of Advisors may be
composed of, at a minimum--
(A) members of the executive branch of the Federal
Government from departments and agencies with expertise
that would benefit the Foundation;
(B) the Secretary of State, or the Secretary's
designee;
(C) the Chief Executive Officer of the United
States International Development Finance Corporation,
or his or her designee; and
(D) 2 deans or other designated faculty members of
United States land-grant colleges or universities that
have an international agriculture program.
(2) Duties.--The Board of Advisors shall provide advice and
consultation to the Board in accordance with the bylaws of the
Foundation.
(3) Removal.--The Board of Directors may remove an Advisor
from the Board of Advisors by majority vote.
(c) Procedures.--
(1) Initial meeting.--The Board shall hold its initial
meeting not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment
of this Act.
(2) Organizing principles; appointment of executive
director.--The Directors of the Board shall name an Executive
Director of the Foundation not later than 120 days after the
date of the initial meeting of the Board.
(d) Executive Director; Staff.--
(1) Executive director.--The Board shall hire a qualified
individual to serve, at the pleasure of the Board, as the
Executive Director of the Foundation.
(2) Foundation staff.--Officers and employees of the
Foundation--
(A) may not be employees of, or hold any office in,
the United States Government;
(B) shall be appointed without regard to the
provisions of--
(i) title 5, United States Code, governing
appointments in the competitive service; and
(ii) chapter 51 and subchapter III of
chapter 53 of such title, relating to
classification and General Schedule pay rates;
and
(C) shall receive a salary that is commensurate
with the salaries of similar positions in similar
foundations.
(e) Limitation; Conflicts of Interests.--
(1) Political participation.--The Foundation may not
participate or intervene in any political activities on behalf
of any candidate for public office in any country.
(2) Financial interests.--All Directors of the Board,
Advisors, officers, and employees of the Foundation are subject
to industry standard conflicts of interest protocols set forth
in the Foundation bylaws.
SEC. 5. CORPORATE POWERS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE FOUNDATION.
(a) General Authorities.--The Foundation--
(1) may conduct business throughout the States,
territories, and possessions of the United States and in
foreign countries;
(2) shall have its principal offices in the Washington, DC,
metropolitan area; and
(3) shall continuously maintain a designated agent in
Washington, DC, who is authorized to accept notice or service
of process on behalf of the Foundation.
(b) Authorities.--In addition to powers explicitly authorized under
this Act, the Foundation, in order to carry out the purposes described
in section 3(b), shall have the usual powers of a corporation
headquartered in Washington, DC, including the authority--
(1) to accept, receive, solicit, hold, administer, and use
any gift, devise, or bequest, either absolutely or in trust, or
real or personal property or any income derived from such gift
or property, or other interest in such gift or property;
(2) to acquire by donation, gift, devise, purchase, or
exchange any real or personal property or interest in such
property;
(3) unless otherwise required by the instrument of
transfer, to sell, donate, lease, invest, reinvest, retain, or
otherwise dispose of any property or income derived from such
property;
(4) to complain and defend itself in any court of competent
jurisdiction (except that the Directors of the Board shall not
be personally liable, except for gross negligence);
(5) to enter into legal arrangements with public agencies,
private organizations, and persons and to make such payments as
may be necessary to carry out the purposes of such contracts or
arrangements; and
(6) to engage in funding activities, which may include
structured or project financing, grants, equity (provided that
returns flow back to the Foundation), and concessional lending,
for eligible projects, in accordance with section 7.
(c) Federal Funds.--
(1) In general.--The Foundation may--
(A) hold Federal funds made available, but not
immediately disbursed; and
(B) use any interest or other investment income
earned on such Federal funds to carry out the purposes
of the Foundation under this Act.
(2) Limitation.--Investments by the Foundation made with
Federal funds may only be made in--
(A) interest-bearing obligations of the United
States; or
(B) obligations guaranteed as to both principal and
interest by the United States.
(d) Limitation of Public Liability.--The United States shall not be
liable for any debts, defaults, acts, or omissions of the Foundation.
The Federal Government shall be held harmless from any damages or
awards ordered by a court against the Foundation.
SEC. 6. OUTCOME-BASED FUNDING, SAFEGUARDS, AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
(a) Outcome-Based Funding.--
(1) In general.--The Foundation shall establish a funding
strategy that sets targets based on measurable outcomes to be
improved in populations served through its investments,
including--
(A) identifying and regularly reviewing any such
outcomes that advance the purposes described in section
3(b), such as increased crop and animal productivity,
increased profit to farmers, or decreased hunger rates;
and
(B) a portfolio, multi-year, approach to Foundation
investments in which the failure of any specific
program to achieve target outcomes is acceptable if the
overall portfolio of projects meets target outcomes.
(2) Financing and evaluation process.--The Foundation shall
establish an efficient and streamlined financing and evaluation
process that--
(A) prioritizes the achievement of defined
outcomes;
(B) assesses risk of corruption and employs a
strategy to counter corruption;
(C) prioritizes funding ventures with partners that
are primarily locally based or locally run
organizations, entities, and businesses that--
(i) achieve such outcomes; and
(ii) demonstrate an ability to sustain the
financed project; and
(D) focuses venture evaluations on assessing such
outcomes and minimizing unnecessary reporting on
project activities.
(b) Accountability.--
(1) Impact evaluations.--The achievement of venture
outcomes shall be determined through impact evaluations that
include a comparison group to determine any measured
improvements that are attributable to the funded venture.
(2) Methodology assessments.--Foundation staff may assess
the methodology used by grantees or investees that are already
running impact evaluations to increase efficiency, and such
evaluations may be accepted in place of additional evaluations.
(3) Dedicated funding.--Any grantee or investee that lacks
impact evaluation capacity may receive dedicated funding to
support in-house evaluations or to contract with independent,
external evaluators.
(4) Third-party evaluations.--The Foundation may pay for
third-party evaluations of any grantee's project to verify the
results derived from an in-house evaluation.
(c) Safeguards.--The Foundation shall develop, and incorporate into
any agreement for support provided by the Foundation, appropriate
safeguards, policies, and guidelines, consistent with internationally
recognized best practices.
(d) Independent Accountability Mechanism.--The Foundation shall
establish or contract for a transparent and independent accountability
mechanism, consistent with best practices, which shall provide--
(1) a compliance review function that assesses whether
Foundation-supported ventures adhere to the requirements
developed pursuant to subsection (a);
(2) a dispute resolution function for resolving and
remedying concerns between venture implementers regarding the
impacts of specific Foundation-supported ventures with respect
to such standards; and
(3) an advisory function that reports to the Board
regarding ventures, policies, and practices.
SEC. 7. VENTURES, FINANCING, AND GRANTS.
(a) Venture Funding Requirements.--
(1) In general.--The Foundation shall award funding, which
may include project financing, credit risk insurance, grants,
concessional lending, or credit, in accordance with this
section, for eligible projects described in paragraph (2)
that--
(A) increase agricultural productivity and incomes;
and
(B) ensure food security is achieved and sustained,
while supporting farmers moving beyond subsistence
agriculture to growing higher value crops that can be
sold for profit.
(2) Eligible ventures.--A venture qualifies as an eligible
venture if the venture seeks--
(A) to have cost matching from sources other than
the United States Government;
(B) to incorporate a set of key independently
verified outcomes, which shall be measured by rigorous
impact evaluations, such as measuring attributable
increases in agricultural yields, infrastructure, or
any other eligible use;
(C) to not substantially duplicate the work of
other funders or institutions or displace current
profit-making ventures;
(D) to leverage existing infrastructure and
community-led development to allow for the immediate
launch of ventures;
(E) to advance the national security interests of
the United States;
(F) to demonstrate--
(i) the ability to financially and
operationally maintain and build on the
outcomes or mission of the venture after the
Foundation funding has ended; or
(ii) a plan to strengthen the capacity of,
and transfer skills and technologic tools to,
local enterprises, organizations, or
institutions to manage projects and other
funded entities after the Foundation funding
has been expended; and
(G) to consider projects that meet the highest
needs of food insecure populations based on food
security, agriculture, and malnutrition assessments.
(b) Eligible Countries for Ventures.--Before entering into any
venture agreement pursuant to this section, the Board shall--
(1) establish criteria to determine whether a country is
eligible to receive funding for such a venture; and
(2) identify ventures to receive support that--
(A) advance the national security priorities of the
United States;
(B) have demonstrated leadership to modernize the
country's agricultural food systems, in partnership
with the private sector; and
(C) are committed--
(i) to making policy reforms to help
transform, scale, and build enduring food
systems;
(ii) to cofinancing and sustaining long-
term projects implemented by the Foundation;
and
(iii) to collaborating with stakeholders--
(I) to increase agricultural
production and crop yields;
(II) to scale resilient food
systems; and
(III) to improve food safety,
processing, logistics, and supply chain
processes for input and output markets.
(c) Funding Authorized.--
(1) In general.--In order to maximize the impact of the
funding authorized under this section, the Foundation should--
(A) coordinate with other international public and
private donors or investors and local organizations
active in food security to the extent possible; and
(B) seek additional financial and nonfinancial
contributions and commitments for its projects from
host governments and other organizations.
(2) Funding criteria.--Funding awarded pursuant to this
section--
(A) shall be provided to ventures that demonstrate
progress, during the funding period, in achieving
clearly identified performance indicators and outcomes
defined in the project agreement, which may include--
(i) increasing agricultural or food
production through agriculture research and the
competitive delivery of market-based financing,
distribution and extension services, and
supporting technology commercialization and
adoption through such services;
(ii) improving the nutritional status of
intended beneficiaries by--
(I) increasing the production,
availability, and access of nutritious
foods domestically;
(II) promoting highly nutritious
foods, diet diversification, and
nutritional behaviors that improve
maternal and child health; and
(III) supporting the expansion of
producer market opportunities;
(iii) building resilient food systems to
help mitigate against future food shocks among
vulnerable populations and households; and
(iv) identifying additional revenue sources
or financing mechanisms to meet the recurring
costs of ventures by serving as a conduit
between institutional investors and the
agribusiness sector; and
(B) may be terminated if the Board determines that
the country receiving such funding--
(i) is not meeting applicable requirements
under this Act;
(ii) is not making progress in achieving
the key performance indicators described in the
project agreement; or
(iii) is not advancing United States
national security priorities.
SEC. 8. PROHIBITION OF SUPPORT IN COUNTRIES THAT SUPPORT TERRORISM OR
VIOLATE HUMAN RIGHTS AND OF SUPPORT FOR SANCTIONED
PERSONS.
(a) In General.--The Foundation may not provide support for any
government, or any entity owned or controlled by a government, if the
Secretary of State determines that such government--
(1) has repeatedly provided support for acts of
international terrorism, as determined under--
(A) section 1754(c)(1)(A)(i) of the Export Control
Reform Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 4813(c)(1)(A)(i));
(B) section 620A(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act
of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2371(a));
(C) section 40(d) of the Arms Export Control Act
(22 U.S.C. 2780(d)); or
(D) any other relevant provision of law;
(2) has repeatedly engaged with any organizations
designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the Secretary
in accordance with section 219 of the Immigration and
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189); or
(3) has engaged in a consistent pattern of gross violations
of human rights, as determined under section 116(a) or
502B(a)(2) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C.
2151n(a) and 2304(a)(2)) or any other relevant provision of
law.
(b) Prohibition of Support for Sanctioned Persons.--The Foundation
may not engage in any dealing prohibited under United States sanctions
laws or regulations, including dealings with persons on the list of
specially designated persons and blocked persons maintained by the
Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury,
except to the extent otherwise authorized by the Secretary of State or
the Secretary of the Treasury.
(c) Waiver.--The President may waive the application of subsections
(a) and (b) with respect to any government, or any entity owned or
controlled by a government, by notifying the appropriate congressional
committees of the intention to exercise such waiver not later than 45
days before the waiver is scheduled to take effect.
SEC. 9. ANNUAL REPORT.
Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act,
and annually thereafter by March 31st of any year during which the
Foundation is operational, the Executive Director of the Foundation
shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report
that--
(1) has been approved by the Board of Directors;
(2) contains the expectations of the year ahead; and
(3) describes--
(A) the goals of the Foundation for the upcoming
year, including areas to increase operational
efficiency and further advance United States policy
objectives and national security;
(B) lessons learned and best practices developed
through projects funded by the Foundation during the
prior fiscal year;
(C) a project-specific and a portfolio-level report
describing--
(i) the progress achieved against key
performance indicators and the outcomes
described in section 6, and
(ii) how such progress will benefit the
American taxpayer;
(D) an assessment of--
(i) whether the grant making and financing
processes are effective and expeditious;
(ii) how any necessary additional
efficiencies can be built into future project
selection; and
(iii) whether project evaluations are
successfully measuring outcomes;
(E) how the funding and selected projects
authorized under this Act were publicized in the
selected country to expand recognition for the United
States; and
(F) an annual financial report from an independent
auditor.
SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--Using funds appropriated to the Department of
State to carry out chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act
of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2346 et seq.), the Secretary of State is authorized
to award an annual grant to the Foundation to enable the Foundation to
carry out the purposes specified in section 3(b).
(b) Cost Matching Requirement.--Amounts authorized to be
appropriated pursuant to subsection (a) shall be made available, on a
cost matching basis, to the maximum extent practicable, from sources
other than the United States Government.
(c) Consultation Requirement.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State and the
Executive Director of the Foundation shall consult with the Committee
on Appropriations of the Senate, the Committee on Foreign Relations of
the Senate, the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of
the Senate, the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives, the Committee on Agriculture of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives regarding the implementation of this Act and the
proposed activities of the Foundation.
(d) Prohibition of Use of Grants for Lobbying Expenses.--No grant
funds provided by the Foundation pursuant to section 7 may be used for
any activity intended to influence legislation pending before Congress.
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