Did US aid fund dance programs in Haiti and which agencies were involved?
Executive summary
Available reporting shows U.S. aid to Haiti has funded health, education and youth programs but not evidence that the U.S. specifically paid for “dance focus groups” or cooking classes for male sex workers; a Snopes analysis of PEPFAR spending found no $3.6 million payment for such activities [1]. U.S. agencies involved across Haiti programs include USAID and the State Department/PEPFAR; watchdog and reporting pieces document large USAID obligations (hundreds of millions) and risks to program delivery amid suspensions and security problems [2] [3] [4].
1. The claim and the fact-check trail
A widely circulated claim — cited in testimony and later in political debate — alleged the U.S. spent $3.6 million on pastry classes and “dance focus groups” for male sex workers in Haiti under PEPFAR; fact-checking by Snopes and analysis of PEPFAR datasets concluded the datasets do not show that $3.6 million was spent on cooking classes or dance focus groups for Haitian sex workers [1]. Snopes traces the assertion to Office of Management and Budget testimony and finds the PEPFAR data do not corroborate the headline figure [1].
2. What U.S. programs in Haiti actually fund
U.S. assistance to Haiti routinely covers health (including HIV/AIDS prevention through PEPFAR), education, governance, security-sector support and humanitarian relief; State’s archived country guidance lists U.S. support for primary health care, HIV/AIDS prevention, immunizations and sexual- and gender‑based violence services [5]. USAID reporting and GAO audits document reconstruction, health and development projects amounting to large totals — historical USAID commitments to Haiti number in the hundreds of millions to billions over time, and USAID has obligated significant funds in recent years [6] [2].
3. Which U.S. agencies are named in reporting
Primary U.S. actors in Haiti cited across the documents are the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) as the main development implementer, and the State Department — including PEPFAR for HIV/AIDS programs — as funder and policy lead; snippets make clear PEPFAR is the vehicle referenced in the disputed claim, and USAID obligations are repeatedly documented in analyses [1] [5] [2]. Congressional and GAO materials also place State and USAID at the center of bilateral programming and oversight [7] [6].
4. Limits and legal constraints on certain activities
PEPFAR funding is governed by U.S. law and implementing rules that require recipients to adopt policies opposing prostitution to receive federal anti‑HIV/AIDS funds; fact-checkers note that legal framework makes it unlikely PEPFAR would directly fund activities framed as promoting prostitution, reinforcing why the $3.6 million allegation was questioned [1]. Available sources do not list line‑item payments for dance‑groups or pastry classes in the PEPFAR datasets Snopes reviewed [1].
5. Context of program disruption and how it affects reporting
Multiple sources document major disruptions: an executive order and funding suspensions in 2025 halted or slowed many U.S.-funded programs, and USAID audits note operational risks, staff evacuations, and reduced in‑country oversight — factors that complicate tracking and communicating what projects exist or were paused [4] [3]. Those funding interruptions help explain confusion and politicized claims about what U.S. dollars were supporting on the ground [4] [2].
6. Competing interpretations and political use of the story
Reporting shows the dance/cooking claim emerged in a political context — invoked as an example of “wasteful” foreign spending during budget fights — and fact‑checking organizations countered that PEPFAR data do not support the specific allegation [1]. Critics of U.S. aid argue aid can have perverse effects in Haiti and call for re‑evaluation [2]; supporters emphasize large-scale health, food and security programming documented by State, USAID and watchdogs [5] [6].
7. Bottom line and what’s not in the reporting
Available sources corroborate that USAID and State/PEPFAR are central U.S. actors in Haitian programming and that large sums have been obligated for health, security and development [5] [6] [2]. However, the specific $3.6 million line item for dance focus groups and cooking classes for male sex workers is not supported by the PEPFAR datasets reviewed by Snopes [1]. Sources do not provide a detailed, line‑by‑line public accounting that lists every community activity in Haiti, so absolute proof of the absence of any small local cultural or skills events funded indirectly is not in the current reporting — but the contested $3.6 million figure and its characterization lack corroboration in the cited PEPFAR analysis [1].