Chemonics, established in 1975 as a subsidiary of Erly Industries,[13] is an employee-owned, for-profit corporation based in Washington, D.C.[3] The international development and consulting firm has received some of the U.S. government's largest aid contracts supporting agriculture, conflict and crisis, democracy, economic development, education, energy, governance, health care and supply chain, international trade, microfinance, sustainability, water, welfare reform, and youth programs.

[19][20] As of December 2023, the firm has offices in downtown Washington, D.C., and Crystal City in Arlington County, Virginia, headquarters in Navy Yard.

[23] Chemonics was established as a subsidiary of Erly Industries in 1975 by Thurston Teele,[25] with support from Gerald D. Murphy, the parent company's CEO and largest shareholder.

[27] In mid-2002, the company was awarded a $2.9 million contract to hire 3,000 locals to repair acequia and roads in Afghanistan's Shomali Plain.

[25] In Haiti, during the 2000s, Chemonics worked on agriculture programs, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, and the "WINNER" project, which promotes the farming of Jatropha curcas to serve as biofuel.

[30][31] Chemonics ranked number 70 in Washington Technology's 2009 list of the "top 100" largest government contractors based on revenue for the 2008 fiscal year and had approximately 3,200 employees at the time.

[38] Chemonics responded, saying that reports, assessments, and the final third-party evaluation of USAID's earthquake recovery program revealed that claims of failure in Haiti were exaggerated.

"[37] When locals were required by USAID, Chemonics' policies "limited the transparency of the selection process and increase the risk of corruption or favoritism by granting decision-making authority to a few individuals.

[41] Through USAID, Chemonics has supported the White Helmets, a volunteer organization formed during the Syrian Civil War and operating in parts of rebel-controlled Syria and in Turkey.

[14][42] Funding from USAID and the Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta allowed Chemonics to operate the Strengthening Advocacy and Civic Engagement governance project in Nigeria from 2014 to 2018.

[46] USAID also awarded a $37 million contract for Chemonics to operate the "Promote" program in Afghanistan, which seeks to help women find employment in the civil society, private, and public sectors; in 2018, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction criticized USAID for results achieved to date.

[50][51][52] The company ranked number 19 on Washington Technology's "top 100" list in 2018 and reportedly earned contracts valued at $1.613 billion.

[55] In 2018, the Council of the District of Columbia approved a $5.2 million property tax break for Chemonics' headquarters relocation,[56] despite opposition by member Elissa Silverman who objected to the company's troubled history of discriminatory hiring.

This claim relates to whether Chemonics may have violated the Anti-Terrorism Act which makes it illegal for any individual or entity to provide material support to terrorist groups like the Taliban.