2011 Grants | Elton John Aids Foundation

EJAF December 2011 Grants

- health services for Black women, one of the highest HIV-impacted populations in this country;
- innovative programs focused on the health and rights of gay and bisexual men throughout the U.S.;
- programs designed to help people with HIV who are leaving prison to access and stay on treatment and maintain their health as they reintegrate into society;
- small community grants supporting services for gay men throughout Latin America;
- clinical and mental health services for vulnerable populations in the Caribbean; and
- additional funding totaling $1.6 million over two years to support over 50 community organizations providing needle exchange and harm reduction services for injection drug users

“Through the efforts of hundreds of privately-funded syringe access programs, HIV incidence due to injection drug use in the U.S. has declined from 25% of all infections in 2000 to 9% today,” said Executive Director Scott Campbell. “Scaled-up syringe access programming could bring injection-related HIV infections down to zero. Given Congress’ unfortunate reinstatement of the ban on the use of federal funding for syringe exchange programs, EJAF’s increased investments as one of the top three funders in this field are particularly crucial.”

“For twenty years, EJAF has remained consistent in our mission, even as we’ve increased the scope and reach of our grant-making,” added Chairman David Furnish. “Our most recent grants continue this historic focus, dedicating critical funding to the most urgent and under-resourced aspects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.”

EJAF December 2011 Grant List

Caribbean

Partners In Health (PIH), Boston, MA, Renewal, $500,000
SeROvie, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, New, $50,000

Latin America

amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, New York, NY, Renewal, $250,000
HIV Collaborative Fund at Tides Center, Renewal, $150,000

Southern United States

AIDS Alabama, Birmingham, AL, New, $25,000
Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, Akron, OH, Renewal, $50,000
BASIC NWFL, Inc., Panama City, FL, New, $34,500
North Carolina AIDS Action Network, Raleigh, NC, New, $50,000
Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, Houston, TX, New, $25,000
Southwest Louisiana AIDS Council, Lake Charles, LA, Renewal, $40,000

Domestic MSM Initiative

AIDS Care Center for Education & Support Services, Norfolk, VA, Renewal, $75,000
AIDS Resource Center Ohio, Dayton, OH, Renewal, $50,000
AIDS/HIV Services Group, Charlottesville, VA, Renewal, $32,000
Community AIDS Resource, Inc., dba Care Resource, Miami, FL, Renewal, $40,000
Compass, Inc., Lake Worth, FL, New, $35,000
Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Greater Fort Lauderdale, Inc., Wilton Manors, FL, Renewal, $50,000
Harlem United Community AIDS Center, Inc., New York, NY, Renewal, $75,000
Health Outreach Prevention Education (H.O.P.E.), Tulsa, OK, Renewal, $50,000
HEAT Program/Research Foundation of SUNY, Brooklyn, NY, Renewal, $50,000
Jacksonville Area Sexual Minority Youth Network, Inc., Jacksonville, FL, New, $40,000
Michael Reese Research and Education Foundation, Chicago, IL, Renewal, $37,950
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, Renewal, $50,000
NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, Renewal, $50,000
Okaloosa AIDS Support and Informational Services, Inc. (OASIS), Fort Walton Beach, FL, Renewal, $75,000
Out Youth, Austin, TX, Renewal, $25,000
Positive Impact, Inc., Atlanta, GA, Renewal, $40,000
Resource Center of Dallas, Dallas, TX, New, $38,000
Sex Workers Project, New York, NY, New, $50,000
St. Hope Foundation, Inc., Houston, TX, New, $50,000
The Attic Youth Center, Philadelphia, PA, Renewal, $45,000
Trinity Lutheran Church, New York, NY, Renewal, $25,000
Youth Outlook, Naperville, IL, Renewal, $25,000

Injection Drug Users

Syringe Access Fund, Renewal, $620,000 over 2 years

Incarcerated Populations

ACLU Foundation, New York, NY, Renewal, $150,000
Bailey House, New York, NY, Renewal, $35,000
Correctional Association of NY, New York, NY, New, $50,000
Fan Free Clinic, Richmond, VA, New, $50,000
Health and Home Support Services, Inc., Newport News, VA, New, $50,000
Health People, Inc., New York, NY, New, $50,000
NCCI/The Center for HIV Law and Policy, New York, NY, Renewal, $50,000
St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY, Renewal, $25,000
STAND, Inc., Decatur, GA, New, $40,000

African Americans

The Brooklyn Hospital Center: PATH Center, Brooklyn, NY, New, $25,000

Youth and Sexual Health

ACLU, New York, NY, Renewal, $50,000
HIV/AIDS Empowerment Resource Center for Young Women, Inc., Atlanta, GA, New, $34,172
NCCI/The Center for HIV Law and Policy, New York, NY, Renewal, $50,000
Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando, Inc., Orlando, FL, New, $25,000
Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Virginia, Virginia Beach, VA, New, $45,000

Project Descriptions

The Caribbean – Subtotal $550,000

Partners In Health (PIH), Boston, MA, Renewal, $500,000, Providing Comprehensive HIV Care in St. Marc, Haiti: For over two decades, PIH has delivered high-quality medical care and social support to the poorest of the poor living in rural Haiti. Today, PIH is the largest health care provider in Central Haiti, serving a catchment area of 1.3 million through twelve clinical posts in the Central Plateau and the Lower Artibonite Valley. In response to the earthquake that struck the capital city in January 2010, PIH also provides care to internally displaced people who are living in temporary settlement camps in Port-au-Prince, reaching a catchment area of roughly 100,000 displaced people. In 2007, PIH expanded its HIV program to St. Marc, a coastal city of 1 million located in the lower Artibonite Valley with an adult HIV prevalence rate double that of the Central Plateau, an urban population characterized by marginalized groups (commercial sex workers, men who have sex with men) at higher risk of HIV infection, and now an influx of internally displaced people who have fled Port-au-Prince. Since 2009, EJAF has supported PIH’s HIV care program in St. Marc, providing care to a catchment area of 220,000 via two public health facilities. Since EJAF began investing in the HIV program in St. Marc, the HIV program has grown substantially; in just three years patient enrollment has increased from 1,268 HIV-positive patients followed to 2,875.

SeROvie, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, New, $50,000, Psycho-Medical Support for Haitian LGBT: SEROvie recently conducted a needs assessment involving over 500 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals across all five regions in Haiti, identifying non-discriminatory medical and psychological support services as one of the highest priority needs of the community. At present, there are no health clinics, HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing facilities, or treatment centers that address the specific needs of the LGBT community in Haiti. This grant will enable SeROvie to establish an HIV testing and counseling clinic in its Port-au-Prince office, improve HIV/STI testing services for LGBT individuals, provide counseling and follow-up support, and improve capacity of medical personnel to engage with and treat LGBT individuals.

Latin America – Subtotal $400,000

amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, New York, NY, Renewal, $250,000, The MSM Initiative, Latin America: amfAR’s MSM Initiative was started in 2007 in an effort to improve access to HIV prevention and treatment services for gay, bisexual, and transgender men globally. Through small grants and technical assistance to grassroots organizations, the Initiative has supported 104 frontline projects in 64 countries to date. Because of the risks and pressures associated with this work in locales where homophobia is rampant, amfAR’s role as a linking and supporting organization is extremely important. Equally important is amfAR’s tremendous advocacy capacity. While interventions implemented by amfAR’s grantees have direct impact on the communities they serve, amfAR’s policy work makes the voices on the ground heard by decision-makers worldwide. Since 2007, amfAR has received $700,000 in funding from EJAF for support to interventions in this region, and has funded 36 projects in 14 Latin American countries, including newly recommended grants from an August 2011 peer review meeting, at which 11 projects in the following countries were recommended for funding: Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. This renewal grant will support (1) additional grants to Latin American community partners for HIV service delivery, research, and advocacy; (2) technical assistance to ensure capacity development and sustainability of these projects; (3) formalized evaluation of funded projects; and (4) advocacy on a national, regional and global level

HIV Collaborative Fund at Tides Center, Renewal, $150,000, International Treatment Preparedness Coalition Latin America: The International Treatment Preparedness Coalitions’s Latin America affiliate, the International Coalition of Treatment Activists, is a network of activists working in Latin America to guarantee equitable access to treatments and complete quality healthcare in the frame of human rights promoting and enhancing the involvement of persons with HIV. Since 2007, EJAF has awarded over $1.825 million to The Coalition. With this grant, The Coalition will work to advance its treatment access goals for the region by mounting a new cycle of grantmaking, as well as additional grantee support through regional coordination, technical assistance, and capacity building. Ten Latin American grantees in 10 different countries are currently being supported by The Coalition. Six will be invited to participate in the next round of grants, including Association of LGBT Identities in Dialogue in Ecuador, Positive Friendship Association in Guatemala, Women Union Leaders Association in Peru, FUNDECOM (Community Development Foundation) in Nicaragua, FUNDECY (Community Development Foundation of Yoro) in Honduras, and National Working Committee of Key Populations in Bolivia.

Southern United States – Subtotal $224,500

AIDS Alabama, Birmingham, AL, New, $25,000, Empowering HIV Advocates to Change Policy in Alabama: AIDS Alabama is the largest HIV/AIDS service provider in the state and helps to fund nine other AIDS service organizations in an effort to cover all 67 counties of the geographically large state. Through education, communication, and mobilization strategies, AIDS Alabama focuses on providing a voice for HIV-positive Alabamians to communicate to the community and decision makers about issues that affect their health and well-being. AIDS Alabama hosts annual consumer education trainings for HIV-positive persons throughout the state of Alabama, provides opportunities for HIV-positive consumers to communicate to their elected officials and relevant decision makers, and hosts an annual Media Day in Montgomery that provides a direct channel for HIV-positive persons to engage their elected officials in discussion about HIV/AIDS issues. EJAF funding will support AIDS Alabama’s advocacy efforts in Alabama on the following three issues: (1) funding for the HIV/AIDS care system and infrastructure; (2) HIV/AIDS-related laws and policies; and (3) comprehensive sexual health education.

Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, Akron, OH, Renewal, $50,000, Train the Trainer HIV Nursing Workshops: The Association promotes the individual and collective professional development of nurses involved in the delivery of health care to persons infected or affected by HIV. Since 2009, EJAF has provided over $87,000 to The Association for “Train the Trainer” HIV Workshops in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi. This grant supports The Association’s Basic HIV Nurse Mentorship program, a series of five webinars: 1) HIV Treatment Updates, 2) HIV Prevention Update, 3) HIV Symptom Management, 4) HIV Epidemiology, and 5) Leadership. Each webinar will provide 2 continuing education hours, and participating nurses will recieve a one year Association membership, which will give them access to educational updates and the Journal of the Association of Nurses in Aids Care. Any nurse participating in all five trainings will qualify for the opportunity to attend The Associations’s annual conference November 15-18, 2012, in Tuscon Arizona.

BASIC NWFL, Inc., Panama City, FL, New, $34,500, Linking In Need Communities: BASIC of Northwest Florida, Inc. (BASIC) is a 501 (c) 3 not for profit organization whose mission is to aide, assist and comfort those living with HIV/AIDS and to provide awareness, education and prevention services to those at risk of contracting HIV. As the only comprehensive HIV/AIDS non-profit community agency in the area, BASIC serves six counties of the north Florida Panhandle: Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson and Washington. BASIC has provided case management services and access to a broad range of medical related services to HIV positive persons since 1990, as well as prevention services to those at risk of contracting the virus since 1994. Linking In Need Communities program seeks to link people living with HIV into medical care and treatment services. The Program includes three core components: Positive Education, Positive Referrals, and Positive Connection. The overall goal of the program is to increase the number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the six county area who are linked to primary medical care and have access to prescribed medications.

North Carolina AIDS Action Network, Raleigh, NC, New, $50,000, Gaining Rights the Organizing Way (GROW) Project: The North Carolina AIDS Action Network is a statewide advocacy organization fighting for the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS, their loved ones, and people at risk of acquiring HIV/AIDS in North Carolina. The Network is committed to building HIV/AIDS advocacy capacity at the grassroots by inviting everyone who cares about HIV/AIDS to become part of its Action Team – members who are provided with periodic updates, timely Action Alerts, and opportunities to participate in major advocacy events, including HIV/AIDS Advocacy Day. The Network’s outreach strategies ensure high representation of people living with HIV/AIDS, African Americans, Hispanics, LGBT people, youth, women, injection drug users, and rural North Carolinians. Current advocacy projects include: (1) leading statewide efforts to maintain funding for life-saving HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programs; (2) connecting with HIV/AIDS organizations, members of the HIV/AIDS community, and everyone who cares about HIV/AIDS across North Carolina in order to strengthen the advocacy network; (3) developing and implementing strategies to combat HIV-related stigma in North Carolina; (4) assisting the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition (NCHRC) in its efforts to decriminalize syringe possession; and, (5) assisting the Duke AIDS Legal Project in its efforts to expand access to care by improving transportation options for PLWHA, especially in rural areas.

Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, Houston, TX, New, $25,000, HIV/AIDS Prevention and Outreach in Greater Houston and Louisiana: Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast provides high quality, affordable reproductive and sexual health care and prevention education for nearly 85,000 women, men, and teens annually who reside in southeast Texas and Louisiana. The organization’s 12 health centers are open to all, but many of clients are low-income, uninsured, and at-risk for HIV/AIDS, STIs, and unintended pregnancy. All clients are served in a compassionate, confidential environment and in Spanish or Vietnamese as needed. Health care services include: well-woman exams, pregnancy tests, and all FDA approved contraception; screenings for breast and cervical cancer, STIs, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, hypertension, anemia, and kidney/urinary infections; same-day test results; treatments for many STDs and infectious conditions; and counseling and referrals to other providers for HIV/AIDS treatment. HIV Prevention Program serves from 6,500 to 7,500 persons annually.

Southwest Louisiana AIDS Council, Lake Charles, LA, Renewal, $40,000, Facilitating Access to Coordinated Treatment (FACT): EJAF has provided funding in the past to develop the FACT (Find, Access, Coordinate, and Treat) intervention designed to navigate patients from the time of their diagnosis, through entry into medical and supportive services care, and throughout the treatment process. FACT is a project that provides focused intervention with HIV+ persons, especially those entering the HIV care system and those considered “out of care.” The project features a system navigation approach linking outreach workers with individual patients, providing targeted assessments of patient needs (reducing barriers), and coordinating services with other community providers in a wide range of supportive services. System navigation programs assist HIV+ patients in making better use of available resources, developing effective communication with providers – both medical and support services, sustaining HIV care over time, and navigating the complex web of interdisciplinary treatment. EJAF renewal funding is tied to a recent grant award by the 2010 ViiV Healthcare Positive Action US for a treatment adherence program (TAP). The treatment adherence case manager works in tandem with the system navigator in evaluating the effectiveness of health system navigation and the FACT intervention. These two projects are part of the Louisiana Public Health Institute’s (LPHI) Positive Charge Initiative which is studying access to care models as part of a national funding project.

Domestic MSM Initiative – Subtotal $1,007,950

AIDS Care Center for Education & Support Services, Norfolk, VA, Renewal, $75,000, The LGBT Center of Hampton Roads: In 2011, with funds from EJAF, this organization began development of the region’s only LGBT Center to provide social support, education, and mental health services. At the same time, the agency became a partner of Advocates for Youth’s Anti-Homophobia/Transphobia Project which provided technical assistance for the development of a safe space for LGBTQ youth. The organization also operates the Transition Your Life Clinic, the only transgender-focused medical clinic in eastern Virginia, providing psychosocial assessments, HIV and syphilis testing, and medical care to those wishing to transition through hormone replacement therapy. The grant provides a second year of funding for The LGBT Center and the Transition Your Life Clinic.

AIDS Resource Center Ohio, Dayton, OH, Renewal, $50,000, Healthy Gay Men Ohio: AIDS Resource Center Ohio (ARC Ohio) is a nonprofit, community-based organization that has been providing a full range of HIV prevention, advocacy, and support services for nearly three decades. The Healthy Gay Men Ohio Project advocates for gay, bisexual, and transgender men in Ohio and for local, state and federal level funding allocations that match the HIV incidence for the region and the priorities set by the local HIV planning group. The project also provides HIV outreach and education for gay, bisexual, and transgender men across Ohio, especially in the African American and Latino populations.

AIDS/HIV Services Group, Charlottesville, VA, Renewal, $32,000, Project Thrive: Project Thrive is a self-management support program for both positive and negative MSM based on goal-setting, problem-solving skills, peer mentoring and adherence and prevention programs. The program is implemented through a 10 session curriculum. For HIV-positive MSM, the curriculum will be integrated into the medical case management process provided by the agency. For negative MSM, the classes will be held during the evenings at a local night club in Charlottesville, VA, Club 216. As the only explicitly LGBTQ venue in Charlottesville, the space is comfortable and familiar to the local MSM population. The first curriculum series will serve as a “train-the-trainer” model targeting volunteers who can then run the sessions for specific populations which may include: young gay men; bisexual men; active substance users; substance users in recovery; re-entry populations; affected populations; MSM over 55; treatment-experienced and long-term survivors; and newly identified Positives.

Community AIDS Resource, Inc., dba Care Resource, Miami, FL, Renewal, $40,000, Health Intervention Project for MSM (HIP for MSM): Care Resource is dedicated to providing culturally appropriate services to women, men and children in response to HIV/AIDS spectrum illness in diverse communities of Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. Patients have access at a “one-stop” location to primary medical care, oral health care, information and referrals, medical case management, mental health and substance abuse counseling, transportation vouchers, counseling and testing and clinical trials and research studies. The outpatient medical care program currently serves over 2,000 individuals living with HIV/AIDS, and targets individuals living with HIV and one or more co-morbidities such as chronic mental illness, substance abuse, homelessness and multiple sexually transmitted diseases. Since 2008, EJAF has awarded $105,000 to Care Resource for its work. This grant supports the organization’s HIV testing and treatment programs targeting men who have sex with men.

Compass, Inc., Lake Worth, FL, New, $35,000, Compass Peer Navigator Program: Compass aims to diminish stereotypes by challenging long-standing misconceptions about the character of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community through emboldening youth, promoting pride in the LGBT community, and acting as an educator, advocate, health service provider, and focal point for community organizing. Since 1994, Compass has offered case management services for people living with HIV/AIDS. The program assists clients in identifying appropriate service options by providing instructions and documents to ease the process to obtain medical assistance. Case managers provide clients assistance with access to medications, transportation and pantry vouchers, rental assistance, and psychotherapy. Compass also performs outreach to gay and bisexual men in Palm Beach County, and now reaches and educates more than 15,000 people annually. This grant supports the organization’s Peer Navigator Program, in which case managers link newly enrolled individuals with a peer navigator from the organization’s “Positive Living” support group that has been meeting at Compass since 1996 to provide resources and support. By pairing new clients with peer navigators who have years of experience living with HIV/AIDS and navigating the systems of care, the new clients are more likely to remain in care, remain adherent to their medications, decrease their sense of isolation, and learn acceptance of their HIV status.

Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Greater Fort Lauderdale, Inc., Wilton Manors, FL, Renewal, $50,000, LIFE Goes On: Gay, Bi, Trans and unidentified MSM utilize the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Greater Fort Lauderdale because of its quality, confidentiality and range of programs and activities. The Center is an official Dept. of Health HIV testing site and is the largest provider of HIVcounseling, testing, referral and HIV/AIDS prevention in Broward County. The Center utilizes its programs as opportunities to inform and engage clients in adopting appropriate HIV/STI prevention behaviors and in linking them to needed primary care, behavioral health and social services. The recently implemented EJAF-funded LIFE Goes On Initiative provides a series of diverse health education workshops and a safe drop-in space for those who are either MSM or not, and HIV positive or not but at risk. The 18-week LIFE Program provides HIV+ MSM with coaching to help each participant create personal health plans for long-term thriving with HIV. Participation boosts the immune system, lowers risk behaviors and increases adherence to health routines, including medication schedules. Recent LIFE graduates reported 26% improvement in trusted support, access to medical care, health routines, coping skills, risk behavior, depression and body care

Harlem United Community AIDS Center, Inc., New York, NY, Renewal, $75,000, HOME WORK: Harlem United has a 20-year history of providing primary care and social services to most underserved and hard-to-reach men and women in Upper Manhattan and the South Bronx with multiple complex issues such as a lack of affordable housing, low income, diabetes, hypertension, HIV/AIDS, mental illness, substance use, chronic homelessness, and extreme poverty. In late 2010, EJAF awarded Harlem United $75,000 to create new peer leader stipend lines for HOME, the organization’s unique CDC-endorsed HIV/AIDS prevention program for at-risk young minority men who have sex with men ages 16-29, which empowers peer leaders through training and stipends to bring prevention messages to their personal social networks through support groups, the web, prevention events, and daily outreach center activities. With this grant, Harlem United will build on the success of HOME by growing its vocational education offerings, which provides professional and academic services to HOME clients. Of the 130 HOME members, 50% are homeless, and 42% do not have a high school diploma or GED. 77% of clients request assistance with enrolling in school or finding and preparing for employment, but many of members are too old for the employment programs that serve LGBT youth. EJAF funding will provide Volunteer Leader stipends to HOME participants and improve the program’s focus on vocational education (HOME WORK) by providing quarterly vocational/educational support groups during HOME member hours and one-on-one job prep counseling by the HOME social worker (including resume creation, mock interviews, and referrals to partner programs such as Dress for Success).

Health Outreach Prevention Education (H.O.P.E.), Tulsa, OK, Renewal, $50,000, IMPACT: Health Outreach Prevention Education (H.O.P.E.) is an independent, non-for-profit organization serving Tulsa and surrounding communities since 1998 and serves as a leading provider specializing in HIV and Hepatitis C prevention. The agency provides comprehensive community education, testing, counseling and referral services, operates the only statewide HIV/Sexually Transmitted Infection hotline and conducts a variety of targeted outreach efforts focused on men, women and underserved populations. In 2010, H.O.P.E. received $60,000 from the Elton John AIDS Foundation to develop a social marketing, media and rural outreach program called IMPACT. The funding provided the foundation and groundwork for a more innovative way to outreach to men who have sex with men in our rural area outside of Tulsa. As second year of funding will support testing services and risk reduction counseling, community education, mobile testing services provided onsite at partnering agencies and educational facilities, and a marketing campaign to promote testing and safer sex practices

HEAT Program/Research Foundation of SUNY, Brooklyn, NY, Renewal, $50,000, YMSM/Transgender Health Project: The Health and Education Alternatives for Teens (HEAT) Program was established in 1992 with funding from the New York State AIDS Institute through the Research Foundation of State University of New York and is the only program of its kind in Brooklyn to offer comprehensive medical, mental health and supportive services for HIV+ youth, ages 13 to 24. HEAT provides age appropriate, culturally competent care for LGBT, heterosexual, Black and Latino youth at the Center for Health Services at Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn in one of the highest HIV-prevalence areas in NYC, and the nation. The full-service clinic embraces a philosophy of “one-stop shopping,” where all HIV-related care is provided by an interdisciplinary team, eliminating the barriers which youth often face when trying to access health care. Since 1992 HEAT has cared for over 300 HIV+ youth. Support from EJAF has enabled HEAT to expand/enhance its young MSM/Transgender Youth Health Project, through the addition of a part-time nurse practitioner who provides medical care to the organization’s growing caseload of young MSM/transgender patients. HEAT proactively reaches out to this population, which might not otherwise engage in health care, by tapping into their social networks, targeting outreach and offering HIV care and treatment at community-based organizations for LGBT youth, foster care group homes, drop-in centers for homeless youth, night clubs, churches, House Balls, Pride events, large-scale HIV care and treatment events, parks, underground house parties where young MSM engage in unprotected sex, and juvenile justice facilities.

Jacksonville Area Sexual Minority Youth Network, Inc., Jacksonville, FL, New, $40,000, Mobilizing Youth for Action Against AIDS Project: The Jacksonville Area Sexual Minority Youth Network, Inc., mission is support and empower gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth, ages 13 – 23, by creating safe space, providing youth development services, and bringing people and resources together to promote diversity and human rights. The Network’s Mobilizing Youth for Action Against AIDS Project works to educate, empower, and mobilize African American young gay and other YMSM in the reduction of HIV and STD risk behaviors, and to convene, educate, and mobilize community leaders and the MSM community members in their support of HIV prevention, treatment and care for African American YMSM. EJAF funds will be matched with limited state dollars to support the project at its full capacity.

Michael Reese Research and Education Foundation, Chicago, IL, Renewal, $37,950, Integrated HIV care for African American MSM on the south side of Chicago: The core of the Foundation’s program is a twice-weekly Clinic that provides a seamless system of care to 300 patients in all stages of HIV disease by an expert, dedicated team. Clinic patients reflect the community: 94% of patients are African-American, 28% female, 20% homeless or transient, 46% unemployed, 38% over age 50 years and 45% identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender (LGBT), although due to several factors including stigma, a larger number of men who engage in sex with men (MSM) do not openly identify as gay or bisexual. Due to stigma and the reluctance of some MSM to identify with a program for MSM, the Foundation intentionally integrated its clinic into a Family Health Center where all patients use the same clinic. No one is identified as MSM or HIV positive by their attendance. Many patients selected the Clinic because it is NOT a large identifiable HIV or LGBT treatment centers. Also, because of stigma associated with mental health care in its patient population, the Clinic devised, and subsequent research validated, an integrated and coordinated multi-disciplinary program. The Clinic’s non-judgmental, collaborative approach allows health care providers to work with the patient to reduce risk behaviors to the lowest possible extent, and has been the basis of the Clinic’s success in moving clients toward recovery, accepting their HIV status, managing their medical and mental health, and improving the quality of their lives.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, Renewal, $50,000, “Stay Connected” Initiative of Project STAY (Services To Assist Youth): The “STAY Connected Initiative” of Project STAY aims to reduce barriers to care for HIV-positive and at-risk LGBT/MSM youth and to improve their rates of retention and compliance. Project STAY’s one-stop care is offered by staff who have not only specialized medical expertise but also a passion for delivering culturally sensitive, age-appropriate services to youth, regardless of ability to pay. They work creatively to connect with youth, gain their trust, and engage them. Services include: HIV counseling and testing; individualized medical care for HIV positive youth; primary care for those screened, and a wide range of psychosocial support services. The EJAF-funded Patient Navigator maintains regular contact with HIV-positive youth in the following ways: (1) helps clients make and keep appointments; (2) accompanies clients to the Hospital’s substance abuse, mental health, dental, and specialty medical and surgery clinics; and (3) assists clients in overcoming other barriers to care, including transportation, literacy, language, and homelessness.

NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, Renewal, $50,000, M*SHP Project 36:00 (Men’s Sexual Health Project): The Men’s Sexual Health Project (M*SHP) is a collaborative program of NYU Langone Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital Center. Under the leadership of Demetre Daskalakis, MD, M*SHP is the first program to offer “point of risk” HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) testing, counseling, and connection to care at New York City sex clubs and bathhouses targeting men who have sex with men (MSM). Initiated as a pilot in 2006, the program has conducted nearly 3,000 HIV tests. Project 36:00 fills a critical void in the HIV prevention horizon in New York City by making HIV post exposure prophylaxis both accessible and convenient for the men who have sex with men. In the very short time that it has existed, the program had provided post exposure prophylaxis against HIV infection after high risk exposures to 58 men and has provided advice to over 100 callers to the Project 36:00 telephone line. EJAF is the sole funder of Project 36:00.

Okaloosa AIDS Support and Informational Services, Inc. (OASIS), Fort Walton Beach, FL, Renewal, 75,000, Equality House: Established in 1991, OASIS provides a broad range of consumer services, including humanitarian assistance, HIV testing, nutrition education and pantry access, and case management. Its community services include public health education, organizing and advocacy, outreach, and mentoring. OASIS serves the four counties of Area 1 in the rural panhandle of Northwest Florida and is the sole remaining full-service AIDS service organization for an area that stretches along the Gulf Coast from Pensacola to Panama City. EJAF stepped in to save OASIS’ Equality House program after the organization lost its CDC funding in 2011. This grant will help to ensure that the region’s sole HIV prevention program for MSM remains in operation and to support open community center hours, regular provision of HIV counseling and testing services, and a variety of HIV/AIDS education and anti-stigma presentations for the community.

Out Youth, Austin, TX, Renewal, $25,000, Expanding HIV Prevention, Testing and Counseling for Youth: Out Youth promotes the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social well being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQQ) youth age 13-23 so they can openly and safely explore and affirm their identities. The organization also works to make Texas communities safer and more equitable for all. This grant supports Out Youth’s HIV Prevention, Testing, Counseling Program, with a focus on identifying and serving youth of color, transgendered youth and (most specifically) male transgendered youth of color at highest risk of HIV and other life-altering negative outcomes, including homelessness, victimization, prejudice and discrimination.

Positive Impact, Inc., Atlanta, GA, Renewal, $40,000, STI Screening in MSM Populations: Positive Impact’s mission is to eliminate the risk of HIV transmission and to empower those affected by HIV through culturally competent and inclusive prevention, education, mental health and substance abuse treatment services. The agency remains the only provider of free mental health care, substance abuse treatment and prevention services for people affected by HIV in one building. Last year, the agency served 5,059 clients. EJAF funding provides screenings for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including syphilis, gonorrhea and Chlamydia in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM). To date, 650 clients have been screened; 96 have tested positive for an STI. The 2011-12 goal is 800 clients. The EJAF-funded STD Clinic has been very popular; many clients come for STI screenings and then get an HIV test, resulting in an increase in HIV testing as well. Many men screened at Positive Impact for an STI often refer others. Thanks in part to EJAF’s continued support, the State of Georgia has certified Positive Impact as an STI treatment facility, and the agency will begin providing medical and pharmaceutical assistance on-site for positive STI results in the fall of 2011, further enabling the agency to help those most at risk for HIV infection.

Resource Center of Dallas, Dallas, TX, New, $38,000, Líbre Latino HIV Prevention Program: The Resource Center of Dallas (the Center) is a leader in North Texas in the fight against HIV/AIDS and the discrimination of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender (GLBT) individuals. The Center is the primary GLBT service organization in North Texas. While Latinos in the Dallas area still have a lower rate of infection than do African Americans, the rate of Latinos with HIV is increasing at a faster pace than any other population. Of the Dallas area Latino population living with HIV/AIDS, 62% are MSM. In order to be most effective, the Líbre Latino program specifically targets this population. The Center’s staff have consistently noted factors that place Latino MSM at risk of HIV infection, including language barriers, fear of deportation, and cultural barriers. For these reasons, the Resource Center Dallas (the Center) has developed culturally and language appropriate HIV prevention for Latino MSM. The Center has personnel with the linguistic tools, cultural sensitivity and proven experience in approaching and recruiting Latino men into its programs and services. The Center has a reputation of serving as a “safe haven” for all members of the LGBT community.

Sex Workers Project, New York, NY, New, $50,000, Supporting and Advocating for MSM Sex Workers: Founded in December 2001, the Sex Workers Project (SWP) at the Urban Justice Center is the first and only program in the country to focus on the provision of legal and social services to sex workers. The Sex Workers Project protects and promotes the rights of individuals who engage in sex work, regardless of whether they do so by choice, circumstance, or coercion. Effective HIV prevention and care among male and transgender sex workers is critical, but sex workers have too long not been included in strategies to prevent HIV. When they are, they are seen only as “vectors of disease,” not as human beings with a right to health and safety. Male and transgender sex workers are marginalized not only by their sexual and gender identities, but by stigma surrounding sex work. HIV/AIDS prevention efforts among sex workers are stymied by criminalization, which has been widely recognized as a barrier to condom use and other safety precautions. This community, though uniquely vulnerable to HIV, is dramatically underserved by existing services. With EJAF funding, the Sex Workers Project will expand upon its holistic direct legal and social services program for MSM and transgender sex workers, integrating HIV prevention, sexual health education and treatment/testing referrals. The Project will also engage in coalition-building and policy advocacy to ensure the needs of MSM and transgender sex workers are being met and to advocate changes to harmful public health policies.

St. Hope Foundation, Inc., Houston, TX, New, $50,000, Project Saving Our Lives (SOUL): The target population for Project SOUL’s social-media-promoted HIV teseting program is young African American MSM who are 17 to 29 years of age residing in Houston, TX. The primary goal of the program is to encourage knowledge of HIV status in this at-risk population. HIV counseling and testing staff will administer HIV rapid tests in community and clinical settings to at least 200 high risk young African American MSM who reside in high prevalence areas by the end of the grant period and to link HIV-positive clients to medical care.

The Attic Youth Center, Philadelphia, PA, Renewal, $45,000, HIV Prevention Services for At Risk YMSM in Philadelphia: The Attic Youth Center (The Attic) is Philadelphia’s only agency exclusively serving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. Founded in 1993 as a support group for LGBTQ youth that met in the “attic” of a mainstream social service organization, The Attic has grown into a comprehensive multi-service youth agency, whose first goal was to reduce the isolation felt by LGBTQ youth by providing a sense of safety and community. Programming has subsequently evolved to include mental health services, HIV prevention, academic support, job readiness, youth leadership, community engagement, and arts and cultural activities. The Attic serves approximately 1,000 youth each year between the ages of fourteen and twenty-three, the majority of who are low income. Youth come from the entire City of Philadelphia. Eighty percent of the youth who participate in Attic programming are African American and Latino YMSM, who are disproportionately affected and therefore at higher risk for HIV infection.

Trinity Lutheran Church, New York, NY, Renewal, $25,000, Trinity Place Shelter Harm Reduction Workshops: Trinity Place Shelter occupies space made available in the basement of Trinity Lutheran Church of Manhattan and provides a secure place for homeless LGBT youth ages 18-24 to stay for up to a year. The Shelter fills a critical niche by operating a transitional program that allows for a relatively long period of residence, offering: (1) 10 beds in a safe, nurturing environment 365 nights a year, from 9 PM to 9 AM; (2) an evening meal and breakfast each day (plus snacks to take away); (3) rest rooms and facilities for shower and grooming; (4) storage space for personal belongings; (5) laundry money (for use at a local laundromat); (6) a weekly Metrocard for the NYC subway and bus system; (7) on-site counseling and case management; (8) on-site computer lab for job search and resume writing; and (9) on-site legal services clinic. LGBT youth are referred to the Shelter from the Ali Forney Center, Green Chimneys, Safe Space, Streetworks, Covenant House, Sylvia’s Place, and the New York City Gay & Lesbian Anti-Violence Project. With EJAF funding, Trinity Place also inaugurated a regular series of Thursday morning workshops to provide culturally-sensitive harm reduction services to better engage Trinity Place residents in group therapy, peer education, and other social supports to help them adopt lifelong risk-elimination strategies. The goal is to address the root causes of youth prevention issues, such as harmful social norms, a weak self-image, and a history of abuse.

Youth Outlook, Naperville, IL, Renewal, $25,000, HIV/AIDS Education Among LGBTQ Youth: EJAF renewal funding supports HIV prevention activities at Youth Outlook drop-in centers, as well as the continuation of its Popular Opinion Leader (POL) program, which a previous grant from the Foundation enabled Youth Outlook to re-launch in 2010. Created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,. POL enlists the help of key opinion leaders in the gay community to change risky sexual norms and behaviors. Although the program was originally targeted to adult men who frequent gay bars, Youth Outlook has successfully adapted the program for youth. In order to become a Popular Opinion Leader, youth must attend a full-day training session. While the youth themselves conduct the primary POL activities, the trainings are led by two staff members who train the youth, provide guidance, ask for updates from youth leaders to keep them on track toward their (and our goals), and conduct evaluations. Youth who have completed training endorse safer sexual behaviors in casual one-on-one conversations with friends, acquaintances, and other youth they meet. These conversations take place at school, coffee shops, shopping centers, parties, or anywhere youth interact with each other. Youth Outlook has seen great success in recruiting additional levels of volunteers. The youth who participate in POL see the impact on their own attitudes and in their discussions with friends.

Injection Drug Users – Subtotal $310,000 (1st year)

Syringe Access Fund, Renewal, $620,000 over 2 years, Syringe Access Fund Grant-Making Initiative: The Syringe Access Fund provides resources for direct services and policy advocacy in order to decrease HIV and hepatitis transmission among injection drug users and their sexual partners. The Elton John AIDS Foundation is a core funding partner for The Fund, along with the Irene Diamond Foundation and the Levi Strauss Foundation; AIDS United is the fiscal and administrative agent for the Fund. EJAF participates in a shared Syringe Access Fund application and review process and makes grants directly to selected applicants. EJAF-funded Syringe Access Fund grantees report directly to the Foundation, and EJAF shares report findings with its Syringe Access Fund partners. Syringe access programs represent one of the most successful evidence-based approaches for reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS. They also provide a doorway for highly marginalized drug-users to enter larger systems of health and social services that may otherwise feel overwhelming and discriminatory toward people actively struggling with addictions. Nationally, through the efforts of hundreds of privately-funded syringe access programs, HIV incidence due to injection drug use in the United States has declined from an estimated 25% of all infections in 2000 to a calculated 9% today. The potential is clear: scaled-up programming could bring the estimated 6,600 annual injection-related HIV infections down to zero. However, despite the lifting of the ban on federal funding, local syringe access programs are not yet well-funded by state or federal funding, especially as states cut spending in the continued poor economy. In August 2011, EJAF approved an allocation of $1 million over two years for the Syringe Access Fund. After considering challenges as well as opportunities for ending infections in this population, EJAF is recommending an additional allocation of $620,000 over two years, bringing the Foundation’s commitment in this field to $1.62 million through 2013.

Incarcerated Populations – Subtotal $500,000

ACLU Foundation, New York, NY, Renewal, $150,000, National Prison Project – Advancing the Rights of Prisoners with HIV: Since its founding in 1972, the National Prison Project of the ACLU Foundation has helped improve living conditions and successfully challenged inadequate medical and mental health care for hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children in U.S. prisons, jails, juvenile facilities, and immigration detention centers. EJAF has supported the ACLU’s work to end discrimination against prisoners with HIV since 2007 with grants totaling $525,000. The Project is currently working in the states of Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi, Wisconsin, and Arizona on issues ranging from housing segregation, in adequate living conditions, discrimination and harassment, lack of proper medical care, and access to medications.

Bailey House, New York, NY, Renewal, $35,000, Project FIRST (Formerly Incarcerated Rental Support and Training): Since 2007, EJAF has provided funding for Project FIRST, a housing placement and support program targeting homeless, post-incarcerated individuals living with HIV/AIDS in New York City. Since the program’s inception in 2003, Project FIRST staff have successfully placed 205 individuals in permanent housing and have connected them to the care they need to optimize their health and well-being. To assist with their reintegration back into the community, an Independent Living Skills (ILS) Specialist works with all Project FIRST participants to ensure they receive the knowledge and training necessary to sustain their housing. In the past year, 100% of participants attended at least one educational workshop about tenancy rights and responsibilities and at least 80% continued their participation in the workshops for six months or more; participants also received assistance with applying for entitlements, assessments and referrals for vocational/educational opportunities including referrals to COPE (Community Outreach Peer Education), an on-site training program focusing on peer-based prevention through education and leadership development.

Correctional Association of NY, New York, NY, New, $50,000, HIV in Prison Advocacy Project: In 1846, the NY State Legislature granted the Correctional Association of New York the unique authority to inspect prisons and report its findings to policymakers and the public, one of only two such organizations in the country. The Association’s HIV in Prison Advocacy Project focuses on ensuring robust implementation of the NY Dept. of Health’s HIV and Hepatitis C Oversight Law informed by the communities most affected by prison health. This initiative will be carried out by the Association’s Prison Visiting Project (PVP) and Women in Prison Project (WIPP), in partnership with the Legal Action Center. The Project gathers critical data related to prison HIV and HCV, conducts site visits to prisons, inspecting conditions, speaking with inmates and staff, and mailing follow-up surveys to inmates, which include questions about prison healthcare. The Association and the Legal Action Center both work to keep the DOH Oversight Law’s original legislative sponsors and other policymaker allies informed about the law’s progress and solicit assistance in urging more effective implementation. Recommendations may include specific improvements in DOH’s monitoring, greater transparency, more devoted resources to oversight, and potentially a line item in the NY State budget.

Fan Free Clinic, Richmond, VA, New, $50,000, Project Sign POST (Providing Offenders Safe Transition): Fan Free Clinic provides medical treatment, health education, social services and advocacy for those in the Richmond area with limited access to care. Project Sign POST targets incarcerated, pre-release and newly-released individuals (“incarcerated populations”) through four components: 1) Street Smart; 2) Incarcerated Testing; 3) Intensive Case Management; and 4) Comprehensive Risk Counseling and Services. Street Smart teaches inmates about HIV/AIDS, sexually-transmitted infections (STIs), recognizing emotional triggers and preventing emotional decision making, healthy sexuality and relationships and condom negotiation. HIV testing is offered to incarcerated, pre-release and newly-released individuals and conducted by Project Sign POST staff. All who receive rapid testing will also receive post-test counseling and, as needed, Partner Counseling and Referral Services. When appropriate, referrals will be provided for individuals who are in need of additional care to the Clinic’s Intravenous Drug User Outreach Specialist. Case management services include: linkages to medical care; access to the Clinic’s food pantry; in-house support groups; social events; bus tickets for appointments; gift cards for clothing; and referrals to other resources as needed and appropriate. Comprehensive Risk Counseling Services are made available for up to twelve months to clients needing additional support that focuses on very specific behavior modification.

Health and Home Support Services, Inc., Newport News, VA, New, $50,000, Transitional Housing Program: Health and Home Support Services, Inc.(HHSS) is a small, non-profit organization founded by an African American nurse in 1998 to help disadvantaged people in the community. Since 2004, the organization has been providing services to incarcerated persons living with HIV/AIDS. The Transitional Housing Program includes three phases; (1) orientation (days 1 – 60), (2) maintenance (days 61 – 120), and (3) transition ( days 121-180). During the orientation phase, the supportive staff and agency supervisor orient the ex-offender to house rules. For each day of the month, the ex-offender is required to keep medical appointments, apply for food stamps, apply for medicaid, and register with the Virginia Employment Commission. The ex-offender is also be required to keep a journal of all medical appointments with the date and time for each appointment. During the Maintenance phase, the ex-offender becomes more self-sufficient, maintaining medical compliance, and securing employment. Agency Support Staff assist with the development of resumes and cover letters. The ex-offender is also required to attend an HIV/AIDS support group at the agency. Health and Home Support has a live-in peer advocate who acts as a mentor for new persons coming into the transitional housing program. The peer advocate receives a monthly stipend and room and board as part of the program.

Health People, Inc., New York, NY, New, $50,000, The High Need Re-Entry Health Project: New York’s escalating post-prison community re-entry health crisis has devastating impact on poor communities and the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS. The state now releases some 26,000 prisoners a year. Although there is no comprehensive data, providers agree that most ex-cons are not given Medicaid cards and the Comprehensive Medical Package with key medical records they are supposed to have if they have been ill or linkages to key medical services, particularly drug treatment and mental health care. Concentrating state releasees, with high rates of HIV and Hep C, in shelters and halfway houses in poor communities, without assuring their continuity of care, also fuels the AIDS epidemic and continuously undermines community health. More than 9% of released state prisoners are sent to Health People’s South Bronx zip code. The High Need Re-Entry Project takes major steps forward by producing a targeted needs assessment, basic data, and clear advocacy to improve state services and policies for prisoners re-entering society, especially to properly link re-entry populations to services critical for both the treatment and prevention of HIV.

NCCI/The Center for HIV Law and Policy, New York, NY, Renewal, $50,000, Positive Justice Project: The Center for HIV Law and Policy is a national legal and policy resource and strategy center for people with HIV and their advocates. Founded in 2005, The Center works to reduce the impact of HIV on vulnerable and marginalized communities by securing the human rights of people affected by HIV. This renewal grant supports the Center’s Positive Justice Project, the first coordinated national effort to end HIV criminalization. In less than a year, the Project has made substantial progress in building a multidisciplinary movement to end government reliance on an individual’s positive HIV test result as proof of intent to harm, and the basis for irrationally severe treatment in the criminal justice system. Seven active Positive Justice Working Groups are continuing a multi-pronged focus on the widespread ignorance about the routes and actual risks of HIV transmission, and on the very real and serious public health and personal ramifications of treating HIV as evidence of criminal intent through state and federal advocacy, development of more effective communication networks and messages, outreach to key constituencies, legal back-up and identification of needed areas of research into the impact of criminalization on established public health goals.

St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY, Renewal, $25,000, Coming Home: Providing Care and Support to Formerly Incarcerated Individuals: Coming Home is an initiative of the Center for Comprehensive Care, a New York State Designated AIDS Center since 1987 and a division of St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center. The Center provides care to close to 5,000 HIV-infected individuals from across the five boroughs of New York City through a “one-stop shop” model offering the full continuum of care, delivered by a multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary team of experts. Services include HIV counseling and testing, primary and specialty care, on-site pharmacy, oral health, mental health, social work, case management, peer support, treatment adherence services, domestic violence services, health education, inpatient care, clinical trials, links to community services, and coordination with substance use treatment. In 2006 the Center launched Coming Home to meet the health and psychosocial needs of HIV-positive incarcerated individuals during their transition back to their communities. Coming Home is the only program in New York City that provides a medical home, full-time, to persons from all five boroughs, beginning before discharge and continuing through transition and beyond. The community response to the Coming Home Program has been overwhelming. Coming Home currently serves more than 600 formerly incarcerated persons per year

STAND, Inc., Decatur, GA, New, $40,000, Transition Project – CTR-(Counseling, Testing and Referral): STAND, Inc. is a community-based organization focused upon comprehensive re-entry services for men, HIV, and substance abuse intervention and prevention services and committed to not only the provision of services but to having a positive impact as it pertains to the community and social concerns. STAND Inc. clients include those individuals newly released from jail or prison, or those infected and/or affected by chronic diseases, or those in the grasp of addiction. The program develops and facilitates evidenced based, effective re-entry solutions for these under-served populations. The Transition Project, while facilitated mainly by STAND, Inc’s Linkage to Care Coordinator (LCC), is also reliant upon several strategic linkages with other community-based organizations in the Metropolitan Atlanta area. These linkages ensure that individuals who are part of the Transition Project have seamless access to the complete menu of services that are critical to their overall well-being and that support their ability to reduce the likelihood that they will transmit HIV to another individual as well as reduce their potential for recidivism. Through a formal referral network, all participants in the Transition Project will have direct access to services that support physical, psychological, and social well-being.

African Americans – Subtotal $25,000

The Brooklyn Hospital Center: PATH Center, Brooklyn, NY, New, $25,000, PATH to Health Program: The vast majority of people cared for by The Brooklyn Hospital Center are people of color, half are women, many are recent immigrants, and many are youth. Almost 100% live below the Federal Poverty level. This grant supports increased HIV counseling and testing at The Brooklyn Hospital Center through the PATH to Health Program, including three peer educators who reach into the communities, providing education, testing and engagement to reduce the barriers to testing and care. The PATH Program, which began in 1996, now serves nearly 1,400 HIV-positive people annually, providing HIV primary care, case management, mental health, nutrition, and dental assessments.

Youth and Sexual Health – Subtotal $204,172

ACLU, New York, NY, Renewal, $50,000, ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project – Advancing Healthy Sexuality Education: The ACLU is devoted to protecting the basic civil liberties of all people in the United States by working in courts, legislatures, and communities around the country to defend the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. In 1974, the ACLU established the Reproductive Freedom Project, which for more than three decades has participated in nearly every critical reproductive rights case before the Supreme Court and in significant cases in federal and state courts too numerous to count. EJAF will provide continued support for the Reproductive Freedom Project toward its objectives to: 1) change sex education policy at the state and local levels to require comprehensive sex education rather than permitting or requiring abstinence-only programming; and 2) ensure compliance with good laws and policies. These objectives are advanced through the following activities: 1) Targeted Grants: 4-6 targeted grants are provided to select ACLU affiliates to ensure they have the resources to enact real policy change in their communities and states. 2) Technical and Strategic Assistance: Support and guidance are provided for legal work, communications, organizing, and strategic planning to help ACLU affiliates eliminate abstinence-only sex education programming, obtain policies requiring comprehensive sex education, and monitor and enforce good policies and laws. 3) Sex Ed State Summit: Along with coalition partners (including AIDS United), The Project will organize the 6th State Summit on Sex Education in May 2012 – a conference aimed at sharing, coordinating, and building on state-based sex education advocacy strategies around the country.

HIV/AIDS Empowerment Resource Center for Young Women, Inc., Atlanta, GA, New, $34,172, Reproductive Health Initiative: For over eight years, the HIV/AIDS Empowerment Resource Center has provided HIV/STD prevention and care services to over 3,000 individuals. This EJAF grant will support The Center’s Reproductive Health Initiative to provide syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea screening and treatment to underserved and vulnerable populations with a priority focus on African-American women ages 15-24 and their partners. Through this grant, The Center will serve a minimum of 350 high-risk and underserved clients who are unable to cover the cost of STI screening and treatment and add syphilis screening to its continuum of care.

NCCI/The Center for HIV Law and Policy, New York, NY, Renewal, $50,000, Teen SENSE: Founded in 2001, The Center for HIV Law and Policy is a national legal and policy resource and strategy center working to reduce the impact of HIV on vulnerable and marginalized communities and to secure the human rights of people affected by HIV. This renewal grant supports the Center’s TeenSENSE campaign to develop and implement standards for LGBTQ-inclusive sexual health and HIV prevention programs for youth in state custody. With the support of medical and sexual health professionals, and in collaboration with an array of advocates from the LGBT community to sex education specialists, the Center has created standards that address 1) comprehensive health screenings and care that include attention to reproductive needs and sexual violence; 2) sexual health education that enables youth in state custody to exercise their rights to make informed choices about their sexual health care; and 3) staff training that takes on chronic, unaddressed homophobia and other ignorance about sexuality that is a barrier to the sexual health and safety of youth in custody. The Center also has developed a thorough guide for advocates that provides the legal underpinnings, from international law to state laws and regulations to support its framework, and are adapting it for advocacy work in other states. The Center is working with a broad coalition of community allies who have been organized to intercede with government policy makers to ensure that these standards and the services they outline become a reality for youth in detention and foster care facilities across the country.

Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando, Inc., Orlando, FL, New, $25,000, Teens in Charge: Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando, Inc., has been established in the Central Florida community as the leading provider of sexual health services for over 15 years. The organization collaborates with the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgendered Center of Orlando (The Center) to implement the Teens in Charge program to reduce HIV/AIDS infections among young people in Central Florida. Young people in the South are being disproportionally affected by the HIV epidemic—they have a higher chance of becoming infected due to the stigmas associated with HIV and the lack of knowledge about it. The goal of this program is to create three “safe spaces” in the Orlando area to serve as locations for GLBTQ teens to go for sexual health information and for health services. The Center will be offered as one safe space, and Planned Parenthood’s two health centers will serve as the other two. All three locations are very close to public schools, and two are located in ZIP codes with some of the highest rates of HIV in Orange County Florida. The program offers one-on-one sessions with a health educator during which the teen and educator will assess the teen’s risk and determine a plan to reduce his or her risk, as well as complementary testing to teens in need.

Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Virginia, Virginia Beach, VA, New, $45,000, Increasing HIV/AIDS Knowledge and Testing Rates Among African-American Men in Southeastern Virginia: Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Virginia has been a trusted provider of high-quality, low-cost health services for more than 45 years. Roughly 40% of the organization’s clients are young African-Americans, and Planned Parenthood is proud of the fact that it is a trusted source of health care for the African-American community, with a presence at Norfolk State University, Hampton University, Centura College, Medical Careers Institute and many African-American churches, both on the Southside and the Peninsula. This project focuses on testing and education within the African-American community, specifically men under the age of 25, with a focus on gay African-American men under age 25. The program offers free testing six times a year at each of our two health centers in Virginia Beach and Hampton, including rapid HIV tests, follow-up blood tests, and testing for syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea, as well as an HIV education program and public awareness campaign.

EJAF October 2011 Grants

These grants represent EJAF’s continuing commitment to fund demographics and geographic regions that are seriously impacted by HIV/AIDS and under-served by traditional funders. Grants totaling $2,810,249 were awarded to 13 projects in the following targeted areas: The Caribbean – $845,249; Latin America – $150,000; Southern United States – $150,000; Domestic MSM (men who have sex with men) Initiative – $400,000; Injection Drug Users – $1.090 million; African Americans – $200,000; Youth and Sexual Health – $75,000. While these grants have been categorized into targeted areas, many of them have overlapping areas of focus, i.e., Latin American young people, Black MSM, Caribbean MSM, African Americans in the Southern U.S., etc. Three additional grants totaling $125,000 were awarded for treatment, research, and information projects.
“EJAF’s strategic approach allows us to respond adroitly as the global AIDS epidemic evolves, investing donor dollars where they are most needed and will have the greatest impact,” stated EJAF’s Executive Director Scott Campbell. “Many of these grants are requests for renewed funding for organizations EJAF has partnered with in the past, and we have been very gratified to learn about important new issues that have arisen during the course of their work, resulting in funding requests for programs that have evolved to address these issues.”

The largest grant awarded during this funding cycle was a two-year $1 million partnership commitment to the Syringe Access Fund. “Numerous scientific studies have incontrovertibly established that syringe exchange is a highly effective method for helping injection drug users significantly reduce their risk of becoming infected with HIV and other blood-borne diseases and transmitting these diseases to others,” stated Campbell. “Studies have also clearly demonstrated that syringe exchange programs help to remove contaminated needles and syringes from community streets, playgrounds, and other public areas and to encourage drug users to avail themselves of other health and social services, including drug rehabilitation and treatment programs. By helping addicts to preserve their health and prevent the spread of HIV, we serve both the best interests of the individual and the health and welfare of the community at large.”

The Caribbean

amfAR, The MSM Initiative (Caribbean), New York, NY, $150,000
Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership, Menlo Park, CA, $75,000
Clinton Health Access Initiative, New York, NY, $447,000
The Collaborative Fund for HIV Treatment Preparedness, Brooklyn, NY, $75,000
Housing Works, New York, NY, $98,249

Latin America

Aid for AIDS International, New York, NY, $150,000

Southern United States

AIDS Community Research Initiative of America, New York, NY, $150,000

Domestic MSM Initiative

OneLiving, Inc., West Hollywood, CA, $50,000
Kaiser Family Foundation, Greater Than AIDS Campaign, Menlo Park, CA, $350,000

Injection Drug Users

amfAR, Syringe Exchange Research and Advocacy, New York, NY, $90,000
Syringe Access Fund, Washington, DC, $1,000,000

African Americans

Black AIDS Institute, Los Angeles, CA, $200,000

Youth and Sexual Health

Advocates for Youth, Washington, DC, $75,000

Miscellaneous Awards

AEGiS, San Juan Capistrano, CA, $25,000
AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Chicago, IL, $25,000
Treatment Action Group, New York, NY, $50,000

Project Descriptions

Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), New York, NY
Renewal, $447,000
Increasing Access to High-Quality HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment in Haiti and Jamaica: EJAF has funded CHAI since 2007 to provide expert support to Ministries of Health and health facilities in Haiti, Jamaica, and the English Caribbean (Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and islands of the Eastern Caribbean) to expand national provision of and access to high quality, low cost HIV medications and health services. The result has been steady improvement in HIV treatment access in those countries, due to improved national forecasting of national HIV medicine needs, updated medicine formulations and combinations, and optimized systems for medicine procurement, inventory management, and health services delivery. This EJAF investment in CHAI will help governments and health facilities in Haiti and Jamaica to increase access to high-quality HIV/AIDS treatment and care. In Haiti, CHAI will (1) provide technical assistance to the national laboratory and a newly created national logistics unit and will help expand a lab sample transportation network for 44 clinics, aiming to increase CD4 testing and use of other HIV-related diagnostics by 30% by the end of 2012; (2) introduce a simpler Fixed Dose Combination HIV medicine option for more than 75% of Haitians taking HIV medicine to improve adherence and reduce need for second line medications; and (3) support national medicine procurement and inventory management and national HIV monitoring, evaluation, and data reporting to inform national health planning and national reporting to the Global Fund. In Jamaica, CHAI will (1) support progress toward a national goal of eliminating pediatric AIDS by 2013 by increasing rates of HIV treatment and follow-up care provided to HIV-positive women and newborn infants through strengthening routine monitoring and data management at the pediatric HIV treatment sites, and (2) help increase the number of people starting and staying on HIV treatment, increasing the coverage rate for people in need from 55% to 70-75% by 2013, by working with the national health authorities and key hospitals to improve pharmacy reporting for HIV medicine forecasting and procurement, optimize use of physician and nurse time, and streamline patient flow to reduce patient overcrowding and wait times for services and medicines.

Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership on HIV/AIDS, Hastings, Christchurch, Barbados
Renewal, $75,000
Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership on HIV/AIDS: With EJAF as a founding partner in 2006, the Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership has worked with 110 television and radio broadcasters in 24 countries to lead a major HIV-focused media effort in the region. Along with public service announcements on radio and television, CBMP has produced four seasons (26 episodes) of a 30-minute television news magazine show – LIVE UP: The Show – focused on HIV and sexual health. Reporters and communities from all Caribbean countries have contributed content, and broadcasters have dedicated approximately $10 million in annual airtime. The result has been health promotion reaching as many as 40 million people, representing, by far, the single largest mobilization of media in response to any social issue in the Caribbean. This EJAF investment in CBMP will produce 3 episodes of LIVE UP: The Show, a lively magazine show about HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean region with a target audience of 18-44 year olds, which will be provided to 88 television stations for broadcast.

Housing Works
New, $98,249
Activism and Organizing for AIDS Organizations in Rural Haiti: In response to the January 2010 Haitian earthquake, Housing Works began working with PHAP+ – a Haitian association of people living with HIV – to support the opening of an HIV clinic and health center in Port-au-Prince and a new HIV clinic in St. Marc. Housing Works now seeks to sustain its partnerships in Haiti, focusing on helping gay men, transgender people, and sex workers to organize themselves to combat marginalization and increase access to health care. This EJAF grant to Housing Works will support trainings, empowerment groups, community marches and social events, and other community organizing, all targeted to gay men and based out of PHAP+. The EJAF grant will also support a social scientist to conduct formative research, working with communities of gay men to identify and document opportunities for appropriate design of health services and support for sexual health for these communities.

amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, New York, NY
Renewal, $150,000
MSM Initiative (Caribbean): With EJAF as a founding partner in 2007, amfAR’s MSM Initiative has provided small grants throughout the world to grassroots groups that work with gay men and transgender people to promote health and human rights. In the Caribbean, EJAF support has allowed the amfAR MSM Initiative to provide four cycles of small grants of between $10,000-$30,000, funding a total of 29 organizations in 10 countries to initiate peer-led interventions, social services, research, and advocacy with policy makers and health service providers. The result has been a region-wide grassroots movement that has measureably improved people’s lives and has garnered the attention of national governments and international funders. This EJAF investment will allow amfAR to launch a fifth round of MSM Initiative grants in the Caribbean. EJAF funding will be allocated in small grants to between five and ten projects in as many countries and also spent on supportive technical assistance and program documentation.

HIV Collaborative Fund
Renewal, $75,000
Caribbean AIDS Treatment Action Group/International Treatment Preparedness Coalition: Founded in 2003, the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) is an international coalition working to support community literacy, mobilization, and advocacy for HIV treatment access throughout the world. Since 2006, EJAF has provided more than $1.3 million to ITPC to distribute in small grants to more than 50 grassroots organizations in 24 Caribbean countries to promote HIV treatment literacy and organize a community-based movement for HIV treatment access. The result has been a greater range of HIV treatment advocacy voices in the region and steady progress in HIV treatment access in many countries. This EJAF investment will support community-based monitoring and advocacy in the Caribbean focused on successful implementation of Global Fund programs, expansion of access to health care, protection of the human rights of key affected populations, and sustainable, multi-year funding for the region’s HIV/AIDS response.

Aid for AIDS International
Renewal, $150,000
¿Cuanto Sabes de VIH y AIDS? (How Much Do You Know about HIV and AIDS?): Founded in 1996, Aid for AIDS International is a community-based organization originally focused on redistribution of surplus HIV medicines from New York City to people living with HIV in Latin America and elsewhere in low-income countries. Aid for AIDS now supports local offices in nine Latin American countries, and supports access to medicines, support for HIV treatment advocacy, and more general training to combat the stigma and lack of knowledge that hinders the response to HIV and AIDS. Beginning in 2008, EJAF has provided grants of $250,000 per year for three years to Aid for AIDS to run a peer-based HIV prevention training program – called ¿Cuanto Sabes de VIH y AIDS? (How Much Do You Know about HIV and AIDS?) – for teachers and youth in four Latin American countries – Colombia, Dominican Republic, Panama, and Venezuela. The result has been to reach hundreds of educators and thousands of adolescents with important health information related to HIV/AIDS. This EJAF grant will provide a fourth year of funding to support the continuation of the ¿Cuanto Sabes? training program. Specific goals are: (1) to train 200 secondary-school educators from 200 schools in the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Venezuela to train and support 15 adolescents per school to be peer health educators, ultimately reaching a total of 300,000 teenagers with health education; (2) to work with young HIV activists in Panama to strengthen gender-related analysis and approaches to addressing health and HIV, looking specifically at masculinity and machismo attitudes in Panama as an influence in male sexual health decisions; and (3) to facilitate a meeting of all four ¿Cuanto Sabes? country coordinators in Colombia in early 2012 to update the curriculum with the latest developments in HIV research and prevention, and to initiate a new curriculum component focused on training lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender teenagers to promote health in the context of sexual diversity, gender-related discrimination and violence, and the potential political controversies of this health promotion.

ACRIA
Renewal, $150,000
NTA South, a project of ACRIA’S National Technical Assistance & Capacity Building Program: ACRIA is a long-time provider of trainings and technical support on HIV-related treatment, health care, and non-medical issues. Beginning in 2009, EJAF has funded ACRIA to conduct HIV health literacy trainings each year for approximately 90 health service providers from 60 health service agencies in the Southern U.S. The result has been improved knowledge reported by training participants about HIV treatment, HIV-related harm reduction, non-stigmatizing approaches to care, and other HIV-related issues.
This EJAF grant will provide a third year of funding to ACRIA to conduct a four-phase training program for 80 staff from 60 health agencies in three Southern cities – Jackson, Mississippi; Mobile, Alabama; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. ACRIA will also develop a service integration plan with each participating agency, tailored to its specific needs; provide a follow-up coaching/mentoring visit in New York City for nine trainees; and provide internet-based follow-up support. The intended outcome will be improved knowledge reported by training participants about HIV treatment, HIV-related harm reduction, non-stigmatizing approaches to care, and other HIV-related issues. In this training cycle, ACRIA will also include a focus on the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and the related implementation plan, to assist the 60 participating health agencies to develop strategies that will meet the goals and objectives of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy. The ultimate aim will be to improve HIV-related health services of 2,400 service providers reaching over 8,000 clients.

OneLiving, Inc.
New, $50,000
OneLiving, Inc.: OneLiving.org is a new website aiming to create an online community and resource for people living with HIV with a major focus on gay men. OneLiving seeks to empower HIV-positive gay men by providing an on-line location for relevant health and other information, honest communication, and community connection. This EJAF grant will assist OneLiving.org to build an active membership of 5000 people (i.e., 5000 people who have registered and visit at least once per week) and to provide this membership with current HIV information (sourced from AIDS Project Los Angeles, San Francisco AIDS Foundation, theBody.com, HIVPlus magazine, and the US Government) and other information (including from Out and the Advocate magazines).

Kaiser Family Foundation
Renewal, $350,000
Greater Than AIDS: PRIDE – A Targeted Community Mobilization Campaign for Gay/Bisexual Men: Launched in 2010 with EJAF as a central partner, the Greater Than AIDS Campaign is a national U.S. media campaign targeting Black communities and gay communities with messaging to inspire empowerment and collective action against HIV and AIDS. EJAF funding has specifically supported Greater Than AIDS PRIDE, a campaign targeted specifically to gay men and focusing on Black gay men and the eight cities of Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. The result of the first year of this work has been a major media effort that reached hundreds of thousands of people with messages to encourage people to be informed about HIV, act with respect and speak openly, use condoms, get tested and treated for HIV, and increase community mobilization for the fight against AIDS. This EJAF grant will provide a second year of funding, allowing the Greater Than AIDS Campaign to develop a new round of advertisements and campaign materials. Outputs will include production of new public service advertisements (PSAs), increased placement in gay-focused media, greater use of social media, and continued outreach work conducted in partnership with community-based organizations, local health departments, gay film producers, major HIV and Black civil rights conferences, and Pride organizers.

amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, New York, NY
Renewal, $90,000
Advancing Effective HIV Prevention: Syringe Exchange Research and Advocacy: With EJAF funding, amfAR has been able to support the National Syringe Exchange Survey for the last 17 years. Conducted by Don Des Jarlais at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, the National Syringe Exchange Survey provides advocates and key decision makers with up-to-date and reliable information on the status of syringe exchange programming nationwide. Last year, EJAF increased its grant to amfAR to support an evaluation of a new federal funding application process for syringe access services, and to issue guidance for improving the approach to federal funding distribution. So far only a modest amount of federal funding (approximately $2.8 million) has been allocated through the spring of 2011 for syringe exchange programs. National progress on reducing new HIV infections among injection drug users (now down to 12% of the U.S. epidemic) depends on advocacy that is based on the data from National Syringe Exchange Survey. This new EJAF grant will support another year of the National Syringe Exchange Survey, extend the evaluation of federal funding implementation, and conduct relevant advocacy on syringe exchange programs and funding availability. The intended result will be no reinstatement by Congress of the ban on Federal funding, and increased state use of federal funding for syringe access and other harm reduction programming.

Syringe Access Fund
Renewal, $1,000,000 over 2 years
Syringe Access Fund Grant-Making Initiative: The Syringe Access Fund provides resources for clean syringes, related direct services, and policy advocacy to decrease HIV and hepatitis transmission among injection drug users and their sexual partners. Syringe access programs represent one of the most successful evidence-based approaches for reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS. Syringe access programs also provide a doorway for highly marginalized drug-users to enter larger systems of health and social services that may otherwise feel overwhelming and discriminatory toward people actively struggling with addictions. EJAF is a core funding partner for the Syringe Access Fund, along with the Irene Diamond Foundation and the Levi Strauss Foundation; AIDS United is the fiscal and administrative agent for the Fund. Beginning in 2004, with EJAF support, the Syringe Access Fund has provided small two-year grants to approximately 100 community-based projects to implement direct harm reduction services, policy work, and technical support to advance effective syringe access in the U.S. In late 2009, the Syringe Access Fund awarded $1.89 million through Grant Cycle Six to 46 organizations (grants are funded for two years, January 2010 – December 2011). EJAF funded approximately one-third of these grants, allocating $600,000 in two-year grants to 14 syringe access projects in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington State, and Washington, D.C. Based on reports from the Fund grantees, the 46 directly funded syringe access programs distributed over 12.5 million syringes in 2010. These syringes were distributed to approximately 35,000 unduplicated clients who were all at very high risk for HIV transmission or infection. With approximately 30-35 million syringes distributed in 2010, the programs supported by the Syringe Access Fund likely accounted for about one-third of the syringes distributed in the U.S. through syringe access programs. This new EJAF commitment represents a significant increase over previous years, allowing the Syringe Access Fund to launch a new cycle of grants in 2011. There is a temporary interruption in the grant-making capacity of a partner funder, the Irene Diamond Fund, and so EJAF will provide the vast majority of partnership funding for Syringe Access Fund grant-making for the period January 2012 – December 2013. This EJAF investment will follow the recommendations of an expert grants review committee and directly provide $1 million ($500,000 per year) in small two-year grants to approximately 25 organizations reaching more than 17,000 injection drug users with over six million syringes and related health services and referrals.

Black AIDS Institute
Renewal, $200,000
30 Years is Enuf: The Black AIDS Institute is a leading HIV advocacy organization working with individuals, HIV organizations, and Black civil rights organizations to conduct trainings, build capacity, disseminate information, interpret public and private sector HIV policies, and provide advocacy and mobilization from a uniquely and unapologetically Black point of view. EJAF has been a major funder of the Black AIDS Institute since 2007 for the National Black AIDS Mobilization and several related campaigns to increase attention to HIV and capacity for HIV advocacy within Black-led organizations and communities. The result of these efforts has been greater HIV policy and advocacy capacity by more than twelve leading Black civil rights organizations such as the NAACP and the National Urban League, production of a series of reports, policy papers, and web-based content, organizing of local town hall meetings and other events focused on the Black community response, and ultimately the generation of significant sustained national attention to the challenges of HIV in Black America. This EJAF grant will provide a fifth year of funding for the Black AIDS Institute, supporting: (1) a four-day Black gay leader’s retreat for 40 participants from the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean, designed to review advocacy and outreach strategies in light of new evidence about HIV treatment-as-prevention, develop a plan for media and participation at the July 2012 International AIDS Conference in Washington, and build a shared agenda and renewed network for policy and advocacy throughout 2012; (2) an HIV testing campaign tour in four Southern states (Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas), to reach 3,000 people with HIV testing, education and referrals for HIV treatment and care, and information about the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and opportunities for advocacy; (3) community trainings about the National HIV/AIDS Strategy in four cities (Newark, Birmingham, Columbus, and Oakland); and (4) four regional community educational forums about new HIV prevention approaches such as treatment-as-prevention.

Advocates for Youth
Renewal, $75,000
Protecting Young People’s Rights to Access HIV/AIDS Services and Information: Founded in 1980, Advocates for Youth champions programs and policies that help youth make informed, responsible decisions about their sexual and reproductive health. For 30 years, Advocates for Youth has worked in the U.S. and developing countries to provide resources, assistance, and training to youth-serving organizations, school personnel, healthcare providers, policymakers, and youth activists about best practices in the prevention of teen pregnancy and STIs, including HIV. Since 1996, EJAF has funded Advocates for Youth to support youth activism on HIV and sexual health. The result has been the creation of a virbant national 45,000 Youth Activist Network that promotes young people’s awareness about HIV, health, and their rights and options for sexual health. This EJAF grant will support three Advocates for Youth initiatives: (1) continued work of the Youth Activist Network to improve sexual health policies and programs in targeted school districts, at youth-serving agencies, and at state and federal levels. This will include continued implementation of the Great American Condom Campaign, which provides free condoms on campuses; a reading of the play The Normal Heart at 15 campuses, with follow-up talk-back discussions, HIV testing drives, and political organizing; and use of internet-based outreach and events to support campus organizing and visits to State legislators in support of sexual health programming; (2) work with 20 State/local Departments of Education and with youth organizers to improve HIV-related programming in schools, focusing on six large under-served school districts to ensure sex education, condom availability, HIV testing and linkage to treatment and care, and counseling and networking options for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth; and (3) continue an Anti-Homophobia/Transphobia initiative to a) provide webinars, e-newsletters, and publications on LGBT youth issues to 10,000 youth-serving organizations, including 400 organizations serving youth of color; b) train staff at five organizations to raise awareness about LGBT youth of color issues and improve services for these youth; and c) provide four organizations with training, assistance, and grants to create a plan to redress homophobia within youth clientele and create an inclusive environment for LGBT youth.

AIDS Education Global Information System (AEGiS), San Juan Capistrano, CA
Renewal, $25,000
AEGiS.org: AEGiS is one of the longest-running AIDS-focused websites, containing an extensive and well-catalogued historical database of HIV-related information. With four staff, funded in part by the National Library of Medicine, AEGiS maintains its website, a list-serve, related information reference services, and ‘ask the expert” services. For nearly 10 years, AEGiS received funding from EJAF-UK. In 2009 and 2010, EJAF-US provided support for on-going content management and website facilitation. The result has been that AEGiS was able to operate for an additional year, allowing 1.4 million unique IP addresses/host names in 2010 to access HIV-related information through the AEGiS information services.
This EJAF grant will allow further content development and services including: information retrieval, document access and dissemination, personalized information and services through the “Ask the Doc” forum and private email communication, communication links to local services, and AEGiS’ HIV/AIDS historical database.

AIDS Foundation of Chicago
Renewal, $25,000
International Rectal Microbicide Advocates: The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) launched the International Rectal Microbicide Advocates (IRMA) in 2005. This coalition includes nearly 1,100 scientists, advocates, policymakers, and funders from six continents, working together to advance research and development of rectal microbicides to help stop the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. IRMA has a lean operation with minimal staffing, and is the only global coalition focused on this topic. EJAF has been a primary funder since 2007, and EJAF’s early and core support has allowed IRMA to secure other financial support and to catalyze major new U.S. government funding for safety studies and basic research groundwork for eventual microbicide product development. This EJAF grant will provide a fifth year of funding for general operations of this advocacy coalition. IRMA’s objectives are to continue to engage advocates through its website and new media, and to support gay men’s participation in new clinical safety and acceptability studies (one study is called MTN 017 and will recruit gay men in Peru, South Africa, Thailand and the United States; a second study is as-yet un-named but will be a follow-up to a recent MTN 007 safety study).

Treatment Action Group (TAG)
Renewal, $50,000
AIDS Cure Advocacy + Universal Access to ART by 2015: Founded in 1992, TAG is one of the world’s leading HIV science advocacy organizations, providing essential analysis and direction for advocates on basic science, HIV drug development, research and development of HIV vaccines and other prevention technologies, and research and development of new drugs against hepatitis and tuberculosis. TAG is now an important voice in two important HIV-related endeavors: research toward a cure for HIV/AIDS, and progress toward universal access to HIV treatment for all who need it. This EJAF grant will support TAG to continue to be an independent informed advocacy voice on the science and data of AIDS cure research and universal HIV treatment access efforts. On AIDS cure research, TAG has four goals: a) to publish annual updates about available research funding and advocate for increased funding; b) work with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to develop guidance that can accelerate safe and ethical studies involving combinations of cell and gene therapy, chemotherapy, transplantation, and innoculation with cytokines and viral vector HIV vaccines; c) convene researchers and private-sector companies to encourage collaboration on one or more studies, securing agreements to share products, data, and efforts; and d) carry out community education and science literacy about HIV cure research to allow truly informed consent and participation by those infected with HIV and their communities. TAG will publish a review of the state-of-the-art of HIV cure research in 2012 and will convene a community HIV cure literacy workshop before the 2012 International AIDS Conference in Washington, DC, to increase community awareness, understanding, and ability to participate in an informed way in this research. On advocacy for universal HIV treatment access, TAG has five goals: a) to pressure the U.S. government to fully fund PEPFAR and the Global Fund; b) to work with the World Health Organization to ensure appropriate updating of HIV treatment guidelines; c) to work with the U.S. government and private drug developers to accelerate development of safer, more durable, cheaper fixed-dose combinations; d) to work with international advocates to ensure delivery and access to those improved medications; and e) to use the July 2012 International AIDS Conference and other media opportunities to advocate for U.S. federal and state funding for HIV medicines to end all waiting lists for the national AIDS Drug Assistance Program and ensure that all Americans who need HIV medications can get them.

EJAF May 2011 Grants

The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF), which funds innovative HIV prevention, stigma reduction, and direct care and support programs for people living with HIV/AIDS in the Americas and the Caribbean, today announced its first round of grants for calendar year 2011 – a comprehensive award of $1.3 million to AIDS United (formerly the National AIDS Fund).

Over the past 18 years, the National AIDS Fund and EJAF have developed a unique collaboration that capitalizes on the strengths of both organizations, bringing together the respected leadership of Sir Elton John and EJAF’s ability to engage donors and mobilize resources with the National AIDS Fund’s network of Community Partnerships, cost-effectiveness, and extensive experience designing and managing national HIV/AIDS grant-making initiatives. Since 1993, EJAF has awarded $32 million to the National AIDS Fund/AIDS United, with $26 million invested in the Community Partnership program; $53 million has been leveraged by a combination of 2:1 and 1:1 matches through challenge grants and leadership grants. Combined with investments from other donors, the Community Partnerships have distributed a total of $135.2 million in their communities and provided a mechanism to engage communities in establishing local funding priorities, directing resources, and monitoring grants at the grassroots level, while also providing technical assistance to grantees, facilitating collaboration across agencies, and leading policy advocacy.

In early 2011, the National AIDS Fund and AIDS Action, an organization that advocates on a national level for people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS and the organizations that serve them, merged to form one national organization – AIDS United. The mission of the newly formed AIDS United is to end the AIDS epidemic in the United States through national, regional and local efforts to help grassroots AIDS organizations increase the efficacy and capacity of their programs to address the specific needs of their patient and client populations and by advocating for effective and compassionate AIDS-related public policies at national, regional, and local levels.

This year, EJAF’s grant to AIDS United will continue to provide significant Challenge Grant funding to the Community Partnership Network as in the past, but it will also support new program areas that have developed as a result of the merger, including matching funds for AIDS United’s federal Social Innovation Fund grant, support for enhanced Community Partnership efforts in fiscally devastated Puerto Rico, and funding for the organization’s strategic regional Public Policy network.

EJAF’s Chairman of the Board David Furnish stated, “With nearly 30 years of combined leadership in coalition building, public policy expertise, advocacy and philanthropy, as well as a network of passionate local and state partners poised to most effectively and efficiently respond to HIV/AIDS in the communities most impacted by it, all of us at EJAF are optimistic about the prospects of AIDS United achieving their mission in due time, and we are proud to partner with them in this effort.”

Project Description

AIDS United, New York, NY, $1.3 million – EJAF’s $1.3 million award to AIDS United will support the following four specific program areas, as well as indirect costs ($65,000):

Community Partnerships, $950,000 – AIDS United’s National Community Partnership Network has been the backbone of EJAF’s 18-year collaboration with the organization. The program currently supports 39 Community Partnerships across the U.S. that help local communities and grassroots organizations develop HIV prevention and service programs specific to their unique needs. AIDS United’s Community Partnerships provide an infrastructure for channeling national resources to local programs across the country that can best utilize that support. Community Partnerships serve not only as collaborative fund-raising and grant-making bodies, but also often as conveners, technical assistance providers, community builders, and policy advocates. The Community Partnership investment remains an effective vehicle for EJAF resources. With the evolution in AIDS United’s program during 2011, there is no more exciting time to continue this investment to support a more engaged Community Partnership network, rigorous evaluation, and strategic grant making.

Social Innovation Fund, $200,000 – In 2010, prior to the merger, the National AIDS Fund received a federal Social Innovation Fund grant of $3.6 million. This represents the largest, single grant that the National AIDS Fund has ever received. Aligned with the work supported by EJAF in the past, this federal grant presents an exciting opportunity to increase the organization’s capacity to help address the unmet needs of some of the most vulnerable and highly impacted individuals and communities. Awarded by the Federal Government, the Social Innovation Fund focuses millions of public-private dollars to expand effective solutions across three issue areas: economic opportunity, healthy futures, and youth development and school support. As one of only 11 Social Innovation Fund grantees in the country, the grant to the National AIDS Fund/AIDS United supports innovative strategies that increase access to care and improve health outcomes for at least 3,500 low-income individuals living with HIV/AIDS.

Similar to the Challenge Grants model employed by AIDS United with the Community Partnerships, the Social Innovation Fund requires a private sector match. This mandates a 1:1 match at the intermediary level where AIDS United must match the $3.6 million on a national level and the grantees must also match their granted dollars 1:1 on a local level. EJAF’s $200,000 award will be used as part of this private sector match on the national level. Private sector matching resources in combination with the Federal award will create an annual funding pool of more than $10 million in support of two rounds of grant making for community-driven, collaborative programs to improve individual health outcomes and strengthen local services systems connecting thousands of low-income and marginalized individuals living with HIV to high quality supportive services and HIV-specific health care.

AIDS United’s SIF-supported grantees will reach beyond HIV/AIDS to improve the total wellness of communities and individuals most affected by the epidemic. Grantees will collaborate with new partners from intersecting public health arenas, which include diabetes, hepatitis, cardio-vascular health, substance abuse, and mental health, as well as working with poverty alleviation and post-incarceration groups, faith-based groups and public health departments. The goal with all of these cross-sector collaborations will always be to ensure that adequate care is provided to people living with HIV/AIDS. Some innovative approaches in the first round of grant making include: (1) mobile engagement teams which will go out into the community to reach some of the hardest to find populations most affected by the epidemic; (2) innovative technology applications, including the expanded use of “tele-medicine” allowing doctors to access, diagnose, and treat HIV patients in prisons and in remote areas of the Southern U.S.; and (3) developing a Center of Excellence in HIV-Positive Women’s Care.

Puerto Rico, $50,000 – Puerto Rico has an HIV death rate higher than any U.S. state or territory. While much attention has been given to the inadequate systems of HIV/AIDS treatment and care in Puerto Rico, the future health of Puerto Ricans also depends greatly on an accessible and well-resourced array of prevention services to reduce the incidence of new HIV infections. Faced with a $3.2 billion budget gap in 2009, the governor of Puerto Rico declared a Fiscal State of Emergency, and issued multiple rounds of layoffs. With unemployment rising on the island (unofficial unemployment rates were above 20% before the recession), HIV/AIDS risk and the demand for public health services will only increase in the future. This funding will help maintain and expand services to the Puerto Rican community to build the capacity of community-based organizations in Puerto Rico.

Public Policy, $35,000 – Organized, effective and sustainable HIV/AIDS advocacy work at the state level has been under-developed and under-resourced for many years. The impact of additional fiscal cuts would further limit access to care and prevention – most especially in cities and regions hardest hit by the AIDS epidemic. Across the country, we are seeing crucial social programs being threatened or cut, which will have drastic, far-reaching effects on some of the most vulnerable people in this country. With the political climate in Washington and across the country, there is also a very real threat of rolling back some of the major legislative victories seen in 2010, including the lifting of the ban on federal funding for needle exchange and sabotaging the implementation of healthcare reform. It is crucial at this point to provide the support necessary to keep our movement’s accomplishments in place and ensure that healthcare reform is implemented in a way that accounts for the needs of people living with or at risk of HIV/AIDS.

This award will assist AIDS United’s efforts to develop and implement a strategic regional network that can mobilize quickly when needed, but also develop proactive policy and advocacy priorities in anticipation of healthcare reform and the changing funding landscape. AIDS United will lead efforts in conjunction with identified national, regional, state and local leaders to assess regional and state-level policy and advocacy needs and identify the states and regions that most need support, based on gaps in advocacy capacity, identified policy-based barriers to prevention, care and treatment, and other factors. The overarching goal of these efforts will be to strengthen the national fight against AIDS, address policy constraints at the state, regional and national levels, and enhance the political capacity of “local” advocates to influence national issues affecting the HIV/AIDS community. By establishing these regional networks, AIDS United will be able to galvanize an investment, both human and financial, around community engagement and advocacy leadership that will provide the foundation upon which to build and strengthen a sustainable movement of AIDS advocates.