How do I contribute to the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF)?
Elton John AIDS Foundation
584 Broadway, Suite 906
New York, NY 10012
How does the Elton John AIDS Foundation raise money?
How does EJAF distribute the money it raises?
What are EJAF’s funding priorities?
EJAF regularly evaluates its grant-making priorities within the context of the ever-changing challenges and needs of the evolving HIV/AIDS epidemic, targeting its grant awards where they will make the greatest impact. This approach, initiated in late 2005, has clearly resonated with our donors, and their generous response enabled EJAF to significantly increase its grant making from $4.8 million in 2006 to $6.35 million in 2007. Since then, EJAF has worked hard to remain a stable force and a consistent source of funding, keeping its annual grant-making in the $6 million range, and achieving a record $7.1 million in 2010, despite an economic environment that has been extremely challenging over the past several years in particular.
In addition, EJAF has expanded not only the amount of money given but also strategically targeted key regions and populations that are poorly served by current prevention efforts and most at risk of infection including: critically under-funded communities of the Southern United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America; highly marginalized populations such as injection drug users, men who have sex with men, and incarcerated individuals; and under-served populations such as African Americans and young people. EJAF focuses on supporting community-based prevention programs, harm reduction programs, public education to reduce the stigma of HIV/AIDS, advocacy to improve AIDS-related public policy, and direct services to persons living with HIV/AIDS, especially populations with special needs. Direct services include HIV/AIDS-related medical and mental health treatment, testing and counseling, food distribution, assisted living, social service coordination, and legal aid.
What is the status of the AIDS epidemic in the United States?
There are approximately 1.2 million people living with HIV in the U.S. Of those infected, one in five (220,000 people) are unaware of their infection. An estimated 49,300 Americans become infected with HIV each year.
The highest rates of new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. are now seen in Southern cities (such as and including Atlanta, Baton Rouge, Birmingham, Charlotte, Dallas, Jackson, Jacksonville, Houston, Memphis, New Orleans, Orlando, Raleigh-Durham, Richmond, Virginia Beach, and Washington DC) as well as in other major U.S. urban centers such as Chicago, Detroit, New York/Newark, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. More than half of all new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. are now in the southern states.
Progress has been made in combating the AIDS epidemic in the U.S., but there is still significant work to be done. Although approximately 427,000 Americans are accessing HIV treatment, more than 150,000 others should be accessing treatment but aren’t. And unfortunately, only 25% of people living with HIV (a total of 329,000 people) have successfully responded to HIV treatment with a suppressed HIV viral load.
HIV/AIDS disproportionally affects highly marginalized populations. Gay men and other men who have sex with men accounted for 65% of new HIV infections in 2011 – meaning 30,000 people became newly HIV-infected in just one year. African Americans represented 69% of new HIV infections in 2010 – a total of 21,000 people. Hispanics/Latinos are also over-represented in new HIV infections, making up 28% of new infections in 2010. HIV infections due to injection drug use now account for an estimated 10% of all HIV infections in the United States or approximately 5,000 people. In addition, prisoners in the U.S. state and local correctional system have HIV infection rates approximately five times greater than that of the general public, with approximately 171,000 (1 in 7) HIV-positive Americans passing in and out of the U.S. correctional systems (federal and state prison, county jails, parole, and probation) every year.
What is the status of the AIDS epidemic in the Caribbean?
In the Caribbean, 240,000 people are living with HIV. Approximately 75,000 people are accessing HIV treatment, but more than 50,000 others are in need. Half of the Caribbean HIV epidemic is in Haiti, where 120,000 people are living with HIV. More than 29,000 Haitians are now accessing HIV treatment, but at least 30,000 others are in need.
In most areas of the Caribbean, sexual transmission is the driving force behind HIV seroprevalence. This disproportionately affects gay men and other men who have sex with men, as well as young people in comparatively poor communities that face limited access to health care and health education and relatively high rates of drug use and incarceration.
What is the status of the AIDS epidemic in Latin America?
In most areas of Latin America, sexual transmission is the driving force behind HIV seroprevalence. This disproportionately affects gay men and other men who have sex with men, as well as young people in comparatively poor communities that face limited access to health care and health education and relatively high rates of drug use and incarceration.
The epidemic is not evenly distributed across the region; Brazil alone accounts for 35% of all people in the region living with HIV/AIDS, with another 10% each in Mexico, Central America, Colombia and Venezuela, the Andean countries, and the Southern Cone countries.
What is EJAF’s relationship with AIDS United (formerly the National AIDS Fund)?
How do I apply for an independent grant?
b) If your organization is not located in one of AIDS United’s Community Partnerships, you may submit a grant proposal to EJAF as part of the Foundation’s open RFP process. Please note that EJAF focuses on supporting community-based prevention education programs, harm reduction programs, and direct services to persons living with HIV/AIDS, especially populations with special needs. We do not fund research programs.
