Fund Programs that Support One or More of the Three Principal Goals of the NHAS

AIDS Foundation of Chicago’s new grantmaking priorities will be implemented in December 2011.  The new strategy of fewer but larger grants (minimum $20,000) will focus funding on priority issues identified by the NHAS including:

• Gay men and other men who have sex with men, injection drug users, communities of color, women and girls, and individuals and families affected by incarceration.
• Program coordination
• Increased investment in key community organizations, encouraging strategic alliances, and maximizing funding resources.

Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) has been a leading voice in the endorsement of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and its use in supporting a more robust domestic U.S. response on HIV/AIDS.  In 2011, EJAF began tracking their applicants’ relationship to the National HIV/AIDS Strategy. 

According to EJAF, “Initial results during 2011 show some clear patterns: in a recent grant application round, two-thirds of EJAF grant applicants reported having some partnership with government around HIV testing and referrals to HIV care, but only one-third reported having some partnership with government around retention of people in HIV care, housing of people living with HIV, or ensuring an increase in people living with HIV who have an undetectable viral load.  These results are helping EJAF to understand the types of organizations that are seeking EJAF grants and also the potential ways that its charitable funding might intersect with and reinforce HIV programming supported by Federal, State, and local governments.”

In EJAF's 2011 grant application, applicants were asked if their programs aimed to do any of the following:

• lower HIV infection rates (incidence) by 25% by 2015
• increase the proportion of people living with HIV who know their serostatus to 90%
• increase the proportion of patients newly diagnosed with HIV linked to care within 3 months to 80%
• increase the fraction of Ryan White Program clients who have at least 2 routine HIV medical visits per year (where the visits are at least 90 days apart) to 80%
• increase the proportion of Ryan White program clients who have permanent housing to 86%
• increase by 20% the proportion of gay and bisexual men living with HIV who have undetectable viral loads
• increase by 20% the proportion of Black and Latino people living with HIV who have undetectable viral loads.

In May 2012 Kaiser Permanente - the second largest provider of HIV care in the United States -  announced a new HIV grant strategy and RFP focused on supporting nonprofit organizations to prevent new HIV infections, identify HIV+ patients sooner and get them into high quality HIV care sooner and remain in such care.

Issued through the Kaiser Permanente Program Offices Donor Advised Fund at the East Bay Community Foundation, the strategy will provide eight 2-year grants of $250,000, four to be awarded in 2012 and four more in 2013 – for a total of $2 million, with up to an additional $500,000 for evaluation.

The RFP will be open to any agencies whose work aligns with the two focus areas of Kaiser Permanente HIV Grants Program, which also aligns with the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, including: reducing new infections and increasing HIV care utilization.

Download the RFP today, or access online.

ViiV Healthcare launched the Positive Action US Southern Initiative “… a collaborative, community-focused program designed to address gaps in services or programs that support linkages to care and treatment adherence among the region’s most vulnerable communities, including African-Americans and Latinos living with HIV/AIDS.  The Positive Action Southern Initiative is a community based effort which reflects the priorities of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and supports innovative community organizations addressing disparities in HIV.” – Michael N. Joyner, Director, ViiV Healthcare’s Positive Action program.

In reviewing how to best align its funding with the NHAS, Washington AIDS Partnership found that much of what they do is already aligned including their focus on:

• Targeting prevention to high risk populations, and evidence-based approaches
• Advancing public policy on systemic issues in the local HIV/AIDS system of prevention, testing, and care
• Addressing barriers to HIV medical care for HIV+ African American women and others living in the poorest neighborhoods of Washington, DC through “Positive Pathways,” a new initiative supported by an AIDS United Social Innovation Fund grant and local funding.  Positive Pathways also serves as a workforce development initiative, employing peers as community health workers to identify out-of-care HIV+ individuals and help them access and navigate the health care system.

Language from a recent Washington AIDS Partnership RFP includes:

“What kinds of proposals are being sought?  - WAP encourages proposals that do one or more of the following: