Advisory Support & Technical Assistance: Connecting and Advising the Field

Advisory Support

As the opportunities arise, FCAA provides advisory support to our members to help ensure that the appropriate funder expertise, perspective and resources are represented in other constituent and partner events. Depending on the meetings and/or discussions, FCAA will engage in appropriate follow-up with attendees and additional funding partners with similar interests after the event to move forward on the major topics discussed.

Technical Assistance

FCAA also provides one-on-one consultation services to philanthropic entities currently working in or exploring involvement in HIV/AIDS issues or related issue areas (such as health, civil and human rights, reproductive health issues, etc.). FCAA also provides more limited technical assistance to public policymakers and media outlets interested in HIV/AIDS philanthropy.

Below are examples of past requests:

• A representative of a philanthropic advisory group is beginning to prepare a possible AIDS subdocket to their giving. She contacted FCAA to discuss the various ways this could be strategized and presented for the greatest benefit of their group (through health lens, human rights lens, addressing needs of disenfranchised persons, etc.).
• A small foundation, having hired its first staff member to assist in their grantmaking since its founder passed away, contacted FCAA to gather basic AIDS resources and recent news items about the epidemic for board members who do not have a deep understanding of the AIDS epidemic today. One specific item of interest is the latest research about measuring the success of prevention and harm reduction programs.
• A new family foundation founded to support AIDS research and trials asked for TA regarding more general philanthropy. The foundation’s VP is an MD who knows “the science questions to ask,” but wants to meet other foundations to learn more about “the business of making AIDS grants.”

While AIDS non-profits/NGOs are not a primary part of FCAA’s constituency, FCAA also provides basic education on responsible and responsive grantseeking to such groups. As a component of FCAA’s limited technical assistance service to AIDS organizations, FCAA distributes an AIDS-Related Organization Packet, which provides vital information about HIV/AIDS funding to grantseekers. (FCAA is not a grantmaking organization nor does it help NGOs strategize, research, or write specific proposals. FCAA also does not direct NGOs to specific AIDS funders.)