29 Organizations Receive Support to Advocate for Sound HIV/AIDS Policy In 9 Southern States
AIDS United awards $1.4 million as part of the Southern REACH grantmaking initiative
Twenty-nine community-based HIV/AIDS organizations will have increased capacity to promote smart public policies that address the needs of those most vulnerable to the disease, thanks to recent grant awards and technical assistance from AIDS United, with support from the Ford Foundation. AIDS United awarded $1.4 million in grants to organizations in the Southern states of Alabama, Arkansas, Northern Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
The grants and capacity assistance, which are part of AIDS United’s Southern REACH (Regional Expansion of Access and Capacity to Address HIV/AIDS) inititiative, will support the development of programs that seek to achieve social change, shape responsible HIV/AIDS public policy, and/or respond to the underlying legal, political, and systemic barriers contributing to disproportionate rates of HIV/AIDS in the Southern United States. A list of grantees can be found at the end of this document.
The grant awards reflect the commitment of AIDS United and the Ford Foundation to expand investment in and have significant impact on HIV/AIDS public policy and advocacy in the Southern U.S, with particular focus on the disproportionate impact of HIV on Hispanic/Latino populations and access to justice/law reform.
“Community organizers and advocacy networks must play pivotal roles in fighting for sound HIV policy in the U.S. South,” said AIDS United President and CEO Mark Ishaug. “We must help them educate key decision makers in their states and communities to ensure people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS have access to crucial HIV care, treatment and prevention services. Thanks to the Ford Foundation’s ongoing support, we continue to be able to affect social change to improve – and save – lives.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that 46% of all new AIDS diagnoses in the 50 United States and the District of Columbia are in the South, and the South leads the nation in persons living with, and dying from, AIDS.
“The disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on the Southern United States is only exacerbated by misinformation and lack of understanding about the disease, and by public policies that are not meeting the needs of the most vulnerable,” said Terry McGovern of the Ford Foundation. “We are pleased that our partnership with AIDS United can help these organizations dispel myths and fear about HIV, and give people infected with and affected by HIV a stronger voice in policy decisions that impact their lives.”
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2011-12 Southern REACH Grantees
A Brave New Day MS
ACCESS Network, Inc. SC
AIDS Alabama AL
Atlanta Harm Reduction Coalition, Inc. GA
Basic NWFL, Inc. FL (technical assistance support)
Birmingham AIDS Outreach AL
Catawba Care SC
Collaborative Solutions, Inc. AL
Duke AIDS Legal Project NC
Equality Foundation of Georgia GA
Friends For Life Corporation TN
LAAN/NO/AIDS Task Force LA
Legal Services Alabama AL
Legal Services of Southern Piedmont NC
Living Affected Corporation AR
Living Room GA
Mississippi Center for Justice MS
NAESM, Inc. GA
Nashville Cares TN
NC AIDS Action Network NC
NC Harm Reduction Coalition NC
Okaloosa AIDS Support & Info Svcs FL
Rural Women's Health Project FL
SisterLove, Inc. GA
South Carolina HIV/AIDS Council SC
Southern AIDS Coalition AL
Wateree AIDS Task Force SC (technical assistance support)
Western North Carolina AIDS Project NC
Women With a Vision, Inc. LA
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