Failure to recompete a critical CDC program threatens HIV testing, PrEP access, frontline jobs and trusted services in communities across the country
WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 17, 2026
AIDS United and our network of organizations throughout the country are deeply alarmed that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Comprehensive High-Impact HIV Prevention Programs for Community-Based Organizations—known as PS21-2102—will not be recompeted as a dedicated funding opportunity for community-based organizations.
For decades, direct federal investment in community-based HIV prevention has helped trusted local organizations reach people and communities that traditional health systems too often fail to serve. These organizations provide HIV testing, connections to treatment, access to pre-exposure prophylaxis and post-exposure prophylaxis, commonly known as PrEP and PEP, prevention education, navigation services, and rapid responses to outbreaks and emerging community needs.
“Community-based organizations are the bedrock of our nation’s HIV response,” said Carl Baloney, Jr., president and CEO of AIDS United. “We cannot end the HIV epidemic by dismantling the trusted community systems that make prevention possible. This decision threatens access to testing, PrEP, PEP and care—and will ultimately lead to preventable HIV transmissions, program closures and higher health care costs.”
Failure to recompete PS21-2102 would not simply end an incredibly effective program. It would fundamentally change how HIV prevention services are delivered in this country, putting trusted community services at risk—particularly those serving Black and Latino communities, LGBTQ+ people, people in the South, and others disproportionately affected by HIV.
Federal, state and local government partners all have vital roles to play in HIV prevention. But the United States cannot end the HIV epidemic without significant financial support for community-based organizations that are connected to, trusted by and staffed by people from the communities most affected by HIV.
Community-based organizations were directly funded precisely because their cultural knowledge, relationships and community presence allow them to reach people whom larger systems frequently cannot.
Ending dedicated direct funding could:
- Reduce access to HIV testing;
- Interrupt pathways to PrEP, PEP and HIV care;
- Undermine community trust and disrupt longstanding relationships;
- Eliminate frontline positions;
- Jeopardize 340B eligibility for some organizations; and
- Force community programs to reduce services or close altogether.
AIDS United calls on:
- The Trump administration to reverse course and recompete PS21-2102, preserving dedicated direct funding for community-based organizations with minimal disruption.
- Congress to protect and restore dedicated, direct funding for community-based HIV prevention, including clear legislative and appropriations language preserving the original intent of these funds and ensuring that the administration allocates them as Congress intended.
- State and local health departments receiving supplemental funds to prioritize continued support for the community-based organizations currently delivering these services and prevent disruptions in care and prevention.
AIDS United is working with affected organizations to document the local consequences of this shift, including potential service reductions, staff losses, interruptions in prevention access and threats to organizational sustainability. We will continue elevating these impacts and organizing alongside affected communities until dedicated support for community-based HIV prevention is secured.
HIV prevention is essential public-health infrastructure. We cannot end the HIV epidemic by dismantling the community systems that make prevention possible.
Reporters interested in speaking with AIDS United or community-based organizations affected by this decision should contact communications@aidsunited.org.
About AIDS UNITED
AIDS United’s mission is to end the HIV epidemic in the United States. AIDS United envisions a time when all people, governments, and organizations commit to ending the epidemic and strengthening the health, well-being, and human rights of everyone impacted by HIV.
Media Contact
Miguel Ayala
Director of Communications
communications@aidsunited.org
202-876-2820