Contact: Carli Gray (movement@aidsunited.org)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Gilead has announced the launch of its Setting the P.A.C.E. (Prevention, Arts and Advocacy, Community, Education) Initiative, a three-year commitment aimed at enhancing HIV prevention, anti-stigma efforts, and health equity for Black women and girls across the United States. Recognizing the urgent need for tailored strategies to address the holistic HIV prevention and care needs of Black cisgender and transgender women, AIDS United was graciously selected as a grantee to move this mission forward.
For many reasons, this work is pivotal in transforming the HIV care and community landscape:
- Black women currently represent 54% of all new HIV diagnoses among women in the United States, despite comprising only 13% of the population.
- Factors that drive disparities include-poverty, inadequate sexual health education, HIV stigma and discrimination, racism, misogyny, transphobia, lack of access to health care, housing, intimate partner violence and other support services.
- Women also face unique barriers to HIV prevention. Although PrEP is a highly effective, woman-controlled prevention option for women at-risk for HIV, PrEP use among women has been very low.
This partnership has facilitated the expansion of the established Melanated Movement Fund, a vital component of AIDS United’s commitment to Black Women. This fund will provide grants, capacity building, and technical assistance through a multi-stage process. The goal is to select five community-based organizations that will receive multi-year grant funding. Grants through this initiative will be 27 months in length, running from July 1, 2024 – September 30, 2026. These organizations will implement activities designed to advance Black women’s engagement in HIV Prevention and care, offer supportive services addressing social determinants of health, and promote self-efficacy concerning their health and well-being. Eligible organizations will satisfy the requirements below:
- Nonprofit Status – Applicants must be nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations, per the guidelines set forth by the Internal Revenue Service with proper 501(c)(3) status. Verification of this status will be undertaken by AIDS United before final grant decisions are made. Organizations or coalitions that do not hold 501(c)3 status must have a fiscal sponsor. Note that 501(c)4 designation is not the same. While it is possible for an organization to have both IRS (c)3 and (c)4 status, AIDS United will verify that each applicant organization has a (c)3 designation.
- Geographic Location – Applicants must be located and perform work within the United States. This includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Native American Reservations/Tribal Lands, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- Financial Stability –Organizations should be fiscally stable and viable prior to submission of the funding application, meaning organizations should have the financial ability to operate for the duration of the grant period.
- Equity – The Melanated Movement Fund recognizes that HIV outcomes are significantly impacted by poverty, racism, homophobia and transphobia, heterosexism, and misogyny. As such, we will prioritize funding for organizations led by and serving Black cisgender and transgender women. We will also have particular focus on organizations in high need jurisdictions like the U.S South.
- Good Standing – Current or previous grantees of any AIDS United funding portfolio must be in good standing regarding reporting and all other grant requirements.
AIDS United encourages interested organizations to apply for funding through the Melanated Movement Fund and join in the collective effort to make a meaningful impact on the lives of Black women and girls. The first step in our selection process is a pre-application; submitting a pre-application is required. Click here to review the Melanated Movement Fund’s Request for Pre-Applications. You can also start your Pre-Application through our online Pre-Application form; click here to get started. For further support, please join a technical assistance webinar on March 21, 2024. Please register here for the pre-application technical assistance webinar.
