Southern HIV Impact Fund is looking for a small diverse group of individuals interested in serving the South
Applications are due on June 24, 2024, at 11:59 PM Central Time.
About AIDS United:
AIDS United is a nonprofit organization that works to end the HIV epidemic in the United States through strategic grantmaking, technical assistance, capacity-building services, and policy and advocacy. AIDS United (AU) bridges policy with grantmaking and capacity building, linking the world of HIV service and community‐based organizations with public health, healthcare, advocacy, and social justice communities to respond to the domestic HIV epidemic. AU is committed to ensuring our staff, Board of Trustees, and consultants reflect the full diversity and range of communities most impacted by the HIV epidemic. Organizational leadership consists of long‐term HIV survivors, Black gay men, and women of color. Staff reflects a range of people living with HIV; same gender-loving men and women; gay, bisexual, and queer men and women; women of color; and Transgender and gender non‐conforming people. This diversity and representation demonstrate AU’s dedication to valuing the life experiences of staff as equally important to professional experiences when building our organizational capacity.
About the Southern HIV Impact Fund:
The Southern HIV Impact Fund (SHIF) addresses the needs of individuals and communities affected by HIV through three key areas: 1) prevention, 2) care and support, and 3) policy, advocacy, and movement building. This initiative aims to enhance collaboration between traditional HIV-focused organizations and those with a background in social justice and civil rights, even if they have limited prior experience with HIV. Organizations operating at the intersection of racial and social justice, gender equality, reproductive rights, LGBTQ issues, immigration, detention, and mass incarceration are well-suited to influence the political and social determinants of health relevant to people living with or vulnerable to acquiring HIV in the South. The fund aims to promote collaborative efforts in the U.S. South to combat HIV, increase diverse leadership reflective of the regional epidemic, and allocate more resources to the South through grants and technical support. This initiative operates in three areas: fostering new partnerships, increasing funding, and nurturing new leadership. The Southern HIV Impact Fund, administered by AIDS United, offers cash grants and technical assistance to community-based and social justice organizations and coalitions in nine Southern states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.
About the SHIF Community Advocacy Council:
The Southern HIV Impact Fund’s (SHIF) Community Advocacy Council (SCAC) is composed of seven to ten individuals from the Southern region who are either living with HIV or disproportionately impacted by it. These council members reside, engage, work, and participate in activities within the Southern region. Their primary role is to collaborate in the development and execution of SHIF’s objectives, initiatives, and holistic strategies. SHIF’s Community Advocacy Council (SCAC) is committed to being intentionally diverse, striving to represent communities most severely affected by HIV and related syndemics. All council members must reside in the southern United States.
The council will be composed as follows: six (6) members living with HIV willing to be open about HIV status and four (4) members representing the following categories: a) Persons taking PrEP; b) HIV-negative individuals; c) Individuals who choose not to disclose their status; d) Individuals with an unknown status. We are looking to support the next generation of emerging leaders.
These members will be selected from a wide range of communities, including African communities; African-American/Black communities; Afro-Caribbean communities; Black women; Communities of Color; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) students, staff, and faculty; Latinx/Latino/Hispanic/All Spanish-speaking communities; LGBTQIA+ individuals and those with gender identities and sexual orientations beyond conventional labels; Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) students, staff, and faculty; Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) students, staff, and faculty; Queer/Bi/Nonbinary/Gender-Fluid/Gender Nonconforming individuals of color; Trans Men of Color; Women of Color; Youth of color under the age of 25.
Community Advocacy Council Objectives:
The objectives of the SHIF Community Advocacy Council are as follows:
- Align with and promote SHIF’s mission, vision, values, and purpose.
- Ensure that SHIF’s commitment to Racial Justice, Social Justice & Intersectionality, and Meaningful Involvement of People Living with HIV (MIPA) is upheld in all programming.
- Continuously assess SHIF programming and offer constructive feedback to guide AIDS United in necessary corrective actions.
Promote SHIF within the communities represented by council members. - Inform and contribute to the grantmaking process of the Southern HIV Impact Fund.
- Contribute meaningfully to efforts to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic through programmatic ideas and insights.
- Share the message of the Southern HIV Impact Fund through personal stories and network connections.
- Collaborate with the Programs Department and development consultants to leverage resources and connections to support the program.
- Access to opportunities to build your leadership skills.
- Assist in expanding the reach of the Southern HIV Impact Fund in the South.
Participant Commitment:
Council members must commit to one two-year term (July 2024 – June 2026). Quarterly council meetings will be held virtually, focusing on addressing the comprehensive needs of people living with and affected by HIV as representatives of the communities that SHIF aims to support. Each member will have a role in the operation of the council to promote co-ownership of the space and its work. Although the council will meet quarterly for 1–2-hour meeting, you will also need to commit time to prepare for the meeting and attend all required training or events. The time commitment may average 2-3 hours monthly.
How You Can Benefit from Serving:
As an expression of gratitude for their valuable contributions to the Southern HIV Impact Fund, council members will receive an honorarium of $1000.00 ($250.00 per meeting). This token of appreciation acknowledges their dedicated commitment to assisting us in SHIFting the Narrative in the South through our grantmaking initiatives. There are also opportunities for training, writing blogs, representing the South in key decisions, and being an integral part of this important work in the South – where we live, love, work, and play.
Additionally, council members may be able to attend the annual SHIF grantee gathering, subject to funding availability.
How To Apply:
Please complete the application on Qualtrics no later than Monday, June 17, 2024, at 11:59 PM CT. This application will require you to upload a recent resume. Applications will be reviewed by an internal review committee recommending applicants for the Community Advocacy Council to the SHIF team.
Timeline
May 27, 2024 – Release request for applications.
June 24, 2024 – Applications are due in Qualtrics by 11:59 PM CT.
July 2024 – The council will be selected, and all applicants will receive an acceptance decision.
September 30, 2024 – Deadline for the first council meeting.
June 2026 – First two-year council terms end.
