Elton John AIDS Foundation Awards $4.1M to Programs Advancing Health and Human Rights of PLWHAs

The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF), a leader in the global effort to end AIDS, today awarded $4.1 million to 38 organizations addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in critical and innovative ways. This is the first of two grant cycles for 2016 and builds on the Foundation's ongoing support for organizations throughout the Americas and Caribbean.

"For nearly 25 years, the Elton John AIDS Foundation has been committed to aggressively confronting the HIV/AIDS epidemic where it exists," said EJAF Founder Elton John. "We are proud of this newest round of investments, in which we fund advocacy and services in over 30 locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic."

A key objective of EJAF's giving is to increase the resilience of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and the organizations that serve LGBT communities. As part of this grant-making cycle, EJAF provided grants to support free health and legal service programs, to strengthen fellowships and scholarships for emerging community leaders, and to bolster transgender-led organizations and programs.

The Foundation also renewed its commitment to promoting the health and rights of migrants and asylum seekers by funding related programs in New York, Los Angeles, Tijuana, and Toronto that help LGBT and HIV-positive people who have had to flee their countries and are in need of resettlement.

EJAF also dedicated a significant portion of this grant-making cycle to support initiatives advancing HIV-related policies and advocacy efforts. This includes pro bono legal and litigation services for people fighting insurance discrimination; education for state legislators about the importance of federal and state funding for programs helping people access medicines and health services; and support for HIV activists in the Southern U.S. advancing city and state policies and programs to reduce HIV infection rates and improve the health of people living with HIV.

This includes the allocation of $710,000 to six organizations fighting the criminalization of people living with HIV. These organizations work to change state laws that allow the arrest and criminal prosecution of people with HIV for not disclosing their status to sexual partners and for having sex even when there is no risk of HIV transmission. Such laws are highly stigmatizing, ineffective and counterproductive in preventing HIV transmission, and need to be changed.

"Our grantees are on the front lines of the HIV epidemic," said Scott Campbell, EJAF's executive director. "As one of the largest funders in the world dedicated to ending AIDS, we are committed to making real-time investments that address the latest trends in the epidemic and also providing ongoing support for tried and true strategies that improve access to healthcare and ensure basic human rights for people most affected by the epidemic."

A complete list and descriptions of all 38 grants are posted at www.ejaf.org.