NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 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.
About EJAF
At the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF), we believe AIDS can be
beaten. We act on that belief by raising funds for effective
programs and policies, and also by speaking out with honesty and
compassion about the realities of people's lives. Sir
Elton John created EJAF over twenty
years ago, first in the United
States in 1992 and then in the United Kingdom in 1993. Through hard
work and with the help of our network of kind, amazing, creative,
and generous friends and supporters, the two foundations together
have raised more than $350 million
over the past two decades to combat stigma, prevent infections,
provide treatment and services, and motivate governments to end
AIDS. The U.S. foundation focuses its efforts on programs in
the United States, the Americas,
and the Caribbean, while the U.K.
foundation funds HIV-related work in Europe, Asia,
and Africa. Join us in speaking out, taking action, and
contributing to our efforts to achieve a world without AIDS.
For more information, please visit www.ejaf.org.
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SOURCE Elton John AIDS Foundation