Southern HIV Impact Fund grantees are working to effectively address the prevention, care and support, and advocacy and leadership needs of individuals and communities affected by HIV in the South.

The cohort includes many leaders and organizations with years of HIV experience and many others who are relatively new to HIV but with a history of intersecting social justice work. Learn more about each project below.

A Vision 4 Hope Inc., Atlanta, GA

The Hope360 Initiative is designed to provide a customized experience for homeless people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) to reside in a stable environment and cultivate the resources and skills that will enable them to become self-sufficient and live independently in the community. This project will support housing that is affordable, secure and sanitary to reduce the applicant’s risk of homelessness and to improve their access to health care and supportive services.

Affinity Health Center, Rock Hill, SC

This project will focus on implementation of our newly developed Equity Action Plan and the intersection with Affinity Health Center’s HIV programs. This project will enhance access to HIV prevention services for the most vulnerable to HIV, reduce stigma associated with accessing HIV prevention and care services, and promote healing and hope within the context of culturally fluent HIV prevention and care services.

Arianna’s Center, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Arianna’s Center will expand HIV testing and linkage to prevention and care, HIV education, and programming that empowers and lifts up transgender women of color living with HIV. Goals: Programming for all things relating to transgender health care, education, HIV prevention and testing, and job training.

Capitol Area Reentry Program, Inc., Baton Rouge, LA

CARP utilizes this funding to support the programs at the LGBTQ Center that engage the community with holistic healthcare information and linkage services. We also fund the annual retreat for the community using these funds, which enable the community to network and learn vital information in regards to creating safe spaces, services and resources, mental health, and access to health care.

Circle of Friends Task Force, Greenville, NC

CoF is requesting general operating support for continued implementation and expansion of our faith-based initiative called SOUL (Spiritual Objectives Utilizing Leaders) Project and LAMPS (Leaders Advocating Mentoring Positive Support) Program. Funding will assist with the continuation of the SOUL project to offer educational opportunities and leadership skills training using National Minority AIDS Council-Building Leaders of Color curriculum (NMAC-BLOC) and Wake Forest University Faith Coordinating Center curriculum.

Community Health Prevention Intervention Education & Research (CH-PIER), Greenville, MS

The purpose of this grant is to continue to provide the services need for Black GBQ/SGL Men and People Living with HIV in the MS Delta area. CH-PIER is the only CBO in the area that provide these services and it is much needed in the area.

Deviant Events, New York, NY

This grant is to fund our operations budget as we transition our LLC status into a 501 C3. We already do work centered around health and wellness and intend to do more with the support of organizations that can only fund us when we have a 501 C3 status.

Eagle Pass SAFE, Eagle Pass, TX

The purpose of this grant is to empower PLWH and those most at risk for contracting it, to reach their full potential as leaders within the community. The knowledge they acquire will be used to teach their peers about addressing their social determinants of health to reduce their likelihood of contracting HIV or improve their health outcomes if they are living with it.

Frontline Legal Services, Inc., New Orleans, LA

Through this proposal, Frontline Legal Services is requesting funding to support necessary services for people living with HIV, which are designed to help individuals access vital care and treatment. With this funding, we will to continue our integrated legal strategy so we can respond to the needs of Louisiana’s and Georgia’s most marginalized people living with HIV.

Grambling State University, Grambling, LA

The purpose of this grant is to bring awareness to our HBCU student population about HIV Aids awareness and the many benefits that are aligned with HIV Aids at present. The aim is to use resources available to advocate and promote safe health practices through voting awareness and educational sessions.

Helping Everyone Receive Ongoing Effective Support (HEROES), Columbia, LA

HEROES is requesting general operating support for the organization. The specific program that this funding will support is HEROES University (HU), which is a HIV based education – training program. The program began in 2000 as HIV University to provide women with HIV a support network within their community and help them understand available treatment.

Hope House Day Care Center, Memphis, TN

The purpose of this grant would be to provide additional resources for individuals who are affected by HIV and poverty in the Memphis area who are also victims of crime. We would use funds to assist victims with moving, transportation, additional security and emergency shelter expenses.

Memphis Center for Reproductive Health (CHOICES), Memphis, TN

CHOICES seeks general operating funding to support our mission of providing comprehensive, inclusive, high-quality sexual and reproductive health care to more than 5,000 patients annually, 69% of whom receive financial assistance. Services include abortions, birth control, HIV prevention, testing, and referrals, gynecological wellness, perinatal and birth services, gender-affirming hormone therapy, and more.

Mississippi Center for Justice, Jackson, MS

A general support grant allows MCJ to expand the last 12 years of work directed at improving the lives of PLWH. Our Mississippi AIDS Justice Project Advisory Council created in 2017 helps our staff identify needs and priorities of the community to work on in any given year including the annual Mississippi AIDS Justice Project Convening, working on HIV decriminalization and fighting stigma.

Mississippi Positive Network, Ridgeland, MN

Mississippi Positive Network will produce its annual Mississippi AIDSWatch 2023, focused on HIV criminalization overhaul. While our focus is producing policy events for next year, it will naturally continue expand our PLHIV network (MSPN), combined with our work from last year and resources developed locally for this next year, for the purpose of meaningfully engaging all Mississippians living with HIV, not only once a year during this important policy event, but year-round; year-round ongoing engagement is critical to our work.

Positive Women’s Network-USA, Houston, TX

Positive Women’s Network-USA (PWN) respectfully requests funding from the AIDS United Southern HIV Impact Fund to continue training, building and nurturing a mobilizable, intersectional, and successful organizing and policy movement leadership of BIPOC women and transgender people living with HIV in the US South in Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina and Texas, to ensure their advocacy work is maximally impactful to advance progressive HIV-related policy in the South, build political power for our base, and increase the number of informed voters participating in future elections. This work will be supported by staff based in Houston office.

SEEDS OF HEALING, INC., Wilmington, NC

The purpose of this grant is to continue offering resources that center programming for Black women with an HIV diagnosis, increase HIV testing and promotion of PrEP among key priority populations: MSM (with a focus on African American/Black gay and bisexual men) LGBTQ youth, and Transgender persons in south eastern, NC. Funding from this grant will support our initiatives for innovative programming that is virtual, includes rural health practitioners, faith based organizations, community leaders, and residents; all who have a role in the works to Ending the HIV Epidemic.

SisterReach, Memphis, TN

SisterReach intends to use granted funding to cover programmatic costs associated with our Harm Reduction work.

T.A.K.E. Resource Center, Birmingham, AL

To continue to support the daily operations of TAKEs life changing work and being able to provide resources to black and brown trans people. To provide holistic health knowledge and HIV education and prevention and leadership development.

Texas Harm Reduction Alliance, Austin, TX

The purpose of this grant would be to increase capacity of our statewide harm reduction alliance by expanding syringe access across multiple cities and coordinating local organizing campaigns in effort to reduce HIV and drug-related incarceration rates across the state of Texas.

Trans Women in Need of Services, Wilton Manors, FL

The purpose of this grant is to enhance our current U-Matter Program and grow our community engagement to integrate intersectionality in Black and Brown HIV/AIDS communities to address structural drivers of the HIV epidemic and disparities in health outcomes among the transgender and gender diverse communities. We will strengthen the coordination across stakeholders for integrated continuity of HIV/AIDS care and prevention by identifying and addressing barriers and limitations to HIV/AIDS prevention and care related to other essential services, such as housing, transportation, employment, education and behavioral health.

WeCareTn, Memphis, TN

Many participants have compromised immune systems caused by HIV, HCV, or other illnesses. However, WeCareTN is committed to offering prevention, education, viable alternatives and solutions.