The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, is proud to announce the expansion of its work -- supported by a three-year, $5 million grant from Gilead Sciences, Inc. -- to eradicate the stigma surrounding HIV in Black and Latiné communities and end the HIV epidemic by 2030.
In the first two years of this partnership, Gilead supported the transformational programming of HRC Foundation’s HIV and Health Equity Program, its Historically Black Colleges & Universities Program, and its Transgender Justice Initiative. Collectively, these three minority-led teams advanced critical educational tools through in-person and digital efforts reaching 14 million people, advanced leadership development efforts for dozens of emerging Black, Indigenous, and People of Color LGBTQ+ leaders, and supported more than 100 community-based organizations. In addition to continuing this work, the HIV and Health Equity team will develop a one-of-a-kind innovative benchmarking tool for institutions that provide HIV services, helping better evaluate the quality of care and measure racially and socially inclusive approaches. The team will engage community-based organizations, health departments, and private HIV service providers to develop a comprehensive benchmarking tool and define best practices, policies, and procedures to optimize HIV service provision for BIPOC LGBTQ+ communities.
“Since the beginning of the HIV epidemic, racism and anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination have created dangerous hurdles for those seeking prevention or treatment,” said Kelley Robinson, President of the Human Rights Campaign. “With the generous support of Gilead Sciences, we’ll be able to continue providing critical resources to help overcome these hurdles, especially focusing on Black and Latiné communities in the U.S. South. We’ll also be able to expand our efforts, as we seek to remove institutional barriers often unknowingly created by HIV service providers. We must decrease the disparities that place an unnecessary burden on Black and Latiné LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV.”
“Gilead is committed to advancing health equity, particularly in Black communities and other communities of color that are disproportionately affected by HIV,” said Deborah H. Telman, Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and General Counsel. “This grant will build on the impactful work HRC has done with community partners and HBCUs to increase awareness of HIV treatment and prevention options and reduce health disparities, combat discrimination and fight stigma. By working together, we can help end the HIV epidemic for everyone, everywhere.”
This partnership is an extension of Gilead’s $3.2 million grant given to the HRC Foundation in 2021. With $5 million over the next three years, this grant is the largest in the HRC Foundation’s history.
