“This funding is a critical part of CDC’s national HIV prevention efforts and is in line with the priorities identified in the recently released National HIV/AIDS Strategy,” said Jonathan Mermin, MD, director of CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention.  “Governments on the federal and state levels cannot end this epidemic alone, and these resources will help to give many communities the tools they need to fight HIV locally.”

Because community-based organizations have the cultural knowledge and local perspective to reach people who might not otherwise access HIV testing or other prevention services, partnership with these organizations represents a critical part of CDC’s fight against HIV.  Additionally, these organizations help ensure that HIV prevention efforts are reaching those at greatest risk and who need HIV prevention services the most.

Funds will be used by CBOs to implement effective HIV prevention programs for individuals living with HIV and those at high risk of infection. Funding will also be used to increase HIV testing and knowledge of status in these communities.  In addition, a limited portion of the funding will be given to some CBOs to assist in monitoring program impact and behavioral outcomes.

Nationally, African-Americans, Latinos, gay and bisexual men, and injection drug users are the groups most disproportionately affected by HIV, and these funds will help to ensure that local prevention efforts reach these populations: 

·         By risk group, 49 percent of the organizations receiving funding focus their efforts on men who have sex with men.  Thirty-eight percent of the CBOs primarily focus on heterosexual men and women, 5 percent focus on injection drug users, and the remaining organizations focus on a combination of these groups, with 1 percent focusing on other groups.

·         CBOs that focus efforts on people of color account for the majority of organizations receiving funding.  Fifty-eight percent focus on African-Americans, with Latinos accounting for 23 percent, whites accounting for 11 percent, Asian/Pacific Islanders accounting for 3 percent, Native Americans accounting for 1 percent, and organizations focusing on multiple or all races/ethnicities accounting for 4 percent.

CDC supports HIV prevention at national, state, local, territorial, and tribal levels, and this award represents just one of many efforts that are a part of CDC’s $728 million funding for domestic HIV prevention.  CDC funds HIV prevention efforts throughout the nation, with the bulk of funding each year going to state and local health departments to implement HIV prevention among those at greatest need.  CDC also works on a number of fronts to combat the HIV epidemic, including: increasing access to HIV prevention and testing services, conducting surveillance, researching new prevention approaches, and using new technology and communication tools to combat complacency regarding the HIV epidemic in the United States.