The Elton John AIDS Foundation Announces New Grant-Making Partnership with the Support of The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation

$315,000 in grant awards focus on the AIDS epidemic in the Southern United States

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Jan 20, 2015, 08:00 ET

NEW YORK, Jan. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) today announced a new grant-making partnership supported in part by The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF). The two foundations have awarded a combined $315,000 in grants to six organizations addressing the AIDS epidemic in the Southern United States.

The projects being supported include:

The only LGBT center serving the needs of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in eastern Virginia;
A Birmingham, Alabama center providing a safe, supportive and affirming space for LGBTQ youth;
A Georgia-based advocacy center focused on the impact of HIV/AIDS on young black gay men;
The only program providing prevention, education, counseling, testing, and referral services to high-risk gay and bisexual men in rural northeast Oklahoma;
A health navigation program connecting HIV-positive black men in rural Mississippi to the care and treatment they need; and
An Atlanta-based community organization engaging transgender people of color, the larger LGBTQ community, and supportive allies to advocate for the end of policies that criminalize HIV/AIDS.

The Elton John AIDS Foundation is excited about the positive impact these grants will have in advancing the fight against HIV/AIDS in the United States where it is needed most.

"Because of poor access to HIV testing and healthcare, many people living with HIV in the U.S. South enter into treatment when their HIV disease is much more advanced and find it difficult to remain on treatment. As a result, the U.S. South has the lowest rates of successful HIV treatment in the country," said EJAF Chairman David Furnish. "This is particularly true for LGBTQ individuals and black Americans living in the Southern states. We are therefore profoundly grateful to The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation for joining with us to fund the innovative work of these grantees."

"Far too many people are denied equal rights and equal access to health care in this country, especially in the Southern U.S. This new grant-making partnership will help to address the serious inequities that exist in the provision of education, diagnosis, and treatment of the people most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS," said ETAF Managing Director Joel Goldman. "We at The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation are thrilled to join the Elton John AIDS Foundation to help right this imbalance and fight against this deadly disease in the hardest-hit areas and populations in the U.S. South."

About the Elton John AIDS Foundation

At the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) we believe that 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 $300 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.

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American Airlines is the official sponsoring airline of the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

About The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation

The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) was established by Dame Elizabeth Taylor in 1991 to raise funds and awareness to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS, and to provide assistance for those living with the virus. ETAF (1) supports organizations delivering direct care and services to people living with HIV/AIDS, and (2) provides and supports education to the public regarding HIV/AIDS and its prevention. The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation provides financial support for organizations and entities both within the United States and to over 33 countries internationally. To learn more or to make a donation, please visit www.etaf.org.

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SOURCE Elton John AIDS Foundation