The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) Announces $3.3 million in New Grants

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Mar 05, 2013, 08:00 ET

EJAF's Final Grants for 2012

Address Needs of Under-served Populations 

NEW YORK, March 5, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) today announced its final round of grants for calendar year 2012, totaling $3,346,530. This new funding brings EJAF's total grant investments for 2012 to over $7.4 million.

 "After 20 years of doing this work, I know that the only way to fight against AIDS is by helping everyone in need, especially those living at the margins of society," said Sir Elton John, who founded EJAF in 1992. "That's why we are very proud to support truly innovative organizations that are providing critical services to the most stigmatized populations."  

EJAF's 16 new and 36 renewal grants support projects in the Caribbean, Latin America, the Southern United States, and national initiatives throughout the U.S. Target populations covered by this grant cycle include gay men, incarcerated populations, injection drug users, African Americans, and young people. Grantee activities include HIV prevention, testing, treatment, and care services, legal services, organization development, and policy and advocacy.   

Domestic grants reach out to communities across the United States, including the states of Alabama (Birmingham), Florida (Fort Walton Beach, Jacksonville, Lake Worth, Orlando, Panama City, Tallahassee, Tampa, and Wilton Manors), Georgia (Atlanta and Decatur), Illinois (Chicago and Naperville), Louisiana (Lake Charles), Mississippi (Ridgeland), New Jersey (Atlantic City), New York (Brooklyn, Bronx, and New York City), North Carolina (Raleigh), Oklahoma (Tulsa), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), Texas (Austin, Dallas, and Houston), Virginia (Hampton Roads, Newport News, and Norfolk), and the District of Columbia.  

Included among these new grants are several policy-related initiatives to move AIDS-related issues forward. The areas covered by these projects are the most pressing issues in 2013, including the reauthorization and implementation of the Ryan White Care Act, the successful implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the full implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, and the repeal of the ban on the use of federal funding for syringe exchange.

The Foundation also awarded three $25,000 emergency grants to assist several HIV/AIDS organizations in the New York/New Jersey area to help them recover from damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, and to provide services for people living with HIV/AIDS who have been displaced from their homes and jobs by the storm.

 About EJAF

 The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) was established as a nonprofit organization in the United States in 1992 and as a registered charity in the United Kingdom in 1993 by Sir Elton John. Together, both entities have raised more than $275 million for worthy programs in 55 countries around the globe since inception. Today, the Foundation is one of the world's leading nonprofit HIV/AIDS organizations supporting innovative HIV prevention programs, efforts to eliminate stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS, and treatment, care, and support services for people living with HIV/AIDS. The U.S. organization's current grant-making priorities target HIV prevention programs throughout the United States, the Americas, and the Caribbean; HIV prevention and care services for highly marginalized and vulnerable populations; and HIV/AIDS prevention education and the promotion of sexual health for adolescents.   

For more information, and for a complete list and project descriptions for EJAF's 2012 grants, please visit www.ejaf.org.

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

SOURCE Elton John AIDS Foundation