Unquestionably, the only way to end the AIDS epidemic in our lifetime is to make and sustain adequate investment in HIV prevention research and programs.  Advocacy is needed to highlight racial and ethnic disparities, showcase promising and effective programs, and make the case for increased investment.  In addition, AFC promotes the expansion of structural interventions such as housing for people with HIV that improve individual’s health and lives while reducing likelihood that they will engage in activities that may result in HIV transmission.

The AIDS Foundation of Chicago leads HIV prevention advocacy through the following projects (click on the images to go to the project pages):

HIV Health Reform educates the HIV community about the tremendous opportunities that exist through the Affordable Care Act to improve health care access for people with HIV. It accomplishes this goal by maintaining a blog, sharing information through an email newsletter, and hosting regular webinars.

The HIV Prevention Justice Alliance (HIV PJA) is a 13,000-person national network in the United States, based at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, that exposes and confronts the persistence of inequality that comes from economic, political and social conditions that affect people living with HIV/AIDS.

The International Rectal Microbicide Advocates (IRMA) is is a network of over 1,200 advocates, policymakers and leading scientists from six continents working together to advance a robust rectal microbicide research and development agenda, with the goal of creating safe, effective, acceptable and accessible rectal microbicides for the women, men, and transgender individuals around the world who engage in anal intercourse.

The Chicago Female Condom Campaign is a coalition of HIV/AIDS, reproductive justice, women’s health, and gay men’s health organizations dedicated to increasing access, affordability, availability, awareness, and utilization of female condoms.

The Pediatric AIDS Chicago Prevention Initiative (PACPI) is a collaborative enterprise that brings together public and private institutions and community-based organizations into a coordinated continuum of primary and secondary prevention and care to achieve our goal - the elimination of pediatric AIDS in Illinois.

Love the One You're With is a campaign that brings together volunteers and partners with other community based organizations to create condom packets and distribute them throughout Chicago, especially to high-risk populations. It also provides a toolkit for church groups, school groups, and other community organizations to start a condom campaign in their own community.

Mapping Pathways is a multi-national project to develop and nurture a research-driven, community-led global understanding of the emerging evidence base around the adoption of antiretroviral-based prevention strategies to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The 24/7 Illinois Perinatal HIV Hotline is a statewide resource that links people to the safety net of perinatal HIV prevention services, including medical and social service resources for HIV-infected pregnant women and their newborns throughout Illinois.