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The AIDS Foundation of Chicago is pleased to announce the availability of funding applications through its Global AIDS Initiative private grantmaking program.
The AIDS Foundation of Chicago’s (AFC) private grantmaking program began in 1988. It has responded to the needs of the community with private grant awards totaling more than $18 million. But how does a local HIV/AIDS organization, with a very specific mission to serve people locally make an impact on the global scale with a crisis of such enormity?
 One way is through AFC’s policy and advocacy work, especially at the national level, urging the federal government to do more in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. Another way is through private grantmaking, a key program at AFC.
Looking to many of its longtime grantees that had already been doing international AIDS work for many years, AFC discovered that by joining forces with these agencies and other funders, it is able to enrich international HIV/AIDS projects by supporting local agencies with micro grants to augment their international activities.
AFC’s Global Initiative began in 2005 in response to the Board and staff wanting to make a difference in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. Through the philanthropy of donors, AFC has established a distinct funding pool for the international work of Chicago-based HIV/AIDS organizations. The micro-grants distributed to local agencies contribute to projects with an established presence in the countries they serve.
Because these micro-grants are small in comparison to grants meant for domestic work, it is essential that organizations already have a presence in the country where they are working. It is only through the aspect of “twinning”, where U.S.-based organizations support the activities of peer organizations in the developing world, that AFC’s small grants can be put to work quickly and efficiently abroad.
Furthermore, Global Initiative awards only fund in-country services. One hundred percent of granted funds must be spent on direct HIV/AIDS services working in coordination with international partners. services. One hundred percent of granted funds must be spent on direct HIV/AIDS services working in coordination with international partners. This ensures the money is used directly for a project making the most difference with the funds awarded. No portion of AFC grants may be used for travel abroad or other costs of the Chicago-based organization.
The application process consists of a short 2-3 page synopsis of an agencies international program. It must demonstrate an established presence, feasibility of a proposed project, and the importance, reason, and/or necessity of the proposed work.
These micro grants of approximately $5,000 can go far in an impoverished country. Projects funded by AFC have built wells providing clean water for an entire community, provided hospice and palliative care for high-risk populations, and have assisted in AIDS orphan meal programs along with various other projects throughout the world.
Photos by Leah Missbach Day |
