Partnership Opportunities
Become a member to support people living with HIV, to prevent new infections, and to rid stigma toward HIV/AIDS in the South. Our members include a diverse range of community, government, and business partners as well as people living with HIV and their allies. We are proud of — and grateful for — this unique and powerful coalition.
Join us today. A better South starts with you.
Build your capacity:
To end this epidemic, we have to build a better HIV workforce in the South, one that (1) practices cultural humility, (2) understands the factors that contribute to our epidemic; and (3) embraces innovative models and messages that reflect what it means to be living with HIV today.
We can help! The Southern AIDS Coalition provides trainings and technical assistance to community-based organizations, government agencies, and healthcare delivery entities across the South. And remember, all of our trainings and technical assistance are provided free of charge.
Fund your work
Addressing stigma in all its forms – from our lawmakers, our providers, our communities, and even within ourselves – is essential to improving the health of people living with HIV and, ultimately, ending the HIV epidemic in the South. As a Gilead COMPASS Initiative Coordinating Center, we provide community grants to organizations across the South to do just that.
Pilot Interventions
There is a pronounced need to design, implement, and evaluate interventions to reduce HIV-related stigma for people living with HIV (PLHIV). This need is greatest in the Deep South, a subset of nine (9) states that is a significant driver of the HIV epidemic in the United States. PLHIV in the Deep South experience considerable HIV-related stigma. This stigma, particularly when internalized, is associated with negative health outcomes, including poorer medication adherence and missed medical appointments. Consequently, fewer Southerners living with HIV receive timely medical care and treatment, fewer have their virus suppressed, and a disproportionate number are missing out on the opportunity to preserve their health and avoid transmitting the virus to their partners. Mortality in the South remains alarmingly high as a result, with death rates in some southern states reaching nearly three times higher than the national average.
The Southern AIDS Coalition is seeking to partner with four (4) community-based organizations to implement and evaluate the following HIV-related stigma reduction interventions:
1. LEAD (Leadership, Education, and Advocacy Development) Academy:
Overview
A retreat-style health promotion intervention (spanning 2 nights and 2.5 days) designed to combat HIV-related stigma by training PLHIV to be leaders, educators, and advocates in their communities. The curriculum was created by and for people living with HIV in the South, and all content is delivered in-person and on-site by PLHIV in conjunction with subject matter experts and local partners. Upon completion of the LEAD Academy, participants graduate as “Southern LEADers” with advanced knowledge of HIV, real-world experience with advocacy, and the skills to serve as leaders and trusted sources of information within their communities. LEAD Academy is most appropriate for PLHIV who already understand the basic facts of HIV transmission and advocacy and who are ready to serve as leaders within their communities.
2. Younity Workshop
Overview
A two-session group-level intervention that teaches PLHIV techniques and skills to reduce internalized HIV-related stigma. The intervention is based on the HIV Stigma Toolkit developed by the International Center for Research on Women, and the materials were originally adapted for use among women in the United States by researchers at the University of Washington. We have further adapted the intervention for use among men in the U.S. South. Younity Workshop is most appropriate for PLHIV who are newly diagnosed or who are struggling to accept their HIV diagnosis.
Eligibility:
Geographic location: Applicants must be located in and doing work in one of nine (9) Deep South states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, or Texas.
Non-Profit Status: Applications must be non-profit, tax-exempt organizations as set forth in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Applicants that do not hold 501(c)(3) status must have a fiscal sponsor to apply.
Capacity to Recruit Participants: Partner organizations must have the capacity to recruit at least 46 people living with HIV to participate in the interventions: sixteen (16) for LEAD Academy and thirty (30) for Younity Workshop. Please note: participants cannot participate in both interventions. The majority of participants should be people of color, but other people living with HIV are permitted to participate.
Willingness to Assign Point Person: Partner organizations must designate one (1) staff person to serve as the official point person for this partnership. The staff person is expected to assist with all logistics, lead recruitment efforts, and actively participate in regular phone calls with SAC and other partners.
