HIV/AIDS Philanthropy: Women & Girls #IWD2016 #NWGHAAD

By Juliet Glassroth March 8, 2016

In honor of International Women’s Day (#IWD2016) and National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (#NWGHAAD), it is important to consider the contributions of philanthropic funders to HIV/AIDS-efforts benefitting women and girls.

Adolescent girls and young women continue to be left behind in the global fight to end HIV and AIDS. Due to myriad circumstances — including a lack of access to education and formal, paid employment; the ever-present threat of violence; being prevented from seeking services and making decisions about their own health — women and girls face increased risk of acquiring HIV. But in order to end the disease, we must reach these vulnerable populations and the private sector is key to doing that.

In 2014, approximately 98 philanthropic organizations disbursed $105,279.054 million in support of global HIV/AIDS-related programs that specifically supported women and girls*. This sum represents roughly 17% of total HIV/AIDS philanthropy for the year.

Over one million HIV positive women give birth each year. In addition, as healthcare becomes increasingly integrated, programs seeking to eliminate mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) have become a key entry point for care and treatment. With this in mind, it is clear how necessary having adequate resources to maintain these efforts is. The private sector has taken heed of this; 38% of the total HIV/AIDS-related private funding for women and girls supported efforts focused on EMTCT. 

In addition, the tireless work of HIV/AIDS advocates to raise awareness and provide education — work that has been so instrumental in achieving the progress to date —is largely funded by the private sector. In 2014, 16% of total HIV/AIDS-related funding benefitting women and girls was focused on advocacy. Without this continued generosity, the road ahead will be far steeper.

Despite the great strides we have made, we are still a long way from ending AIDS as an epidemic. Through its resources, expertise, and innovation, the private sector is able to help implement and scale-up best practices and leverage them across the highest burden regions, giving the world its best chance to defeat this epidemic.

Top 10 Private Funders of  HIV/AIDS Programs that Benefited Women & Girls in 2014

  1. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, WA
  2. M.A.C. AIDS Fund and M.A.C. Cosmetics, NY
  3. Ford Foundation, NY
  4. Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, CA
  5. Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, UK
  6. Stephen Lewis Foundation, Canada
  7. ViiV Healthcare, NC
  8. Johnson and Johnson, NJ
  9.   AbbVie Foundation and AbbVie, IL
  10. AIDS United, DC

 Share the data on social media

  • Private philanthropy disbursed $110mil in support of HIV efforts that benefited women & girls in 2014. bit.ly/1pej0Mp #IWD2016 #NWGHAAD
  • 18% of HIV/AIDS-related private philanthropy supported women & girls in 2014. Learn more bit.ly/1pej0Mp #IWD2016 #NWGHAAD
  • @gatesfoundation @CIFFChild @HiltonFoundation @MACAIDSFUND  @Ford recognized as top 5 funders of HIV program 4 women & girls  bit.ly/1pej0Mp  #IWD2016 #NWGHAAD
  •  FCAA recognizes top 10 funders of #HIV programs that benefit women and girls for #IWD2016 #NWGHAAD bit.ly/1pej0Mp

*Women and girls may have also been addressed through funding to other target populations such as sex works, orphans and vulnerable children, people who inject drugs, etc. However, the above amounts represent funding that was specifically indicated as disbursed to women and girls. For more on funding to different target populations, please visit the full report Philanthropic Support to Address HIV/AIDS in 2014 at www.fcaaids.org/resourcetracking