HIV/AIDS Funding: Data is the Key

This article was originally published on the POZ website.

The HIV/AIDS funding environment is more challenging than ever.

Ill-informed policies threaten to roll back progress.

Bilateral funders are decreasing resources.

The majority of philanthropic resources are concentrated among a handful of donors.

At this moment in time, we must deploy all the weapons in our arsenal to fight both the epidemic itself as well as an environment that has become inhospitable to progress. One of the most effective tools we have at our disposal is data.

Philanthropic funding comprises just two percent of global HIV/AIDS resources. But that two percent can make a significant impact, if it is strategically aligned and allocated to the areas of greatest need. Over the past few decades, philanthropic resources have grown dramatically, becoming an integral component to the global response. What began with only five private foundation grants and $216,000 in 1983 has increased, most recently, to $680 million per year. Such resources have greatly contributed to progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS, particularly in regions hardest hit by the epidemic.

Read the full article here.