The Gilead Sciences Foundation and the National AIDS Memorial have announced a three-year, approximately $3 million initiative aimed at expanding HIV/AIDS education, leadership development, and historical preservation efforts in the United States.
The programme focuses on strengthening public awareness of HIV, supporting emerging community leaders, and preserving the historical legacy of the HIV/AIDS movement. It will also expand access to educational resources and community engagement programmes that highlight the social, medical, and advocacy-driven response to the epidemic.
A key component of the initiative includes expanding leadership opportunities for young advocates through scholarship and fellowship programmes, particularly in fields such as public health, medicine, education, and social justice. These efforts are intended to help develop the next generation of leaders working on HIV prevention, treatment access, and community support.
The partnership will also support the preservation and digitisation of thousands of panels from the AIDS Memorial Quilt, one of the largest community-based memorial projects in the world. This work is designed to make the history of the HIV/AIDS crisis more accessible to educators, researchers, families, and the broader public.
In addition, the initiative will fund public engagement programmes, including speaker series and leadership awards, as well as conservation efforts at the National AIDS Memorial Grove in San Francisco, California. These sites serve as both memorials and educational spaces dedicated to remembrance and community healing.
The organisations emphasized that preserving the history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic is essential for informing future public health responses and ensuring that the lessons of past advocacy and scientific progress continue to guide global efforts against HIV.
