The Gilead Foundation has announced a $12 million investment to support 33 community-based organizations across 14 states and the District of Columbia through its Community Health Worker Comprehensive HIV Prevention Initiative. The two-year program aims to expand community health worker-led prevention models that improve access to HIV education, screening, care navigation, and related health services for communities disproportionately affected by HIV.
Community health workers play a crucial role as trusted sources of information and support, helping individuals access care and overcome social and structural barriers to health services. The initiative emphasizes strengthening community-driven systems that provide culturally responsive care, promote prevention awareness, and improve equitable health outcomes.
The program focuses on communities that face higher HIV risks, including Black and Latino populations, men who have sex with men, cisgender and transgender women, people who inject drugs, and youth. Along with delivering prevention services, the initiative will also strengthen organizational infrastructure and training systems to build sustainable networks for HIV prevention at the local level.
The 33 recipient organizations represent diverse communities with ongoing HIV prevention challenges. Many of the funded programs will implement culturally aligned approaches such as community outreach models, peer ambassador programs, and youth-focused initiatives to increase awareness and access to prevention services.
Over the next two years, the funded organizations will expand integrated health screenings for HIV, sexually transmitted infections, mental health conditions, and substance use. They will also provide targeted prevention education, connect individuals to healthcare and harm reduction services, and work to reduce stigma through trusted community engagement.
The initiative will also support the development of the community health workforce by promoting peer navigator models, apprenticeship opportunities, pharmacy-based training, and stronger integration of community health workers within healthcare systems. These efforts aim to build long-term capacity and strengthen prevention networks beyond the duration of the grant program.
The Gilead Foundation focuses on addressing the root causes of health inequities by supporting organizations that empower communities with knowledge, resources, and systems of support. Gilead Sciences, the foundation’s parent organization, is a global biopharmaceutical company committed to developing treatments and prevention strategies for diseases such as HIV, viral hepatitis, COVID-19, cancer, and inflammatory conditions.
