Elton John AIDS Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) is a major grantmaker in the HIV/AIDS field, but is not an endowed foundation. It raises money from donors and then distributes grants to like-minded organizations throughout the year.
IP TAKE: EJAF is not afraid to fund the gritty, front-lines work required to prevent and hopefully eliminate AIDS. Its efforts reach some of the most marginalized groups in the United States. Nor is it afraid of taking grantmaking risks in order to pursue its mission. This is an open-minded, helpful funder that works with grantees in a variety of ways beyond grants. Its staff is highly approachable.
PROFILE: Initially established in 1992 as a pass-through organization for funds coming from the National AIDS Fund and others, the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) has revised its focus to be as much about fundraising as activism. With branches in the United States and the United Kingdom, EJAF has raised over $300 million for AIDS research and support since its founding. The foundation’s New York office handles grantmaking activities taking place in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and South America, while the United Kingdom office also supports work in Africa, Asia, and Europe.
Already a rock and roll legend, Elton John has fought against HIV since the early 1990s. John first became involved in AIDS work in the 1980s, when Ryan White, who was just 13 at the time, was diagnosed with the disease, which he had contracted as a result of a blood transfusion. The disease was poorly understood at the time, leading to discrimination against White, who quickly became the poster child for the disease, appearing on many national television shows, often alongside celebrities, in an effort to destigmatize HIV/AIDS. During this time, John loaned White’s mother $16,500 for a down payment on a house, which ultimately became a gift when John refused to accept repayment; instead, he set up a college fund for White’s sister, and teamed up with Stevie Wonder, Dionne Warwick, and Gladys Knight to record “That’s What Friends are For,” donating proceeds from the song to the American Foundation for AIDS Research. White’s death in 1990, and Freddy Mercury’s passing the following year prompted John to create the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Grants for Diseases
EJAF supports HIV/AIDS organizations whose work aligns with its grantmaking priorities, which include wellness, rights, quality of life and resilience for people affected by HIV. Its main targeted areas are gay men, youths, black communities, injection-related HIV, former prison inmates, and government HIV programming. EJAF prioritizes support for organizations that are “led by and based in the communities being served,” “advocating for improved government health policies,” “piloting or scaling up innovative programs,” “grounded in evidence about where and among whom HIV infections are happening,” and demonstrate “a history of activism, creativity, and urgency.”
In early 2020, the foundation created a COVID-19 emergency fund to help those with HIV maintain their care in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, the fund supports people affected by HIV during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the “LGBT community, sex workers, people living with HIV and people who use drugs.”
Grants for Global Health
The foundation supports HIV efforts in Eastern Europe and Central Asia through Radian, a program operated in partnership with Gilead Sciences. The program seeks to “meaningfully address new HIV infections and deaths from AIDS related illnesses […] through focussed [sic] action, investment and resourcing to improve the quality of prevention and care for people at risk of or living with HIV in the region.” The MenStar program works to diagnose and treat HIV in men in sub-Saharan Africa. Finally, the UK Social Impact Bond focuses on the South London boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark, and Lewisham, where “an estimated 1,000 residents [are] living with HIV that are unaware of their status.”
Important Grant Details:
Most grants out of EJAF range from $50,000 to $150,000, with occasional awards in the $300,000 to $1 million range. For a better idea of the type of HIV/AIDS work EJAF supports, review its impact page.
EJAF accepts letters of inquiry between May 1 and June 15. The foundation releases a Call for Proposals at the start of each calendar year.
PEOPLE:
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