To end the AIDS in the United States. Progress in achieving the goal will be measured by decreased new infections and increased access to care and support for people living with HIV.

Advocate for federal and state level policies that help mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS, prevent new infections, and combat HIV-related stigma and discrimination. Utilize strategic grant-making initiatives that can help document, evaluate and replicate effective programs; leverage other resources; and/or fill critical gaps in the response to HIV and AIDS. Build the capacity of communities, community-based organizations, community health clinics, and health systems to better response to HIV and AIDS.

AIDS United's grant-making efforts date back to the founding of the National AIDS Fund in 1987. Over the decades, we have managed strategic grant-making initiatives that have directly granted more than $95 million to local communities and have leveraged an additional $115 million in investment. In 2015, our grant-making supported HIV prevention and care efforts in 26 of the most HIV-impacted states in the country. Our grant-making portfolio covers a range of areas, including syringe access, access to care, capacity-building and advocacy. Across the portfolio, we leverage millions of additional dollars to ensure strategic investments in areas that can truly change the course of the HIV epidemic. We deploy rigorous evaluation tools for all programmatic initiatives to measure our success, to determine lessons learned, and to advance lessons learned. Our Policy and Advocacy roots were born out of coalition in 1984, when AIDS service organizations (ASOs) across the country came together to form AIDS Action Council. One of the most significant outcomes of the merger of AIDS Action and National AIDS Fund is that today, AIDS United houses the most seasoned, connected and respected domestic AIDS policy team in Washington DC. Our public policy work is informed by our members, which include some of the largest ASOs from all regions of the country, such as APLA, GMHC, Lifelong AIDS Alliance, Legacy Health, Wisconsin AIDS Resource Center, Nashville Care and many others. During the past four years, as a result of the synergies brought about from the NAF/AAC merger, and with new leadership brought in to oversee AIDS United, our dues-paying policy membership has nearly doubled. Today, AIDS United is effectively bridging policy with implementation as we assume a leadership role in organizing AIDSWatch, the largest constituent-based annual AIDS-advocacy day in Washington DC. Not only do our policy staff members work in Washington. D. C. to ensure the voices of ASOs and those they serve are represented in federal legislation and appropriations, but they provide technical assistance, training, materials and capacity-building to networks of HIV/AIDS advocates across the country to maximize local advocacy efforts as well.

Process Indicators include number of congressional visits conducted, number of grants issued, number of individuals trained. Outcome indicators related to legislation introduced, passed, and signed; program models documented and evaluated as proven effective; and number of agencies supported to replicate effective programs.

In the past year, AIDS United co-lead organizing efforts for AIDSWatch that brought more than 400 HIV-related community advocates to Washington DC for an annual advocacy day. Constituents came from 32 states, DC and Puerto Rico representing 95% of the current HIV epidemic in the U. S. The constituents conducted 240 congressional visits and helped educate legislators and their staffers on current HIV issues and legislation. New decriminalization work was codified in arm services legislation, and overall decriminalization vis-a-vis the REPEAL Act has now been introduced in both Senate and House. Access to Care grantees have now enrolled over 4,500 clients in direct care, and implementation sites have clearly documented their ability to improve linkage and retention in care compared to general public experience. AIDS United with a partnership of Ford Foundation has continued to support Advocacy on HIV and AIDS in the Deep South, issuing 24 grants this year worth $1. 4 million to groups in nine deep-south states. The AIDS United AmeriCorps program continues to support more than 50 placements across seven different jurisdictions to address health education and promotion. And the AIDS United Public Policy Committee has expanded the coalition of organizations working together on federal policy to include more than 38 members from across the country.