Four San Francisco HIV/AIDS Hispanic Prevention Advocacy Groups Face Nearly $1M Cut in City Funding
Four San Francisco-area not-for-profit groups that work to prevent the spread of HIV among Hispanics will receive nearly $1 million less in city funding in fiscal year 2005-2006 than they did in FY 2004-2005, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The city cut support for the four groups -- Instituto Familiar de la Raza, Mission Neighborhood Health Center, Aguilas and Proyecto Contra SIDA Por Vida -- from about $1.2 million to about $240,000, according to the Chronicle. The groups, which receive some funding from other sources, work with segments of the Hispanic community "at risk" of HIV infection, including new immigrants, youth, injection drug users and their partners, transgender people and men who have sex with men, according to the Chronicle. James Loyce, deputy director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, in the last month has met with representatives of the four organizations and promised a second round of funding specifically for programs aiming to prevent HIV infection among Hispanics, according to the Chronicle. However, officials from the groups said the second round of grants will total $600,000, still leaving a shortfall, the Chronicle reports. Concepcin Saucedo -- executive director of Instituto Familiar de la Raza, which is facing a 12% reduction in its $4 million annual budget -- said the FY 2005-2006 selection process for HIV/AIDS funding was "skewed" toward organizations that paid for professional grant writers and did not take into account the four groups' "successful track records" or history of "building trust" in the Hispanic community, the Chronicle reports. "It's devastating," Saucedo said, adding, "It creates a scenario for more death. Our AIDS education and prevention team serves 4,000 clients. That would all be gone." Loyce noted that the grant review process does not take into account a group's history and acknowledged that better grant writing helps organizations. However, he said he does not feel there is a systematic problem in the funding process, according to the Chronicle (Hendricks, San Francisco Chronicle, 5/5).
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