The San Diego HIV Funding Collaborative (SDHFC), a program of the Alliance Healthcare Foundation, announced 2005 recipients will award $398,372 in grant awards for HIV/AIDS services in the San Diego region at the annual AIDS Walk San Diego/SDHFC Grants Awards Ceremony held at The Center on Wednesday, Dec. 8, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. The funds, raised through AIDS Walk San Diego and a number of local and national donors who contribute to SDHFC, will be distributed to 28 agencies that provide direct support and services to those affected by AIDS.

The Center, one of the organizations receiving funds, and one of the original founding organizations 15 years ago, has housed the AIDS Walk San Diego program for the last three years. Since its involvement, costs to produce the AIDS Walk have been reduced, resulting in more funds raised each successive year.

According to SDHFC, the 2004 AIDS Walk produced $430,000, compared to 2003’s $402,250 – an increase of 6.5 percent. AIDS Walk San Diego is the largest single-day fundraiser for HIV and AIDS in the county. The walk has raised more than $6 million for HIV and AIDS service providers since 1989.

“This year the event cost less to produce,” said Aaron Heier, who manages public relations for AIDS Walk San Diego. “Since The Center has taken over management of AIDS Walk that has been pretty much a consistent thing they had wanted to do… to minimize the overhead expenses to put on the event itself, which they have done very successfully,” said Heier.

“Dr. Jacobs [chief executive officer of The Center] did an outstanding job this year of keeping costs down,” said Katherine Crow, SDHFC Coordinator.

According to Megan Blanek, AIDS Walk project manager at The Center, of the $430,000 raised this year, an amount of $31,628 will be put into a separate discretionary fund for critical funding purposes in 2005.

“If an agency that we support or another HIV agency has an emergency situation next year, they can apply for those funds,” explained Blanek. “If there are no emergency situations that come up in 2005, then that money will be rolled over into next year’s grant.”

In previous years, the discretionary fund did not exist.

“That is fairly new this year in response to government funding cuts, both the ones that have already happened and the ones that we anticipate,” said Blanek. “We’re trying to close the funding gap and keep a resource available throughout the year.”

Along with AIDS Walk, SDHFC’s other funding partners who contributed to this year’s grant awards include: The Sunshine Brooks Permanent Fund of AIDS Foundation San Diego, Alliance Healthcare Foundation, James S. Copley Foundation, Elton John AIDS Foundation, McCarthy Family Foundation, National AIDS Fund, The San Diego Foundation, United Way of San Diego County, and the James Ziegler Advised Fund at the San Diego Foundation.

“In the face of reduced government funding, we’re thrilled with the ongoing commitment and generosity of our collaborators. We are proud to have achieved this milestone level of private funding for these vital organizations,” stated David Contois, chair of the SDHFC Advisory Committee, in a press release.

Blanek continues to see proceeds come in from AIDS Walk. “There was a very exciting upturn, especially with early donations and we are still receiving money,” said Blanek. “I still almost every day get a check from late arrivals. It’s been a very exciting year and we’re looking forward to building on that next year.”

Recipients in 2005, selected through a granting process spearheaded by SDHFC, represent a wide-ranging group of 28 direct HIV/AIDS service organizations in the San Diego region. Some of the services that will be provided include: care and treatment, prevention and education services for homeless and runaway youth, medical services for HIV positive individuals in San Diego County and northern Baja California, educational support groups for multi-ethnic English and monolingual Spanish-speaking clients, residential and hospice care and harm reduction services and materials.

“These grants represent an ongoing commitment to continue the fight against this deadly disease,” said Fred Sainz, chair of the AIDS Walk Community Advisory Council, in a press release. “We are indeed grateful to be a partner in this essential process and are extremely happy that the monies raised by AIDS Walk and the many other local and national foundations will be distributed to such a diverse group of service providers.”

The grantees were selected by an allocations committee composed of local funders, community members and healthcare professionals. The grant recipients include: Acosida Tijuana, A.C., Asian/Pacific Islander Community AIDS Project, Auntie Helen’s Fluff N’ Fold, Bi-National AIDS Advocacy Project, Camp Laurel, The Center, Christie’s Place, Clinicas de Salud del Pueblo, Community Connection Resource Center, Community HousingWorks, Family Health Centers of San Diego, Fraternity House, Mama’s Kitchen, Neighborhood House Association, North County Health Services, PAWS San Diego County, San Diego American Indian Health Center, San Diego Harm Reduction Center, San Diego Hospice and Palliative Care, San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program, San Diego Youth & Community Services, San Ysidro Health Center, Serving Youth Through Education and Support (SYTES), Special Delivery San Diego, Townspeople, United Methodist Church, Uptown Faith Community Service Center and Vista Community Clinic.