Six Private Funders Continue Innovative Collaborative to Save Lives. Recent 2006 Grants Awarded $1.2 Million to 44 Grantees in 18 States; Grants in 2007 Will Bring Four-Year Total to More than $4.5 Million

(May 07, 2007) - The Syringe Access Fund - a unique funding collaborative designed to reduce the risk of HIV infection and other blood-borne pathogens among injection drug users, their sexual partners and children through expanded access to sterile syringes -- today announced a new round of funding, aiming to provide more than $1.2 million to as many as 50 organizations for syringe access projects and state-level policy education related to syringe access and harm reduction.

This new request for proposals (RFP) follows three previous rounds of grants awarding a total of $3.7 million. The most recent round, awarded in December 2006, funded 44 grantees in 18 states with two-year grants totaling $1.2 million. Syringe Access Fund grants support community-, street- and pharmacy-based syringe access programs, as well as state-level policy education efforts to eliminate legal barriers to this life-saving intervention. Of the $1.2 million awarded in 2006, 80% of funding supported direct services and 20% supported state-level policy work.

> You can find the new RFP for the Syringe Access Fund Here

Background: The Connection Between Injection Drug Use, HIV and Hepatitis C

Injection drug use has accounted for approximately one-third of all adult AIDS cases reported in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC also estimates that 60% of Hepatitis C cases are linked to injection drug use. Blood-borne infections such as these can be transmitted directly among injection drug users when infected users share syringes or engage in high-risk sexual contact. Women who are infected with HIV through injecting or unprotected sex with an infected injection drug user can transmit the virus to their babies during pregnancy or while nursing.

Access to sterile injection equipment, including syringes, has been proven to reduce the risk of HIV infection without contributing to increased drug use. This is the conclusion of many independent, peer-reviewed studies and evaluations conducted in the U.S. and internationally since the early 1990's, including a 1997 Report to Congress prepared by the Department of Health and Human Services. As an HIV prevention intervention, syringe access is endorsed by such organizations as the American Medical Association, the American Bar Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Institute of Medicine, the American Public Health Association, National Institutes of Health, and the American Pharmaceutical Association. Most recently, a September 2006 report prepared by the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences concluded: "Given consistent evidence that multi-component HIV prevention programs that include sterile needle and syringe access reduce drug-related HIV risks, such programs should be implemented where feasible."

About the Syringe Access Fund

The Syringe Access Fund is a multi-year grant making initiative consisting of the Levi Strauss Foundation, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, the Irene Diamond Fund, the Tides Foundation and the National AIDS Fund (with the addition of a sixth funder - Public Welfare Foundation - in 2007). The Syringe Access Fund was created in 2004 to respond to the deadly connection between injection drug use and HIV, particularly in communities of color and among women.

Since 2004, the Syringe Access Fund has reviewed 242 proposals and awarded 92 grants (to 83 individual grantees) totaling more than $3.25 million. In addition to the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, programs in the following states have been awarded two-year grants since 2004: Alabama, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Washington. The wide range and increasing number of localities that are now implementing syringe access programs reflects a growing awareness of the efficacy of such programs among public health officials nationally.

Despite overwhelming evidence of the effectiveness of syringe access programs, the federal government has prohibited the use of federal funds for such purposes since 1988, and state and local laws related to the sale and possession of syringes may interfere with local programs' ability to provide such services. In addition, private funders may be reluctant to fund such programs given the political controversy that has sometimes surfaced with regard to these programs. The Syringe Access Fund was created to help fill this gap, and consists of a growing number of funders who believe that sound scientific evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of syringe access programs must drive both policy and practice.

Examples of Syringe Access Fund Grants in Action

As examples of funding since 2004, Syringe Access Fund grants have been awarded to support a van for a mobile clinic in Staten Island, and to open a Sunday exchange site in San Francisco where none existed. In Los Angeles, a four-agency partnership used its grant to purchase syringes for exchange through a city-sanctioned and city-funded exchange program that is not allowed to use city funds for syringes. In New Jersey, two separate policy grants supported statewide efforts related to legislation allowing for the creation of up to six pilot needle exchange programs (which Governor Corzine signed into law in December 2006). In Texas, a policy grant is supporting opinion research to identify religious, community and political leaders who will support a building policy education efforts.

Lists of grantees from all three previous funding rounds are available on the Syringe Access Fund page of the Tides Foundation website at: www.tidesfoundation.org/services-strategies/collective-giving/syringe-access-fund.

About the 2007 Round of Grants

The current funding partners are committing more than $1.2 million to this new round of grants in 2007. A Request for Proposals (RFP) has been posted on the Tides Foundation website at www.tidesfoundation.org/services-strategies/collective-giving/syringe-access-fund and project proposals are due June 20, 2007. Two-year awards will be announced by September 2007.

Additional funding partners are invited to join the Syringe Access Fund in support of grants during 2007 and additional years. Interested funders may contact Gary Schwartz at the Tides Foundation at gschwartz@tides.org, and/or Sam Avrett at savrett@earthlink.net.

About the Funding Partners

Since 1952, the Levi Strauss Foundation has funded community-based organizations focused on social change in areas where Levi Strauss & Co. has a business presence. The Foundation was one of the first funders to respond to HIV/AIDS in 1985, and since then, has awarded over $37 million in funding for such programs.

Since its creation in 1992 by Founder and Chairman Sir Elton John, the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) has raised over $125 million for HIV/AIDS programs in 55 countries around the globe. EJAF supports community-based prevention education programs, harm reduction programs, and direct services to persons living with HIV/AIDS, especially populations with special needs.

The Irene Diamond Fund, established in 1994 by the late philanthropist Irene Diamond, focuses on HIV/AIDS, human rights and the performing arts. The foundation, based in New York City, supports a limited number of self-selected projects, and since its inception has provided over $31 million in funding to combat HIV/AIDS.

The National AIDS Fund's (NAF) mission is to reduce the incidence and impact of HIV/AIDS by promoting leadership and generating resources for effective community responses. Through its network of Community Partnerships, NAF promotes local planning and provides grants and technical support to as many as 400 service organizations annually. Since 1988, NAF and its partners have invested over $142 million to combat HIV/AIDS.

Since 1976, Tides Foundation has partnered with donors and institutions by offering donor-advised funds, philanthropic advice and management services for progressive social change philanthropy. Tides Foundation provides administrative and programmatic support to the Syringe Access Fund, including coordination of grant review, selection and awards.

In 2007, a sixth funder has joined the Syringe Access Fund: Public Welfare Foundation, established in 1948, supports organizations that help people overcome barriers to full participation in society, pursuing a strategy of "service, advocacy, and empowerment" for meeting basic human needs and promoting democratic participation for people around the globe. This year, Public Welfare Foundation will make grants totalling $20 million to address human needs in disadvantaged communities.

Contact Information:

Information about the Syringe Access Fund is available online at:

www.tidesfoundation.org/services-strategies/collective-giving/syringe-access-fund.

For further information, please feel free to contact Sam Avrett at savrett@earthlink.net.