The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has revealed plans to scale its support for local nonprofits fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS. This time, AHF will support 15 nonprofits in the South Florida region with the proceeds of its annual 5k and music festival.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation to raise $1 million in March
According to a press release, the AHF has its sights on raising over $1 million during its annual 5K walk and music festival. Scheduled for March 21, funds from the AHF’s 21st Annual Florida AIDS Walk & Music Festival will support local nonprofit HIV/AIDS Service Organizations (ASOs) operating in the South Florida region.
Per the statement, fifteen ASOs, including Afro Pride Florida, Aqua, Broward House, Equality Florida, and The McKenzie Project, will receive AHF funding in March.
Grammy Award-winning artist Queen Latifah will headline the music festival, with recording artist Rinasere scheduled to kick off the beachfront event on the day.
In an interview with Charity Journal, Imara Canady, AHF National Communications Director, disclosed that the organization has committed to match all funds raised by the beneficiaries with unrestricted dollars. Canady added that the funding will allow the nonprofits to scale their operations in the regions.
Meanwhile, the move comes on the heels of grim HIV/AIDS statistics in the region. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that Florida ranks third for new HIV diagnoses, with over 51,000 people living with the disease in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
Experts have pointed out that the surge in HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the region stems from jarring economic inequalities among minorities, stigma, and Florida’s large transient population also compounding the problem.
AHF urges Trump to save Florida’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation has warned that the decision by the Florida Department of Health to reduce the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) eligibility could have dire consequences.
Florida’s Department of Health unveiled a plan to cut ADAP eligibility for 16,000 people living with HIV in the state starting on March 1. AHF Southern Bureau Chief Tracy Jones added that the cuts will undermine the progress made over the years to eradicate the disease.
Furthermore, Jones urged US President Donald Trump to wade in to stop the cuts before they come into effect next week.
“Without an immediate reversal of this decision, next week thousands of Floridians will be kicked off a program that keeps them alive,” said Jones.
However, a streak of aid cuts has rocked nonprofits in recent years, with the crescendo being the USAID cuts at the start of 2025. Early in the week, the UN Relief Chief Tom Fletcher warned against politicians boasting about aid cuts amid a rising global humanitarian crisis.