In March 2007, the M·A·C AIDS Fund awarded grants totaling more than $1.75 million (USD) to address HIV/AIDS specifically in the Caribbean region. Participating Organizations The following organizations are recipients of the M·A·C AIDS Fund Caribbean Initiative funding. Together, we are working to fight HIV/AIDS. Access to Treatment Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI) - $1.25 million In 2002, the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI) was formed to make treatment for HIV/AIDS more affordable and to implement large-scale integrated care, treatment, and prevention programs. Through the M·A·C AIDS Fund grant, CHAI will be able to increase capacity and the effectiveness of existing HIV/AIDS clinics and establish new clinics in rural areas of the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. Also through this grant, CHAI will launch a completely new program in Trinidad & Tobago, launching HIV/AIDS clinics in existing medical centers that currently do not have the capacity to treat those living with the disease. CHAI will be able to put an additional 2,000 people on treatment. Treatment Adherence The Collaborative Fund for HIV Treatment and Preparedness - $150,000 The Collaborative Fund for HIV Treatment and Preparedness is a partnership of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA’s) who bring their expertise and resources together to further the effectiveness and comprehensiveness of HIV service delivery around the world by making grants in the communities in which they live. The Collaborative Fund’s Caribbean program has been in existence since 2004 and for the 2007 grant round has committed US$200,000 to local grassroots organizations and an additional US$100,000 to regional groups. The M·A·C AIDS Fund grant will The Collaborative Fund to carry out its commitments, which will in turn give PLWHA’s and local, community-based organizations the power to make change through sustainable treatment, prevention, awareness, and education efforts. Public Education and Media Coverage Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting - $101,900 Though it was only formed in 2006 through a four-year grant from members of the Joseph Pulitzer family, the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting has already funded 15 projects with reporting from 20 countries, with the resulting work appearing in media outlets ranging from the New York Times to Newsweek International. The mission of the Pulitzer Center is to promote in-depth coverage of international affairs that have gone under-reported and to broaden public debate on America’s role in the world. Through the M·A·C AIDS Fund grant, the Pulitzer Center will cover in-depth, under-reported HIV/AIDS issues from two countries in the Caribbean. The resulting videos and stories will be broadcast and published in nationally viewed television and print outlets. In addition, educational materials will be developed based on the film and print resources and a lectures series will be organized. Advocacy and Human Rights Immigration Equality - $75,000 Founded in 1994, Immigration Equality (IE) is a national organization fighting for equality under U.S. immigration law for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT), and HIV-positive individuals. With this grant, IE will be able to provide legal services to and advocate on behalf of Caribbean natives living with HIV/AIDS looking to enter the U.S. Currently, U.S. immigration laws are discriminatory towards LGBT persons living with HIV/AIDS, who want to immigrate to the United States. IE is advocating to change those laws and in the meantime serves as an information clearinghouse for immigration law. They also run a pro bono asylum project to assist LGBT and HIV-positive asylum seekers and they maintain a list of LGBT/HIV-friendly private immigration attorneys. IE has found that the number of LGBT/HIV-positive people from the Caribbean who are seeking asylum is increasing. Prevention Margaret Sanger Center International (MSCI) - $200,000 Planned Parenthood of New York City (PPNYC) was founded in 1916 and since 1973 has also conducted global programs under the auspices of its international arm, Margaret Sanger Center International (MSCI). Through this grant, MSCI will work to empower women, reduce gender-based violence (GBV), and halt the spread of HIV and AIDS in the Caribbean and Central America by strengthening the capacity of eight grassroots partner organizations that help clinical service providers address GBV, increasing awareness among stakeholders of the need to reduce GBV and promote gender equity as part of HIV prevention, and launching a Center for Excellence in the Dominican Republic and developing a new collaborative project in Honduras.