Gilead Announces Funding Initiative to Support HIV Prevention, Anti-Stigma and Health Equity Efforts for Black Cisgender and Transgender Women and Girls in the U.S.

FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today announced it is providing a total of $12.6 million in grant funding to 19 organizations working to improve the HIV landscape for Black women and girls in the United States. These grants are a part of Gilead’s new Setting the P.A.C.E. (Prevention, Arts and Advocacy, Community, Education) initiative, a three-year commitment toward increasing HIV prevention, anti-stigma and health equity efforts for Black cisgender and Transgender women and girls, who are disproportionately impacted by the HIV epidemic.

In 2021, Black women accounted for 53% of new HIV diagnoses among women aged 16 and older in the United States, despite comprising only 14% of the women living in the country. Additionally, Black Transgender women have the highest rates of new HIV diagnoses among Transgender people and are more likely to go undiagnosed and untreated in comparison to their peers. These inequities are exacerbated by significant gaps in the delivery of effective and culturally relevant HIV prevention information and care services for Black women and girls.

“By taking a strategic, community-centered approach to address systemic disparities and improve overall health outcomes, Gilead continues its commitment to advancing health equity for Black cisgender and Transgender women and girls in the U.S. who continue to be disproportionately impacted by the HIV epidemic,” said Deborah H. Telman, Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and General Counsel, Gilead Sciences. “Gilead’s Setting the P.A.C.E. initiative will help empower organizations to expand custom programs tailored toward fighting stigma and expanding access to HIV care in their communities.”

Through this investment, Setting the P.A.C.E. grantee organizations will develop and support a variety of impactful projects to help improve health outcomes for Black women and girls, from expanding programs that provide culturally-responsive HIV care training, to leveraging arts and media to engage local communities and address stigma. Importantly, more than 75% of the organizations selected for grants are led by Black women and every funding allocation is directed toward initiatives led or co-led by Black women. Additionally, the states in which programming will be implemented align with states that have higher numbers of Black women living with HIV.

“Gilead’s Setting the P.A.C.E. grant marks a pivotal moment for Ribbon and the communities we serve across the nation,” said Linda H. Scruggs, Co-Executive Director, Ribbon. “Gilead’s support enables us to form collaborative partnerships and programs to help end the disparities in HIV awareness, prevention and care. Our focus on the intersection of Black cisgender and Transgender women in relation to HIV is not just about addressing an unmet need, it's about rewriting narratives and changing destinies. Ribbon is dedicated to creating a future where access to HIV education and resources is a right, not a privilege, and where every person, regardless of their identity, can live a life of health, dignity and opportunity.”

The 19 Gilead Setting the P.A.C.E. grantees are:

• A New Way of Life Reentry Project (Los Angeles, California)
• AIDS United (Washington, D.C.)
• Baltimore Safe Haven (Baltimore, Maryland)
• California Black Women’s Health Project (Inglewood, California)
• Dancing Grounds (New Orleans, Louisiana)
• Foundations for Living Incorporated (Jefferson, Georgia)
• Howard University (Washington, D.C.)
• National Association of Black Social Workers (Washington, D.C.)
• Power Safe Place Resource Center of Virginia (Front Royal, Virginia)
• Ribbon, Inc. (Largo, Maryland)
• San Francisco Community Health Center (San Francisco, California)
• SisterLove, Inc. (Atlanta, Georgia)
• SLK Health Services Corporation (Lanham, Maryland)
• The Black Women’s Learning Institute (BWLI) at NDRI-USA, Inc. (New York, New York)
• Transinclusive Group (Pembroke Pines, Florida)
• Triumphant Together (Kissimmee, Florida)
• Unspoken Treasure Society (Gainesville, Florida)
• Waco Theater Center (Hollywood, California)
• WeCareTn (Memphis, Tennessee)

Gilead’s Setting the P.A.C.E. initiative aims to empower local organizations to address ongoing health inequities in care and treatment through four key programmatic areas: HIV prevention, arts and advocacy, community and education. The program builds on Gilead’s longstanding commitment toward investing in Black women’s health and leadership through philanthropy. In addition to this new funding, the company has provided more than $35.8 million in philanthropic support for Black women-led and/or Black women-serving organizations in the United States since 2017. More than $28 million of those investments were granted to organizations working to help end the HIV epidemic.

About Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that has pursued and achieved breakthroughs in medicine for more than three decades, with the goal of creating a healthier world for all people. The company is committed to advancing innovative medicines to prevent and treat life-threatening diseases, including HIV, viral hepatitis, COVID-19, and cancer. Gilead operates in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, Calif.

Gilead and the Gilead logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies.

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