The COMPASS Coordinating Centers provide community grants to organizations across the Southern United States to support the development of programs and activities that align with programmatic focus areas of the COMPASS Initiative. Three different funding mechanisms are available through the Coordinating Centers: Core grants, SPARK! grants, and Transformative grants.
To learn more about each type of grant, eligibility, funding cycles, and our current partners, please click on the appropriate grant's tab below.
In support of the united efforts to address HIV-AIDS-related disparities in the Southern United States, the COMPASS Initiative® is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2019 Transformative Grant. The three Coordinating Centers awarded grants to 32 non-profit organizations from all nine Deep South states whose proposals spanned seven different programmatic focus areas. These one-year grants address disparities within the Southern HIV epidemic by increasing organizational capacity, reducing stigma, and promoting well-being, mental health, and telehealth.
You can check out the table below to learn a little more about each organization and view our infographic to see an overview of both the grant reviewers & our partners.
2019 Transformative Grant Partners
 |
Affinity Health Center Rock Hill, SC // Funded by: Emory University Affinity Health Center serves the healthcare needs of our community by providing access to high-quality, comprehensive care with compassion, dignity and respect. |
 |
AIDS Alabama, Inc. Birmingham, AL // Funded by: University of Houston AIDS Alabama devotes its energy and resources statewide to helping people with HIV/AIDS live healthy, independent lives and works to prevent the spread of HIV. |
 |
AIDS Leadership Foothills-Area Alliance (ALFA) Hickory, NC // Funded by: Emory University ALFA’s mission is to improve the lives and health of those affected by HIV/AIDS while preventing transmission through education and testing. Our Vision is eliminating stigma and barriers to care to create a future free of HIV. |
 |
Aniz, Inc. Atlanta, GA // Funded by: University of Houston Aniz, Inc.’s mission is to promote emotional and physical wellness by providing mental health, substance use counseling, support services, sexual health education. |
 |
Brotherhood, Inc. New Orleans, LA // Funded by: University of Houston The mission of Brotherhood, Inc. is to develop and implement programs and services that impact the economic, social, and health disparities that exist within underserved and at-risk communities through education, empowerment and enlightenment. |
 |
Broward House Fort Lauderdale, FL // Funded by: Emory University The mission of Broward House is to improve the quality of life for individuals impacted with chronic health challenges, including HIV, by providing pathways to wellness. |
 |
Carolinas Care Partnership Charlotte, NC // Funded by: University of Houston Carolinas Care Partnership’s mission is to foster and to ensure a regional approach to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS and to meet with compassion and dignity the needs of those affected by the disease. |
 |
Central Alabama Alliance, Resource & Advocacy Center (CAARAC) Wetumpka, AL // Funded by: Emory University CAARAC’s mission is to foster and to ensure a regional approach to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS and to meet with compassion and dignity the needs of those affected by the disease. |
 |
Central Louisiana AIDS Support Services (CLASS) Alexandria, LA // Funded by: Emory University The mission of Central Louisiana AIDS Support Services (CLASS) is to improve the quality of life for those infected and affected by HIV; to reduce the risk of HIV transmission; to educate as many people as possible about the spread and prevention of HIV; and to raise community support and awareness of HIV. |
 |
CrescentCare New Orleans, LA // Funded by: Emory University CrescentCare's mission is to offer comprehensive health and wellness services to the community, to advocate empowerment, to safeguard the rights and dignity of individuals, and to provide for an enlightened public. |
 |
Fundación Latinoamericana de Acción Social (FLAS) Houston, TX // Funded by: University of Houston FLAS is committed to enhancing behavioral health and wellness services for the Latino community. |
 |
Helping Everyone Receive Ongoing Effective Support (HEROES) Columbia, LA // Funded by: Southern AIDS Coalition HEROES brings lifesaving services and assistance to those who are impacted by HIV in the rural South and education to the community. Our outreach programs, retreats and educational initiatives are tailor-made for the issues we face in Northeast Louisiana. |
 |
IDEA Exchange at the University of Miami School of Medicine Miami, FL // Funded by: University of Houston With the premise of providing new syringes in exchange for used ones, the IDEA Exchange envisions health equity with a mission in increasing access to the tools necessary to keep people healthy, especially those who are most vulnerable. |
 |
Joseph H. Neal Health Collaborative, Inc. Columbia, SC // Funded by: Southern AIDS Coalition Joseph H. Neal Health Collaborative’s mission is to provide individuals living with HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and other sexually transmitted diseases with comprehensive and multi-cultural testing, outreach, care coordination, and educational services regardless of their financial situation. |
 |
Latino Commission on AIDS Durham, NC // Funded by: Emory University The Latino Commission on AIDS public health mission addresses health disparities, spearheads health advocacy, promotes health education, uses national community mobilization models to create awareness, develops and replicates evidence-based programs for people living with HIV/AIDS and high-risk communities, and builds capacity across the public health sector including community-based organizations, health departments, healthcare organizations, and universities. |
 |
Latinos Salud Wilton Manors, FL // Funded by: Southern AIDS Coalition Latinos Salud's mission is to provide client-centered, culturally competent health education and integrated preventive, screening, and linkage services throughout South Florida in order to reduce the burden of communicable diseases and improve health outcomes. |
 |
Legacy Community Health Houston, TX // Funded by: Southern AIDS Coalition Driving healthy change in our communities. |
 |
Mississippi Center for Justice Jackson, MS // Funded by: Southern AIDS Coalition The mission of the Mississippi Center for Justice is to marshal legal resources to reshape the state's institutions, policies, and markets to achieve racial and economic justice, human dignity, and opportunity for all Mississippians. |
 |
Nashville CARES Nashville, TN // Funded by: Emory University Nashville CARES' mission is to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Middle Tennessee through education, advocacy, and support for those at risk for or living with HIV. |
 |
Open Hand Atlanta Atlanta, GA // Funded by: Emory University We cook. We deliver. We teach. We care! |
 |
Palmetto AIDS Life Support Services (PALSS) Columbia, SC // Funded by: University of Houston The mission of PALSS is to provide education, health, housing, and human services to persons living with and communities affected by chronic disease, with an historical focus on HIV and AIDS. |
 |
Partnership to End AIDS Status, Inc. (PEAS, Inc.) Cordova, TN // Funded by: University of Houston The mission of Partnership to End AIDS Status (PEAS, Inc.) is to maximize the effectiveness of service resources to ensure physical, mental, and social equality for all persons residing in the Memphis Transitional Grant Area (TGA) by providing residents with preventative tools to make healthier decisions. |
 |
Pridelines Miami, FL // Funded by: Southern AIDS Coalition Pridelines' mission is to support, educate and empower South Florida's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth and community in safe and diverse spaces to promote dialogue, wellness and to foster social change. |
 |
Rural Women's Health Project (RWHP) Gainesville, FL // Funded by: University of Houston The mission of the RWHP is to work with rural communities to strengthen their capacity to overcome barriers to health justice. |
 |
San Antonio AIDS Foundation San Antonio, TX // Funded by: Emory University The mission of the San Antonio AIDS Foundation is to prevent the spread of HIV and provide compassionate services to individuals affected by HIV/AIDS. |
 |
SisterLove, Inc. Atlanta, GA // Funded by: Southern AIDS Coalition The mission of SisterLove, Inc. is to eradicate the adverse impact of HIV/AIDS and other reproductive justice health challenges impacting women and their families through education, prevention, support, and human rights advocacy in the United States and around the world. |
 |
Southern Black Policy & Advocacy Network Dallas, TX // Funded by: Emory University The mission of the Southern Black Policy and Advocacy Network is to improve health outcomes and to reduce social, and economic disparities impacting Black communities living in the U.S. South. |
 |
Southern Health Commission Greenville, MS // Funded by: University of Houston The mission of the Southern Health Commision is to ensure that people with HIV/AIDS and other health disparities have access to high quality, affordable health and human services, assist communities it serves with strategies to change or modify community norms/behaviors as they relate to obesity, heart disease, stroke prevention and practicing safe or safer sex behaviors, conduct health disparities prevention workshops within communities and provide health disparities programs which teaches youth and other individuals about health disparities prevention programs. |
 |
Southwest Viral Med, Inc. (SWVM) El Paso, TX // Funded by: University of Houston The mission of SWVM is to provide exceptional patient care, improve education and engage in research that makes an impact on the health of West Texas and beyond. Southwest Viral Med is dedicated to meeting the health care needs of patients living with viral diseases HIV and HCV in El Paso. |
 |
Tampa Hillsborough Action Plan (THAP) Tampa, FL // Funded by: Southern AIDS Coalition To provide result-driven programs that meet the economic, educational, health, housing, and social needs of urban and rural residents who experience challenges in accessing mainstream resources. |
 |
The Right to Choice Project Laplace, LA // Funded by: Emory University The mission of The Right Choice Project is to transform lives and add value to the holistic well-being of individuals though education, state-of-the-art laboratory testing, professional counseling, sex education curriculum, intervention services and treatment adherence services. |
 |
University of Memphis Memphis, TN // Funded by: Southern AIDS Coalition The University of Memphis is a learner-centered metropolitan research university providing high quality educational experiences while pursuing new knowledge through research, artistic expression, and interdisciplinary and engaged scholarship. |
Due to overwhelming response, we are not currently accepting new SPARK! Grant submissions. The submission process will re-open in January 2019.
We encourage you to continue preparing your application for submission in January 2019 when the submission process re-opens. You can subscribe to receive email updates and announcements regarding the COMPASS Initiative, including reminders for when SPARK! Grants reopen. We also encourage you and your organization to apply for one of our many training opportunities or learn more about our Shared Learning Opportunities coming in January 2019.
If you have already applied for a SPARK! Grant and are inquiring about the status of your application, please e-mail compass@southernaidscoalition.com.
About SPARK! Grants: Today, HIV is a chronic, manageable condition for many Americans. Despite significant progress in care and treatment, however, HIV-related stigma remains a significant challenge in the Deep South. For those of us living with HIV, stigma is associated with negative health outcomes like poor medication adherence and missed medical appointments. As a result, fewer of us receive timely medical care and treatment, fewer of us have our virus suppressed, and too many of us are missing out on the opportunity to preserve our health and avoid transmitting the virus to our partners. For those of us at risk for HIV, fear of stigma and discrimination often impacts our willingness to even get tested.
Despite numerous studies, we still have much to learn about HIV-related stigma. Nonetheless, we know that the stigma we experience often results from ignorance, fear-based myths, and a general lack of awareness in our communities. Public marketing campaigns were once an important strategy for changing knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors around HIV and AIDS. Unfortunately, these campaigns are scarce in the Deep South and their messages often do not reflect the landmark scientific advances that have transformed what it means to live with HIV.
That’s why the Southern AIDS Coalition is excited to introduce SPARK! (Southerners Promoting Awareness and Real Knowledge), a grant program to fund community-led grassroots campaigns across the Deep South. With this program, we are turning to you as the expert on how to promote awareness and real knowledge around HIV and AIDS in your community. Funding for SPARK! campaigns range from $2,500 to $25,000, with the amount of funding reflective of the scope of the campaign and cost of planned media platforms.
ELIGIBILITY
| Criteria | Description |
|---|---|
| Geographic Location | Applicants must be located in and doing work in one of nine (9) Deep South states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, or Texas. |
| Non-Profit Status | Applications must be non-profit, tax-exempt organizations as set forth in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Applicants that do not hold 501(c)(3) status must have a fiscal sponsor to apply. |
| Implementation Period | Your campaign should be able to be implemented within six (6) months of approval. |
| Evaluation | Applicants must agree to work with our evaluation partners, if funded, to help measure the impact of the funding support provided. All organizations will also be required to complete a brief organizational survey before funds can be dispersed. |
Due to overwhelming response, we are not currently accepting new Core Grant submissions. The submission process will re-open in January 2019.
We encourage you to continue preparing your application for submission in January 2019 when the submission process re-opens. You can subscribe to receive email updates and announcements regarding the COMPASS Initiative, including reminders for when Core Grants reopen. We also encourage you and your organization to apply for one of our many training opportunities or learn more about our Shared Learning Opportunities coming in January 2019.
If you have already applied for a Core Grant and are inquiring about the status of your application, please e-mail emory@gileadcompass.com.
About Core Grants: These grants provide funding support, up to $4,500 per organization, for a variety of organizational and staff resources, including technology and software, meeting space costs, conference attendance fees, professional development, and continuing education. Funding requests cannot already be covered by your organization’s existing funding sources, and must be related to building organizational capacity in the following areas: governance and leadership; mission, values, and strategy; finance and administration; resource development; strategic relationships and coalition building; communications; internal management and operations; and service delivery and impact.
Funding Opportunities
| Funding Area | Amount | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Technology | up to $4,500 | |
| Staff Continuing Education Support | up to $3,000 | |
| Community Meeting Space Support | up to $2,000 |
ELIGIBILITY
| Criteria | Description |
|---|---|
| HIV Focused | Applicants must be non-profit organizations for which a focus of the organization is to reduce new HIV infections and/or improve the health of people living with HIV. |
| Geographic Location | Applicants must be located in and doing work in one of nine (9) Deep South states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, or Texas. |
| Non-Profit Status | Applications must be non-profit, tax-exempt organizations as set forth in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Applicants that do not hold 501(c)(3) status must have a fiscal sponsor to apply. |
| Capacity Building Focused | Explain how this support will help build sustainable capacity within their organization. |
| Evaluation | Applicants must agree to work with our evaluation partners, if funded, to help measure the impact of the funding support provided. All organizations will also be required to complete a brief organizational survey before funds can be dispersed. |
