AmfAR

American Foundation for AIDS Research
AbbreviationamfAR
FormationSeptember 1983; 41 years ago (1983-09)
Merger ofAIDS Medical Foundation
National AIDS Research Foundation
13-3163817[1]
Legal statusResearch charity
FocusAIDS Research
HeadquartersNew York, New York
Coordinates40°42′17″N 74°00′22″W / 40.704772°N 74.006174°W / 40.704772; -74.006174
Region
Worldwide
William H. Roedy
Kevin Frost[2]
William H. Roedy (Chairman of the Board)
Cindy Rachofsky (Vice Chairman)
Michael J. Klingensmith (Treasurer)
Arlen Andelson (Secretary)
[2]
Main organ
Board of Trustees
Revenue
Increase$50,539,089 (2016)[3]
ExpensesIncrease$41,938,531 (2016)[3]
Endowment$80,773,661 (2016)[3]
Websitewww.amfar.org Edit this at Wikidata

amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, known until 2005 as the American Foundation for AIDS Research, is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment education, and the advocacy of AIDS-related public policy.

amfAR is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3)[4] and operates as an independent nonprofit with worldwide initiatives.[5] amfAR was formed in September 1985 by actress Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Gottleib, Mathilde Krim, physician Joseph Sonnabend, and activist Michael Callen. The organization was created when Taylor and Gottleib’s California-based National AIDS Research Foundation,[6] which sought to actively engage in HIV-related drug development,[7] merged with Krim’s New York-based AIDS Medical Foundation (AMF), which sought to lessen the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS diagnoses, as well as to increase funding to the cause. What resulted was a foundation that prioritized both research and development as well as policy influence. This foundation was one of the first of its kind to embody both aspects of healthcare.

amfAR currently has three headquarters, located in New York City; Washington, D.C.; and Bangkok, Thailand.[8] amfAR spurs research and development through providing grants and fellowships to organizations, such as the Family Institute of Health, and individuals through the Mathilde Krim Fellowships in Basic Biomedical Research.[9][10] amfAR has provided over 3,300 grants to research teams across the world and has invested over $400 million to research aiming to effectively treat HIV and AIDS related illness.[11] amfAR's funds historically have gone to funding research, and as a result have helped pioneer community-based clinical research trials in the 1980s, as well as the involvement of AIDS patients in the drug approval process (see also: Denver Principles).[12] Changes in leadership have marked changes in focus, resulting in shifts from public health outreach (needle exchange program pushes)[13] to public education (the amfAR AIDS Handbook)[14] to international research and outreach.[15]

amfAR has embarked on various national and international campaigns to spur AIDS/HIV research, create a dialogue and decrease stigma surrounding the disease. Through TREAT Asia and GMT, amfAR took international roots and began funding research and outreach on all inhabited continents.[16] National initiatives have included the Countdown to a Cure for AIDS. The Institute for HIV Cures Research and amfAR Research Consortium on HIV Eradication (ARCHE) were both created to aid this countdown, both to help fund research as well as provide a facility at which those researcher can work.[17] To supplement the funding of these initiatives, amfAR is funded through sources like stock donations and their annual galas, which represent the majority of their source of funding.[18]

After Kenneth Cole stepped down as chairman, he was replaced by William H. Roedy.[2] The current CEO Kevin Robert Frost joined amfAR in 1994 and became CEO in 2004.[19] Together they lead 9 members of the Management Team,[19] 25 Board of Trustees members[2] and over 100 advisors to both their scientific and political platforms.[20][21]

CharityWatch rates the Foundation for AIDS Research an "A−" grade.[22]

Charity Navigator rates amfAR a four-star charity.[23]

  1. ^ "Form 990" (PDF). amfAR Investors Relations. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 December 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d "Board of Trustees". amfAR. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  3. ^ a b c "2016 Annual Report" (PDF). amfAR. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2018. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  4. ^ "Syringe Exchange Saves Lives and Money". Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  5. ^ "amfAR :: Around The World :: The Foundation for AIDS Research :: HIV / AIDS Research". www.amfar.org. Archived from the original on 2018-11-10. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  6. ^ "A Brief History of amfAR". amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
  7. ^ Shilts, Randy (1987). And The Band Played On. London, England: St. Martin's Press. p. 157. ISBN 978-0-312-00994-6.
  8. ^ "amfAR :: Contact Us :: The Foundation for AIDS Research :: HIV / AIDS Research". www.amfar.org. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  9. ^ Merson, Michael H.; O'Malley, Jeffrey; Serwadda, David; Apisuk, Chantawipa (2008-08-09). "The history and challenge of HIV prevention". The Lancet. 372 (9637): 475–488. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(08)60884-3. ISSN 0140-6736. PMID 18687461. S2CID 26554589.
  10. ^ "amfAR: Allan Rosenfield, M.D., HIV/AIDS Public Policy Internship and Fellowship program | Office of Career Strategy | Yale University". ocs.yale.edu. Archived from the original on 2020-07-25. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  11. ^ "amFAR Grants Tripled | Fort Lauderdale | The Campbell Foundation". Funding AIDS/HIV research | Fort Lauderdale| The Campbell Foundation. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  12. ^ "Mathilde Krim | American medical researcher". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  13. ^ Jarlais, Don C. Des (2006-07-13). "Mathilde Krim, amfAR, and the Prevention of HIV Infection Among Injecting Drug Users: A Brief History". AIDS Patient Care and STDs. 20 (7): 467–471. doi:10.1089/apc.2006.20.467. ISSN 1087-2914. PMID 16839243.
  14. ^ Ward, Darrell E.; Krim, Mathilde (1999). The amfAR AIDS Handbook: The Complete Guide to Understanding HIV and AIDS. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 9780393316360.
  15. ^ Zhou, Jialun; Dore, Gregory J; Zhang, Fujie; Lim, Poh Lian; Chen, Yi-Ming A (2007-08-15). "Hepatitis B and C virus coinfection in The TREAT Asia HIV Observational Database". Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 22 (9): 1510–1518. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1746.2007.05062.x. ISSN 0815-9319. PMID 17645479. S2CID 1201811.
  16. ^ Funders Concerned about AIDS (2011). "U.S. and European Philanthropic Support to Address HIV/AIDS in 2011" (PDF). European HIV/AIDS Funders. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  17. ^ Massachusetts General Hospital Corporate & Foundation Relations Office of Development (16 December 2016). "PRIVATE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES: DEC 16, 2016" (PDF). Massachusetts General Hospital. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  18. ^ "Form 990 (2016)" (PDF). amfAR Investors Relations. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 November 2018. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  19. ^ a b "amfAR :: amfAR Management Team :: The Foundation for AIDS Research :: HIV / AIDS Research". www.amfar.org. Retrieved 2018-10-27.
  20. ^ "amfAR :: Scientific Advisory Committee :: The Foundation for AIDS Research :: HIV / AIDS Research". www.amfar.org. Retrieved 2018-10-27.
  21. ^ "amfAR :: Program Advisory Council :: The Foundation for AIDS Research :: HIV / AIDS Research". www.amfar.org. Retrieved 2018-10-27.
  22. ^ "Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) | Charity Ratings | America's Most Independent Charity Watchdog | CharityWatch". www.charitywatch.org. Retrieved 2018-10-27.
  23. ^ "Charity Navigator - Rating for amfAR". Charity Navigator. Retrieved 2018-10-27.