Despite the controversy that surrounded HIV/AIDS in the late 1980s and early 1990s, The Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis did not shy away from efforts to address this health issue.

At that time, various organizations were providing HIV/AIDS services, but they rarely worked together, and there was no consensus about the most pressing needs or the best ways to address them. The Health Foundation convened a group of service providers, medical professionals, state officials and funders to discuss the HIV/AIDS problem in greater Indianapolis how we might collaborate to help solve the gap in services and care. Those meetings resulted in several new initiatives, including the Indiana AIDS Fund, the fund-raising arm of The Health Foundation, in 1994.

In 1995, The Health Foundation became a community partner of AIDS United (formerly the National AIDS Fund), a national organization that serves as a leading voice on HIV prevention. The Health Foundation began making grants for HIV/AIDS in 1990, and then expanded its grantmaking through the Indiana AIDS Fund in 1996. To date, The Health Foundation has granted more than $22 million to AIDS service organizations and community health providers across Indiana. The Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis has been recognized for funding cutting-edge programs that otherwise would not have received funding from other sources. This high level of commitment and the courage to lead the community has kept The Health Foundation at the forefront in the fight against HIV disease for nearly two decades. 

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