COMPASS Initiative® -

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COMPASS Initiative^® Community Investment Opportunities
Investing in the community means providing resources, skills, and support to those at the frontline of the HIV epidemic. It also acknowledges the unique barriers to care that many communities in the South experience. The community investments provided by the COMPASS Initiative® will focus on addressing these barriers by increasing organizational capacity, building awareness, reducing HIV-related stigma, advancing education, sharing knowledge, and promoting the wellbeing of individuals through mental health services and trauma-informed care.

Grants

Faith Organizational Resiliency

Wake Forest University School of Divinity is seeking to fund Organizational Resiliency activities that focus on infrastructure development and coalition and network building between faith communities and non-traditional partners. Especially during the time of COVID-19, we understand the particular challenges that faith communities have faced with engaging with members at a physical distance and online. Organizational Resiliency grants will support the establishment of infrastructures to enhance communications, trauma informed care, health ministries, and other programs to respond to the HIV crisis in the South and promote healing and life-enhancing possibilities for those impacted by HIV/AIDS.

For more detailed information click here. Applications received AFTER 11:59PM CST on May 8, 2023, WILL NOT BE REVIEWED or CONSIDERED for participation.

Faith Action RFP 2023

Faith institutions in the Southern U.S. have long been a cornerstone in African American communities in the Southern United States not only for spiritual and religious guidance, but social change and movements to address racial equity, economic disparities, voting rights, and housing conditions. More recently, faith institutions have begun to address health promotion and disease prevention including HIV/AIDS. The purpose of this funding opportunity is to advance the ability for a diverse array of congregations, including Christian churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples, to develop programs and initiatives or conduct research in their local religious communities that promote positive faith and health outcomes, specifically in the area of HIV.

Wake Forest University School of Divinity is seeking faith partners to initiate programs to respond to the HIV crisis in the South by shifting narratives away from stigma toward healing and life-enhancing possibilities for those impacted by HIV/AIDS. Our aim is to collaborate with Christian and interfaith partners, create inclusive faith spaces (virtual and/or in-person) for LGBTQ persons and people living with HIV, and educate emerging faith leaders who will impact how communities respond to HIV/AIDS in the future.

For more detailed information click here. Applications received AFTER 11:59PM EST (10:59PM CST) on May 8, 2023, WILL NOT BE REVIEWED or CONSIDERED for participation.

Collaborative Learning

Learning It Together: Artist Cohort

The Learning It Together Artists Cohort will provide funding to support the creation and amplification of arts-based projects centered around faith to help reduce stigma and aid in changing the perception of HIV/AIDS in the south. The Faith Coordinating Center will provide potential opportunities for amplification in collaboration with GLAAD and other local, statewide, and national media outlets.

We are seeking to fund creative projects that facilitate the creation of inclusive and healing faith spaces (virtual and/or in-person) for LGBTQ persons and people living with and affected by HIV.

For more detailed information click here. Applications received AFTER 11:59PM CST on May 8, 2023, WILL NOT BE REVIEWED or CONSIDERED for participation.

2023 PoWER Forward

PoWER Forward is a 7-month intensive collaborative learning opportunity for organizations interested in developing sustainable community programs that are measurable, beneficial to the community, and intriguing to funders. During the institute, participants will cover an integrated curriculum that addresses the life of a community program from design to funding, and incorporates the necessary communication skills to engage with collaborators along the way. The intent of PoWER Forward is to help participating organizations learn how to:

•   Define the steps, from assessment to implementation, for developing an effective community program
•   Craft a winning grant proposal based on the elements of their community program components
•   Employ strategies for communicating with key collaborators before, during, and after the program and proposal life cycles
•   Seek appropriate funding opportunities from various types of funding agencies

For more detailed information click here. Applications received AFTER 11:59PM EST on April 3, 2023, WILL NOT BE REVIEWED or CONSIDERED for participation.

Application Deadline Extended: Monday, April 3, 2023 at 11:59 PM EST

**Participation in the PoWER Leadership does not guarantee successful award of additional COMPASS Initiative funding, nor other grant opportunities.

LEARN Harm Reduction (HR)

Leading with Education, Advocacy & Resistance with our Neighbors (LEARN) is SUSTAIN Wellbeing COMPASS Coordinating Center’s shared learning opportunities to build organizational leadership and support organizational transformation. The primary goal of LEARN is to build knowledge, capacity, expertise, and leadership in a particular topic area. A second important goal of LEARN is to strengthen community networks through enhanced collaboration between participating organizations. Each cohort of LEARN is centered on a different content area.

SUSTAIN is excited to announce the launch of our fifth cohort of LEARN Harm Reduction (HR), which will be developed and facilitated in collaboration with Sandra Chavez! Sandra is an expert community-based consultant who has 15+ years of experience working at the intersections of HIV, housing, and harm reduction in the Southern U.S., and is thrilled to facilitate another cohort of LEARN HR! No prior knowledge around harm reduction is required to participate.

For more detailed information click here. Applications received AFTER 11:59PM EST on March 15, 2023, WILL NOT BE REVIEWED or CONSIDERED for participation.

Trainings & Consultations

Capacity Building Assistance Consultation Form
The Emory University Coordinating Center provides consultations to facilitate individual or organizational change among organizations in the South. Available capacity building consultations include: Governance and Leadership, Mission, Values, & Strategy, Finance and Administration, Resource Development, Strategic Relationships and Coalition Building, Communications, Internal Management and Operations, and Service Delivery and Impact. Click below to submit a request for a consultation.

Stigma Reduction & Culturally Appropriate Care
These trainings emphasize the need for HIV awareness, stigma reduction, and culturally appropriate care in our effort to address the epidemic in the Southern United States. Training topics include Undoing Racism, Stigma & HIV, Cultural Competence & Humility, and Addressing Employment Needs & Maximizing Opportunities for People Living with/or at Greater Vulnerability to HIV.

If you have questions about any of the Community Investment opportunities,
you can contact us at info@gileadcompass.com.