Fact Sheet: State Department Survey of Foundation Aid for Infectious Diseases

22 May 2001

Fact Sheet: State Department Survey of Foundation Aid for Infectious Diseases

Private groups spend hundred of millions on disease assistance

The U.S. State Department released a fact sheet May 18 providing a summary of the contributions that private U.S. organizations have made to the domestic and international efforts to combat the infectious diseases HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

The following term is used in the fact sheet:

Billion: 1,000 million

Following is the text of the fact sheet:

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Office of Emerging Infectious Diseases
Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental Scientific Affairs (OES)
U.S. Department of State

FACT SHEET

Foundation & Private Sector Support for HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria Programs

In the United States, in addition to public funds, foundations and private sources provide substantial support to the fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis (TB).

--Foundations provide a significant portion of the total funding for domestic and international programs to prevent and treat these diseases and to provide care and services to victims.

--Foundations are able to focus funding on particular geographic areas, kinds of research, means of focusing public attention/awareness, infrastructure projects, etc.

Some examples of foundation support include:

--The MetLife Foundation: $9 million since 1987 for AIDS awareness and education

--The Gates Foundation: Over $300 million ($201 million for HIV/AIDS, $10 million for TB, $90 million for malaria)

--The National AIDS Fund: Nearly $80 million over the last decade

--The American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR): $3.2 million over the last two years for vaccine research and immune reconstitution projects

--The Rockefeller Foundation: $3.45 million in 2000 for 14 domestic and international projects related to combating HIV/AIDS and a wide range of programs in TB control

--The Soros Foundation: $14 million for international TB programs, including special attention to multi-drug resistant TB

--The Kaiser Foundation: $10 million for the HIV/AIDS "Lovelife" program

--Lutheran Missionaries Foundation: $200,000 for TB laboratories

--MacArthur Foundation: $570,000 for a variety of HIV/AIDS programs

Private sector companies and corporations provide funding for product-related research (i.e., pharmaceuticals) and for treatment and care programs.

Some examples of private companies' support include:

--Abbott Laboratories: "Step Forward ... for the world's children," a multi-year program offering aid to orphans with AIDS and vulnerable children throughout the world

--Bristol Myers Squibb: $115 million through its "Secure the Future" program, which supports orphan and home-based care for women and children with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, medical research and educational exchange programs

--Merck: Donates funding and medicine to the "Botswana Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnership" to improve HIV/AIDS education and care

--SmithKline Beecham: Supports malaria vaccine pediatric trials in Africa

--Exxon/Mobil: $1.3 million to support the accelerated development of malaria drugs and vaccines

--Coca Cola: $20 million for HIV/AIDS

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