HIV in the United States by Race and Ethnicity: What CDC is Doing

CDC is pursuing a high-impact HIV prevention approach to maximize the effectiveness of HIV prevention interventions and strategies. Funding state, territorial, and local health departments and community-based organizations (CBOs) to develop and implement tailored programs is CDC’s largest investment in HIV prevention. This includes longstanding successful programs and new efforts funded through the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative. In addition to funding health departments and CBOs, CDC is also strengthening the HIV prevention workforce and developing HIV communication resources for consumers and health care providers.

• Under the integrated HIV surveillance and prevention cooperative agreement, CDC awards around $400 million per year to health departments for HIV data collection and prevention efforts. This award directs resources to the populations and geographic areas of greatest need, while supporting core HIV surveillance and prevention efforts across the US.
• In 2019, CDC awarded $12 million to support the development of state and local Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. plans in the nation’s 57 priority areas. To further enhance capacity building efforts, CDC uses HIV prevention resources to fund the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) with $1.5 million per year to support strategic partnerships, community engagement, peer-to-peer technical assistance, and planning efforts.
• In 2020, CDC awarded $109 million to 32 state and local health departments that represent the 57 jurisdictions across the United States prioritized in the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative. This award supports the implementation of state and local Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. plans.
• Under the cooperative agreement for CBOs, CDC awards about $42 million per year to 96 CBOs to implement program components that align with key strategies of the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative. This award supports the development of new, and enhancement of existing strategies focused on populations disproportionately affected by HIV.
• In 2019, CDC awarded a cooperative agreement to strengthen the capacity and improve the performance of the nation’s HIV prevention workforce. New elements include dedicated providers for web-based and classroom-based national training, and technical assistance tailored within four geographic regions.

Additionally, CDC has several HIV prevention activities that are tailored for African American people, American Indian/Alaska Native people, Asian people, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander people, or Hispanic/Latino people:

• In 2017, CDC awarded nearly $11 million per year for five years to 30 CBOs to provide HIV testing to young gay and bisexual men of color and transgender youth of color, with the goal of identifying undiagnosed HIV infections and linking those who have HIV to care and prevention services.
• Under a new cooperative agreement program for CBOs, CDC will increase access to HIV prevention and care services for young gay and bisexual men of color and transgender youth of color. This program aligns with the goals of the HIV National Strategic Plan and supports the goals of reducing all new HIV infections by 75% by 2025 and 90% by 2030.
• Through the Minority HIV/AIDS Research (MARI) program, CDC is building capacity for HIV epidemiologic and prevention research in mostly African American and Hispanic/Latino communities and among African American and Hispanic/Latino investigators working in disproportionately affected communities. The MARI program supports CDC’s overarching goal to promote health and reduce disease and disability.
• CDC’s Office of Minority Health and Health Equity advances health equity by developing and implementing strategies and programs to address health disparities that affect populations experiencing a disproportionate burden of disease and disability.
• CDC’s Prevention Research Synthesis (PRS) Project identifies evidence-based interventions and best practices through ongoing systematic reviews. The PRS Project has identified interventions in its Compendium of Evidence-Based Interventions and Best Practices for HIV Prevention tailored for African American people, Asian people, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander people, and Hispanic/Latino people.
• CDC observes several HIV awareness days each year to bring attention to the impact of HIV, encourage people to get tested, and show support for people with HIV. Awareness days specific to the populations highlighted in the web content include:
  • National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a day to acknowledge progress in HIV prevention and care among African American people while recognizing the work still needed.
  • National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a day to increase awareness, start conversations, and spotlight the work being done to reduce HIV among American Indian/Alaska Native people and Native Hawaiian people.
  • National Asian and Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a day to educate the public about the impact of HIV stigma among Asian people and Pacific Islander people.
  • National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day, a day to raise awareness about the impact of HIV on Hispanic/Latino people.
• Through its Let’s Stop HIV Together campaign, CDC offers resources about HIV stigma, testing, prevention, and treatment and care. The campaign materials are tailored for specific audiences including African American people, American Indian/Alaska Native people, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander people, and Hispanic/Latino people. Our Spanish campaign resources are created in Spanish or trans-created (tailored and recreated) to meet the cultural needs of Hispanic/Latino people. This campaign is part of the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative.