Questions About COMPASS

The unprecedented $100 million Gilead COMPASS Initiative® was announced by Gilead Sciences in late Fall of 2017 and will span across a 10 year period. The three selected COMPASS Coordinating Centers joined together in January 2018 and have been working collaboratively ever since to build capacity among organizations, institutions, and other entities to reduce HIV/AIDS and HIV-related disparities and advance equity in the South.

Our community-driven, collaborative approach through a number of community engagement activities enables us to provide informed resources, skills, and support to those at the frontline of the HIV epidemic while acknowledging the unique barriers to accessing preventative services and care that many communities in the South experience.

The Gilead COMPASS (COMmitment to Partnership in Addressing HIV/AIDS in Southern States) Initiative® is an unprecedented $100 million commitment over 10 years to support organizations working to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Southern United States.

The Southern U.S. is home to 37 percent of the country’s population but accounts for 44 percent of all those living with HIV. The region also includes 21 of the 25 metropolitan areas with the highest HIV prevalence among same gender loving and bisexual men. Additionally, the Southern U.S. accounts for 52 percent of all new HIV diagnoses, making it the most affected region in the entire country.

Gilead has come together with three Coordinating Centers through the corporate giving program of the Gilead COMPASS Initiative®: Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, and the Southern AIDS Coalition. Emory University Rollins School of Public Health focuses their efforts on capacity building assistance and increasing shared knowledge among HIV/AIDS-serving community-based organizations. University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work focuses on drawing attention to the role of mental health and trauma-informed care in the HIV epidemic, as well as substance use and the opioid epidemic. Southern AIDS Coalition emphasizes the need for HIV awareness, stigma reduction, and culturally appropriate care in our effort to address the epidemic in the Southern United States.

The Gilead COMPASS Initiative® Coordinating Centers provide trainings, grants, and collaborative learning opportunities to organizations in the Southern United States to support the development of programs and activities that align with our programmatic focus areas. You can read more about our programmatic focus areas here.