The National AIDS Memorial and the Gilead Foundation announced a transformative three-year commitment of approximately $3 million to preserve the history of the HIV epidemic, expand public education and engagement, and support the next generation of leaders working to advance access to care. The initiative recognizes that the fight against HIV/AIDS has relied not only on scientific innovation but also on activism, compassion, education, and community support.
The funding will expand leadership development programs for emerging advocates, increase access to stories preserved within the AIDS Memorial Quilt, elevate community voices through public engagement initiatives, and support stewardship of the National AIDS Memorial Grove.
The commitment will broaden the Pedro Zamora Young Leaders Scholarship and Fellowship Program, creating additional opportunities for individuals pursuing careers in public health, medicine, education, social justice, and HIV advocacy. It will also fund a multi-year project to preserve and re-digitize thousands of AIDS Memorial Quilt panels, making them more accessible to families, educators, researchers, students, and communities around the world.
In addition, the initiative will enhance public programs such as the National AIDS Memorial Leadership Award and Speaker Series, which focus on leadership, community engagement, and the ongoing HIV response. Funding will also support conservation efforts, volunteer programs, and future improvements at the National AIDS Memorial Grove in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
The announcement builds on years of collaboration between the National AIDS Memorial and the Gilead Foundation, which have previously partnered on Quilt preservation efforts, public education programs, and initiatives supporting communities disproportionately affected by HIV. The commitment comes as the Grove marks its 35th anniversary this year, while the AIDS Memorial Quilt will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2027.
Additional funding will support future installments of the award-winning documentary series Surviving Voices, which preserves oral histories from people and communities impacted by HIV. These initiatives are intended to ensure that the experiences and contributions of those affected by the epidemic remain visible and accessible for future generations.
Today, the AIDS Memorial Quilt remains the world’s largest community folk art project, featuring more than 50,000 panels commemorating more than 110,000 lives. Together with the National AIDS Memorial Grove, the memorials continue to serve as places of remembrance, education, connection, and engagement.
KEY QUOTES:
“The history of the HIV movement is defined by acts of courage, activism, compassion, and community leadership. Through the Gilead Foundation’s partnership with the National AIDS Memorial, we are helping ensure those stories and experiences continue to educate future generations and inspire them to make their own contributions. As science transforms what is possible in the fight against HIV, the hard-won lessons of this movement must continue to guide how we advance innovation, expand access, and support the communities most affected.”
Daniel O’Day, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Gilead Sciences
“The work of remembrance is future work. This transformative commitment allows us not only to care for the Quilt and Grove entrusted to us, but to ensure that the stories and enduring lessons of the HIV/AIDS movement remain active forces in public life. We want future generations to understand not only the history of the epidemic, but the determination that shaped the response, and to recognize their own power to carry that work forward.”
John Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer, National AIDS Memorial
