Drugmaker Gilead Sciences launched a $20 million global fund to ensure that nonprofit groups—including many that serve the HIV community—remain open and operational during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Around the world, we are hearing from nonprofit organizations that they are struggling to meet the needs of the communities they serve during the COVID-19 crisis,” said Brett Pletcher, Gilead’s general counsel and executive vice president of corporate affairs, in a press release. “For many years, we have stood with community-based organizations that provide critical support to people living with HIV, viral hepatitis, cancer and other illnesses. It is in recognition of the importance of their work that we are launching this fund to help these groups remain financially sustainable for the long term.”

The fund is called the global Gilead CARES (COVID-19 Acute Relief and Emergency Support) Grantee Fund. Up to $20 million will be available to nonprofits that are current Gilead grantees facing closure or being forced to suspend some of their vital services.

Numerous HIV groups will be eligible because they already receive grants from Gilead. For example, its Age Positively, COMPASS and TRANScend initiatives support groups focused on older people with HIV, the epidemic in the South and the transgender community, respectively.

Organizations can apply for up to $100,000 in emergency assistance; applications for grants are available on Gilead’s online grants management system. More information about its grant funding requests can be found here.

In addition, Gilead is donating $1 million to the San Mateo County Strong Fund to support businesses and nonprofits in the California county where Gilead is based, plus $1 million to the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles.

For more details about Gilead’s HIV-related funding initiatives, see “$17.6M in Grants to Improve the Lives of People Aging With HIV,” “40 Groups Fighting HIV in the South Awarded a Total of $2.3M in Grants” and “$4.5M in Grants Goes to These 15 Groups Focused on Transgender Health.”

Gilead’s arsenal of HIV drugs includes Atripla, Biktarvy, Complera, Descovy, Emtriva, Genvoya, Odefsey, Stribild, Truvada, Tybost and Viread. Its liver disease meds include Epclusa, Harvoni, Hepsera, Sovaldi, Vemlidy, Viread and Vosevi.

Last month, the pharma giant cut off most emergency access to remdesivir, a potential COVID-19 treatment. To learn more, see “Supply of Our HIV and Hepatitis Meds Is Secure, Says Gilead.”

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