ViiV Healthcare is giving grants to five HIV programs that aim to reach young men who have sex with men (MSM) via digital platforms such as YouTube, mobile apps and dating websites.

All five programs are in the United States, according to a ViiV press release, and each grantee will receive $50,000 for two years. The funding is part of ViiV’s Positive Action MSM Youth Engagement Initiative, which is a U.S.-based component of ViiV’s global Positive Action MSM and Transgender Program.

Young MSM remain an important community to reach regarding HIV prevention and treatment. According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 72 percent of new infections in the United States are among gay and bisexual men ages 13 to 24.

“There is a tremendous need for education on HIV and on the support services within this community. However, to reach young MSM, we have to think and communicate differently,” said Cindy Watson, a Positive Action committee member, in the press release. “The innovative ideas behind these initial programs will continue to pave the way for new thinking and future applications that may help us expand our reach across the entire continuum of HIV care.”

The five grantees are:

  • Hispanic Black Gay Coalition: Virtual Health Education & Empowerment Project (Boston)

  • Latino Commission on AIDS: LEAD (Leadership, Empowerment, Action and Diffusion) Program (New York City)

  • Puerto Rican Cultural Center: Generation L (Chicago)

  • Palmetto AIDS Life Support Services: Engayge Project (Columbia, South Carolina)

  • Realistic Education in Action Coalition to Foster Health: CreatHIVity Project (Los Angeles)