About Foundation for Aids Research
amfAR’s mission is to end the global AIDS epidemic through innovative research.
Focus Areas
HIV/AIDS researchHIV cure researchHIV preventionTreatment and clinical researchResearch capacity in Asia-Pacific (TREAT Asia)Policy and advocacy
Who They Fund
policymakers and government agenciespublic health researchers and practitionerspopulations served by prevention programs (at‑risk groups)
Funding Style
policy advocacy supportresearch and evaluation funding
About Foundation for Aids Research
The Foundation for Aids Research centers its giving on HIV cure science, and its recent awards show a strong preference for research that can move from the lab toward sustained remission or viral eradication. Among the largest recent grants, Massachusetts General Hospital received $949,169 in 2024 for research, and Charities Aid Foundation of America received $837,920 in 2024 for research. The foundation also backed University of California Los Angeles with $260,000 and The Wistar Institute with $243,155, both for research work. Its grant record points to a funder that uses research awards, fellowships, and collaborative initiatives rather than broad general support. Recent recipients include major universities, hospitals, and research institutes working across biomedical and clinical questions tied to HIV/AIDS. The Foundation for Aids Research also supports policy-oriented work, with grants to organizations such as Global Action for Trans Equality Gate Inc and Health Gap (global Access Project). Across the recent grant list, the pattern is consistent: fund the science of HIV treatment, prevention, and cure, while also supporting policy and advocacy efforts connected to those goals.
What Foundation for Aids Research Funds
In HIV cure research, the foundation gave $185,970 in 2025 to University of California San Francisco and $160,410 in 2025 to The Wistar Institute, both for research. Johns Hopkins University appears in multiple recent awards, including $151,987 in 2024 under TREAT ASIA and $142,820 in 2025 under TREAT ASIA, showing continued support for research capacity linked to Asia-Pacific work. Policy-focused grantmaking is also part of the picture. In 2023, Global Action for Trans Equality Gate Inc received $121,018 for public policy, while Columbia University received $102,301 in 2024 for public policy. The foundation also backed Health Gap (global Access Project) with $97,183 in 2023 for public policy. On the research side, awards to institutions such as Case Western Reserve University and Washington University School of Medicine show attention to biomedical and clinical work as well as policy and implementation.
How Foundation for Aids Research Gives
Typical grant size sits at $37,517 at the 25th percentile, $69,079 at the median, and $137,500 at the 75th percentile. The recent list also includes much larger awards, indicating a wide spread across projects. Several recipients appear more than once across years, including Johns Hopkins University and the University of Washington, which points to recurring support for some institutions rather than one-off relationships. The Foundation for Aids Research is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not make program-related investments. It also accepts unsolicited applications for several active programs, including Target Grants, Research Grants, and Mathilde Krim Fellowships.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$749K
Total Assets
$53.4M
Total Revenue
$24.8M
Total Expenses
$29.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $38K and $138K, with a median of $69K.
25th Percentile
$38K
Median
$69K
75th Percentile
$138K
Geographic Reach
National14 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
KEVIN FROST
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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