definitions of what is HIV/AIDS-related grantmaking

the information that the Foundation Center collects is based solely on selfselected
information provided by U.S. grantmakers, based on their definitions of what is
HIV/AIDS-related grantmaking. These definitions vary among grantmakers within the
field and also change over time.3 AIDS grants present special problems in this regard as
HIV/AIDS is in many respects a collection of issues and topic areas ranging from or
touching significantly upon everything from reproductive rights/health and substance
abuse to public health and sustainable development.
Adding to these limitations in research, there is generally a two-year lag time in
compiling complete statistical data on foundation funding due to the collection
methods of other research entities in the field and many foundations reporting
procedures. For example, most foundations’ annual reports are not published until
several months after the calendar year closes, and not all foundations operate on a
January through December fiscal year. Therefore, the year 2000 is the latest year for
which near-complete data is available, and in gathering data for this report, it was
difficult to obtain complete and non-conflicting grant data even for the year 2000 from
some organizations and publications.
In order to validate and compile the most accurate figures for this report, FCAA
attempted to contact all major HIV/AIDS grantmakers directly. Unfortunately, FCAA
was unable to gather or confirm information with all grantmakers. FCAA therefore
welcomes on-going input and clarifications from grantmakers for future publications.