• Civil Society and Governance
  • Civil Society and Governance Overview
  • Institutional Capacity Building
  • Civic Education
  • Citizen Participation
  • Advocacy
  • Democratic Governance
  • Grants Solicitation and Management Capacity
  • Women's and Minority Rights
  • Disenfranchised Groups
• Education
  • Education Overview
  • Basic Education
  • Higher Education
  • Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
  • Education for Vulnerable Groups
• HIV/AIDS
  • HIV/AIDS Overview
  • HIV/AIDS Prevention
  • Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC)
  • Grants Solicitation and Management Capacity
  • Institutional Capacity Building
• International Visitors Exchanges
  • International Professional, Academic, and Cultural Exchanges Overview
  • Undergraduate and Graduate Academic Exchanges
  • Professional Exchanges
  • Youth Exchanges
• Capacity Development and Training
  • Capacity Development and Training Overview
  • Participant Training
  • Institutional Capacity Building
  • Undergraduate and Graduate Academic Exchanges
  • Grant Solicitation and Management Capacity
  • Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

HIV/AIDS Grants Solicitation and Management Program

Read an HIV/AIDS GSM Success Story (PDF)

USAID/Jamaica awarded a $9.8 million Cooperative Agreement to World Learning's Grants Solicitation and Management Program to provide Grants and Capacity Building Services to Jamaican and Bahamian NGOs. Targeted NGOs are working with the populations most-at-risk for transmitting or becoming infected with HIV/AIDS.

The HIV/AIDS Grants Solicitation and Management Program is working with NGOs in Jamaica and The Bahamas who are reaching the populations most at risk for transmitting or becoming infected with HIV/AIDS in an environment where legal and socio-cultural norms severely penalize these individuals requires innovative and creative activities. Grants to sub-awardees under this project better enables Jamaica and the Bahamas to meet their targets concerning the Most-At-Risk-Populations, particularly Men that have Sex with Men (MSM) and Sexual Workers (SW), as well as youth-at-risk of contracting or spreading HIV. By working with sub-awardees and other governmental and non-governmental organizations, the Project builds the capacity of these organizations to strategically plan for and achieve their immediate and long-term targets. Given the highly stigmatized environment and social complexities of working with the target populations, the grant solicitations prioritize highly innovative organizations and activities that demonstrate their ability to win the confidence and trust with these vulnerable populations.

Grants Management and Capacity Building Services
Technical support, coaching and mentoring is provided to grantees to facilitate the finalization of the technical and financial submissions for the Grant Agreement. Subsequent support continues in the development of the Implementation and Monitoring and Evaluation Plans. The HIV/AIDS GSM office offers an ‘open door’ policy to our grantees where the team is available to provide technical assistance to facilitate project implementation.

World Learning utilizes its Participatory Institution Analysis (PIA) process during which grantees identify gaps and needs in their organizations. Subsequent activity plans provide a map to guide the implementation of tailored capacity development initiatives to enhance the ability of the organizations to function in an optimum fashion. While some development activities are addressed internally, others require HIV/AIDS GSM support.

Examples of workshops, one-on-one trainings, and mentoring provided by HIV/AIDS GSM include:

• QuickBooks (including software provision)
• Website Development
• CMS (Content Management System)Training
• Financial Management
• Data Collection /Analysis
• SPSS 
• USAID Rules and Regulations
• Human Resources Development Support

Current grantees under the HIV/AIDS GSM Program

Ashe Performing Arts Company
Program Title: The Attractor Factor
Program Description: ASHE advocates with and recruits Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) for training to adapt healthy lifestyle practices, thereby reducing the incidence of HIV infection in the population.

Children First Agency
Program Title: HIV Prevention and Empowerment Programme for Vulnerable Communities
Program Description:
Children First, in partnership with Rise Life, promotes HIV prevention and empowerment in vulnerable communities, such as Men who have Sex with Men (MSM), out of school/at-risk youth, and health care and support workers.

Eve for Life
Program Title: I am Alive! Scaling up HIV prevention and treatment outcomes for HIV positive adolescent and young mothers through advocacy and sustainable livelihoods opportunities
Program Description: Eve for Life strengthens positive prevention efforts among HIV+ adolescent and young mothers through life skills education, advocacy and the promotion of sustainable livelihood opportunities.

Fun4Kidz
Program Title: Fun4Kidz Sanva Richards Fast Track Program
Program Description: Fun4Kidz provides enrichment opportunities for high school students in nine high schools in Kingston, Jamaica. The program combines tutoring (with a focus on enhancing literacy) and extracurricular activities such as track and field, soccer, cricket, and basketball.

Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL)
Program Title: Most Vulnerable Populations (MVP) Project
Program Description: JASL works to empower Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) and Sex Workers (SW) to reduce their risk of HIV infection, enable greater access to quality prevention, treatment, care and support services for MSMs and SWs, and supports initiatives that will address issues of human rights, stigma and discrimination. These objectives are accomplished through training, public education, advocacy, treatment and care provision, counseling, online interventions, and psychosocial support.

Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals & Gays (J-FLAG)
Program Title: Fight the Hate: Mitigating Risks and Enabling Safe Spaces for MSM
Program Description: J-FLAG’s project benefits thirty public health professionals and policymakers via efforts to increase their knowledge and understanding about sexual orientation, homophobia and how existing policies and laws impact on and increase the vulnerability of Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) to HIV transmission. The project also provides HIV/AIDS awareness to MSM between 18-49 years.

Jamaica Network of Seropositives (JN+)
Program Title: Improving Advocacy and Positive Prevention Skills among HIV+ Youth and MSM
Program Description: JN+ builds the capacity of youth and adults living with HIV and Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) to effectively respond to the challenges associated with being HIV positive via self support networks and advocacy. The project is implemented island-wide in supportive networks of MSM and Youth/ People Living with HIV (PLHIV).

Joy Town Community Development Foundation
Program Title: A Faith-based Coalition for Health, The Gomer Project
Program Description: JTCDF uses a multi-stakeholder faith based approach contribute to the national efforts to respond to the HIV epidemic in Jamaica. This allows churches to combat HIV within the target vulnerable populations, and also addresses issues of stigma and discrimination within its members.

National AIDS Committee Limited (NAC)
Program Title: Promoting HIV/AIDS prevention and increasing the involvement of most-at-risk populations in the national response through capacity strengthening and intervention.
Program Description: NAC’s project promotes HIV/AIDS prevention by increasing the involvement of at- risk populations in the national response and builds the capacity of Parish AIDS Associations to increase the number of vulnerable and high-risk persons reached through interventions.

PEY & Associates
Program Title: A Multi-Level HIV behavior change and development project for Youth at Risk (YAR) in Kingston and St. Andrew
Program Description: PEY works to address the gap between knowledge about HIV and practice of safe sex behaviors; poor perception of the risks of unprotected sexual intercourse; negative attitudes towards, and fear of, STI including HIV testing; and limited access to tools that enable safe sexual behaviors.

The Panos Institute
Program Title: Communication initiative to fight discrimination and stigmatization against MSM and to promote gay men’s health in Jamaica
Program Description: Panos works to promote tolerance and accountability towards Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) in the response to HIV through the media. It also strengthens the capacities of MSM to advocate and create awareness about the issue in Jamaica by equipping them with effective public relations and media tools to amplify their voices and concerns.