We are proud to deliver exceptional services to San Francisco
Agencies of the HIV/AIDS Provider Network (HAPN) are proud to deliver exceptional services to residents of San Francisco–effectively, efficiently, and with extensive city oversight.
In recent months, local media and some politicians have promoted the myth that some San Francisco city nonprofits receiving grant funding from the City of San Francisco are mismanaged, inefficient, and “mired in scandal.” Although we acknowledge recent examples covered in the media of illegal activity and misconduct of a few city nonprofits, we want to be clear about the values and fiscal responsibility of the 25 member organizations of HAPN including San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
We embrace organizational and financial transparency; we welcome oversight from our partners in the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, the Department of Health, the Department of Disability and Aging Services, the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, and others; and we are proud to report exactly how we spend every single city grant dollar. We are committed to fiscal responsibility and being responsible stewards of public funds. You can find more information about SFAF’s financials in our annual report.
We have made incredible strides in addressing HIV and AIDS in San Francisco.
Even though our city has one of the highest proportions of residents living with HIV and one of the highest percentages of residents at risk for contracting the virus, the rate of new infections among LGBTQ residents here is dramatically lower than any other major city in the nation. Last year, there were a total of 133 new HIV infections–a new low for San Francisco.
Last year, 20% of new HIV diagnoses across the city were made by SFAF. And, SFAF linked to ongoing HIV care about 25% of all people who were newly diagnosed. We maintain around 3,000 people in our PrEP program.
Three-quarters (75%) of San Franciscans with HIV have suppressed their viral loads to the point where the virus cannot be transmitted, a much, much higher percentage than nearly every other city in the country. More than nine in ten of those recently diagnosed with HIV are connected to care—that’s 12 percentage points higher than anywhere else. Preventing one HIV infection avoids $229,800 in medical costs alone; our collective efforts have prevented thousands of infections.
This extraordinary progress has been accomplished with exceptional efficiency, even as city support over the years has not kept pace with rising costs.
Even though our city grants don’t begin to cover our overhead and administrative costs, we submit comprehensive data to our funders—most often on a monthly basis—showing exactly how we have spent our grant dollars, including the number of clients served, the hours involved, and specific services provided. In addition, the city agencies from which we receive funds conduct formal, exhaustive performance reviews every two to three years and almost all of us retain an outside firm to conduct an annual audit of our finances, accounting practices, and internal controls.
Thank you for your support of our work. We hope it makes you proud!
