Transgender Leadership Initiative Request for Proposals EXECUTIVE SUMMARY / INFO ON IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS AIDS United’s mission is to end the AIDS epidemic within the United States. We seek to fulfill our mission through strategic grant making, capacity building, advocacy, and formative research. For more than two decades, we have supported community‐driven responses to the HIV epidemic around the country that reach the nation’s most disproportionately affected populations, including gay and bisexual men, transgender women, communities of color, people living in the deep South, people struggling with substance use, and people living with HIV. To date, our strategic grant making initiatives have directly funded more than $104 million to local communities, and have leveraged more than $117 million in additional investments for programs that include syringe access, access to care, capacity building, HIV prevention, positive leadership, and advocacy. (www.aidsunited.org) AIDS United, with funding from Janssen Pharmaceuticals, is pleased to announce the opportunity for grant support through the Transgender Leadership Initiative. The goals of the Transgender Leadership Initiative are: 1) to develop leaders in the transgender community to improve HIV service delivery for their peers; 2) to increase transgender leadership presence in HIV policy arenas; and 3) to create a cohort of connected transgender leaders who support each other and network to impact their communities for improved outcomes for HIV. AIDS United expects to award grants through this grant making initiative by August 1, 2017. The average grant award will be $15,000; however, applicants are eligible to apply for grants ranging from $10,000 to $20,000. Grant periods must between 6 months and 8 months. AIDS United is offering three methods of submission for this initiative – written, phone/video conference call, or video submission. Written Applications and Video Submissions are due no later than 4:59 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, June 14, 2017. Phone/Video Conference Application Submission appointments must be made no later than 4:59 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, May 31, 2017, with final materials submitted by 4:59 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, June 14, 2017. Applications completed after that time will NOT be accepted. All applications must be submitted electronically via AIDS United’s online application system, via the telephone/video conference call, or video submission process described below. BACKGROUND INFORMATION / STATEMENT OF NEED The transgender community is critically impacted by HIV and faces unique challenges in HIV care. A groundbreaking 2013 meta‐analysis (Baral et al.) reported that HIV prevalence among transgender women was 22 percent in five high‐income countries, including the United States.1 Overall, the risk of HIV infection among transgender people is more than other most‐at‐risk groups including men who have sex with men (MSM), individuals who inject drugs, and sex workers. Among 3.3 million HIV testing events reported to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2013, the highest percentages of newly identified people living with HIV were transgender‐identifying persons.2 In addition, data collected by local health departments and scientists studying this population reveal that high levels of HIV throughout the transgender community are compounded by racial and ethnic health disparities and a lack of transgender culturally competent providers. The leadership of the transgender community is essential to address the dire HIV epidemic in transgender communities, to improve transgender health outcomes, and to solidify transgender power in our society There are many reasons why transgender individuals at risk or living with HIV face marginalization. Deep‐seated fear of disclosure is compounded by the threat of HIV criminalization laws and the realities of intimate partner violence, and the overwhelming possibility of being the victim of a hate crime. Service providers lack cultural competence to deliver appropriate services and worse yet, policy makers may be unaware of the need to gather transgender‐specific epidemiological data. A data review in 2008 showed that as much as 28 percent of transgender women were living with HIV, but only 12 percent of transgender women in the data set were willing to self‐report living with HIV.3 This discrepancy suggests many transgender women living with HIV do not know their HIV status or even worse are hiding it due to fear of discrimination. Observational data is seen where transgender individuals engage in high risk sexual behaviors to affirm their gender or inject street hormones with shared needles. More efforts must be undertaken to recognize the realities of transgender lives and enable transgender individuals to take up leadership roles to address their community’s needs. With this reality, AIDS United is supporting a Transgender Leadership Initiative to identify and expand the leadership capabilities of transgender individuals in local communities to aid in the response to HIV. In the United States, the response to HIV is guided by the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) and monitored by the HIV Care Continuum. In July of 2016, the Office of National AIDS Policy at the White House announced its commitment to create for the very first time indicators specific to the transgender community.4 Those proposed indicators will help guide America in achieving NHAS goals to 1) reduce new infections, 2) increase access to care and improve health outcomes for people living with HIV, 3) reduce HIV‐related health disparities and health inequities, and 4) achieve a more coordinated national response to the epidemic. Those first ever transgender indicators will be important epidemiological monitoring tools. However, as people living with HIV know well, leadership by others is not the same as leadership by those affected. Over the past 35 years, people living with HIV have created strong leadership and fought for the meaningful inclusion of leaders who are living with HIV in all levels of our national response. Janssen and AIDS United can advance 1 Baral, S.D., et. al. (2013). Worldwide burden of HIV among transgender women: a systemic review and meta‐analysis. Lancet Infectious Disease 13:214‐222. 2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). HIV among transgender people. Accessed: October 17, 2016. Available at: [http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/group/gender/transgender/]. 3 Herbst J.H., et. al. (2008). Estimating HIV prevalence and risk behaviors of transgender persons in the United States: a systematic review. AIDS Behavior 12(1):1‐17. 4 The White House. (2016). National HIV/AIDS Strategy. Indicator Supplement. Accessed October 17, 2016. Available at: [https://www.aids.gov/federal‐resources/national‐hiv‐aids‐strategy/nhas‐2020‐indicators.pdf]. Updated, May 17, 2017 the leadership needed by and for the transgender community to address their unique needs for HIV prevention, treatment, and care. AIDS United’s mission is to end the domestic HIV epidemic and support the NHAS goals through strategic grantmaking, capacity building and technical assistance, and formative research. AIDS United’s proposed activities for the Transgender Leadership Initiative will support the ability of transgender leaders to respond to HIV‐related stigma, improve provider competency, and will bring a vitally under‐represented voice in the national response to HIV to the table. Having transgender leaders at the helm ensures that transgender‐specific needs stay at the forefront of these critical efforts, demonstrating the necessity of meaningful involvement of community members in HIV leadership. In 2016, AIDS United received funding from Janssen Pharmaceuticals to provide support to five projects in 2017 through this strategic grant‐making initiative. WHO MAY APPLY? Community‐based organizations, AIDS Service Organizations, and individuals with community‐based organizations fiscal sponsorship are invited to apply as long as they meet the following eligibility requirements:  Non‐Profit Status – Applicants must be non‐profit, tax‐exempt organizations, per the guidelines set forth by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) with proper 501(c)3 status. Appropriate verification of this federal status will be undertaken by AIDS United before final grant decisions are made. Applications that do not hold 501(c)3 status must have an already established relationship with a fiscal sponsor to apply. 
Organizational Viability – Organizations should be viable with or without the grant. These funds are not intended to help start new organizations or serve as a replacement for discontinued funding. EXPECTED GOALS & OUTCOMES, PRIORITIES & MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS AIDS United will establish the Transgender Leadership Initiative. Using Meaningful Involvement of People Living with HIV and AIDS (MIPA) as a guide, a tailored transgender HIV‐focused leadership program will: a. Increase leadership among transgender individuals by incorporating MIPA principles in transgender advocacy for resources and appropriate HIV services for transgender people; and b. Increase transgender leadership capacity of organizations in either transgender‐led or transgender‐serving agencies by incorporating MIPA leadership principles in their efforts to address HIV and transgender populations. Updated, May 17, 2017 Meaningful Involvement of People Living with HIV and AIDS (MIPA): MIPA affirms that people living with HIV must be involved in decision‐making at all levels: their own health, in how organizations serve them, and how their communities and nations respond. From local HIV planning bodies to the President’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, MIPA has guided and demanded that the leadership of people living with HIV be heard. The Transgender Leadership Initiative will mirror MIPA principles with the expectation that transgender individuals must be involved in decision‐
making at all levels of this project. It is the expectation that through the use of these funds, organizations, groups and networks will see a measurable increase of transgender leaders through measurable advancement of transgender people into leadership or decision making roles within organizations, community planning bodies, or networks. Over the course of the grant period, AIDS United staff will provide on‐going technical assistance to ensure that projects are being executed on time, and will offer other resources to ensure success. Of specific note, Janssen funding for the Transgender Leadership Initiative will not be used to supplement a local organization’s budget as staff time or general operating funds but must result in real and tangible outcomes related to a discrete project. The recipients of grants will be expected to form a learning cohort facilitated by AIDS United. The Learning Cohort will select from among the grantee cohort a transgender representative to become a part of the AIDS United’s Public Policy Committee (PPC). This representation will greatly improve AIDS United’s capacity to articulate and include unique needs of the transgender community when forming a consensus for national HIV advocacy priorities, and at the same time, improve the PPC’s MIPA commitment by dedicating a seat to transgender communities at the policy table.  Priority will be given to applicants that can provide clear plans and demonstrated capacity to ensure that people living with HIV and reflective of the communities impacted are involved in leading efforts to combat stigma, improve the policy or legal environment, and/or ensuring effective programs.  Priority will be given to applicants that demonstrate the greatest relevance for this RFP. To demonstrate relevance, your application must address at least two of the below:  Clear description of the need for transgender leadership in their community‐based organizations, planning bodies, and networks;  Socioeconomic and health disparities experienced by the target population;  Opportunity and timeliness for policy initiatives that will improve the local response to the needs of people who are transgender and living with HIV or policy environment including why the applicant is well‐positioned to play a critical role in this effort;  The scale of impact that the investment can have on the local HIV response at it relates to the transgender community; and  Sustainability of the effort after this funding cycle.  All applicants will be required to demonstrate clear capability to promote the advancement of transgender leadership and are expected to have transgender leaders reflective of the target communities engaged, or poised, to play a leadership role in implementation. Updated, May 17, 2017 TIMELINE The following outlines key benchmarks for the initiative: May 1, 2017, Requests for Proposals released May 11, 2017, Application assistance webinar May 31, 2017 Appointments for Phone/Video Conference Call Submissions requested June 14, 2017 Complete applications due July 19, 2017, Approved applicants will be notified of funding decisions July 26, 2017, Negotiation of final targets and execution of grant agreements August 1, 2017 Grant period begins August 7, 2017, Grantee Webinar/conference call with TA team November 6, 2017 One day grantee convening in Washington DC (travel and accommodations covered for one participant per grantee) TBD: Final grantee progress reports are due 30 days after the end of project period proposed. Project periods must end no later than March 31, 2018. However, all grantees are required to attend the November convening in Washington, DC. GRANT AMOUNTS AND PROHIBITED USE OF FUNDS Applicants should only apply for necessary funding up to $20,000. As with any funding opportunity, grant requests may not be approved for the full amount. Awards will likely range between $10,000 and $20,000. Grant funds may not be used for: X Direct or grassroots lobbying; X Direct services; X Expenses not directly related to the proposed project; X Medications or medical care; X Facility acquisition or renovation; X Deficit reduction or debt payment; X Displacement of existing funding sources; X Indirect expenses over 15%; or X Program or organizational development GRANTEE SELECTION AIDS United will conduct a competitive selection process that will include a committee of qualified reviewers, most of whom shall be transgender individuals. AIDS United has a strict conflict of interest and confidentiality policy. Reviewers will be asked to report any conflicts of interest to AIDS United before they are provided with any applicant materials. If there are no conflicts of interest, or if those conflicts can be addressed by simple recusal from a specific applicant review; and if reviewers agree and sign to policy for maintaining the Updated, May 17, 2017 confidentiality of materials receive, then the reviewers are provided with relevant applicant materials. If the conflicts of interest cannot be addressed, then the reviewer is respectfully removed from the committee. Reviewers are provided with a review score sheet template to guide their evaluation of the proposals to which they have been assigned. The reviewers’ task is to evaluate the merit of the proposed projects based on the goals outlined in this Request for Proposals document and delineated in the review scoresheet template. Reviewers will assess the quality of numerous factors in the proposed project. The score sheet will provide a starting point and guidance for discussion. Detailed notes assessing the quality of the proposal will be used to make the final recommendation to the committee about whether to Fund, Not Fund, or Discuss. Application instructions are provided on the following pages. Updated, May 17, 2017 APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS Completed proposals are due via the Foundation Connect online application system by 4:59 pm Eastern Time, June 14, 2017. All components of your application must be submitted by this time. If the application is submitted with any components missing, it will be deemed incomplete and will not be considered for a grant award. You can access the system through the AIDS United website, as explained below. Written Applications All the information outlined below must be submitted through the online application system, as directed. Each question will have a character limit of 8,000 characters including spaces. However, all formatting counts as HTML code and therefore increases how many characters are used. AIDS United recommends completing the application in a word processing program before submitting online to monitor page count making sure to “paste as plain text” into the system. Application materials will NOT be accepted through email, fax, mail, or express delivery. I. Grant Application Information. Organization Specific Questions 1. Organization Type (CBO/ASO/faith‐based/human rights organization/network/other______) 2. Total Organizational Budget (current fiscal year) 3. Summary of the organization’s mission 4. Geographic area served Project Specific Questions 1. Project Title 2. Total 6‐8‐month amount requested (maximum $20,000) 3. Summary of project or grant request II.
Project Narrative/Description: The maximum length of answers in this section should be the equivalent of 5 single‐spaced paged in a word processing program using 12‐point font. Proposals should strive to provide complete information as these following questions serve as review criteria. (Note: any formatting will be converted to HTML when your responses are entered into Foundation Connect, and those HTML tags will count against your character limit.) 1.) Describe the transgender leadership that you intend to advance through the proposed project. Please include any data that are specific to your area to help demonstrate the severity of need for this project. 2.) Describe the core transgender related policy issues in the area targeted by the project (region, state, or local government). Why do those issues exist? What has been done in the past to address the issues? What is the direct impact on transgender people living with HIV? 3.) Please describe your constituency (organizations, people, community, and/or political leaders) you are trying to impact. 4.) What has the organization achieved in the past year relevant to the proposed project? Please describe the organization’s most significant achievement. 5.) In what way will the proposed project expand current transgender leadership in your organization, coalition or emerging network? 6.) Describe the expected outcomes of the project. Outcomes must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time‐Phased (SMART) and fall under the following categories: a. Achieve advancement of a transgender individual in your organization or group; Updated, May 17, 2017 b. Achieve a position of power by a transgender individual on a community board or group; c. Advance, increase, and strengthen leadership development for transgender people living with HIV within your organization or group; and d. Protect the legal rights and provide legal defense for transgender people living with HIV. Evaluation – For each outcome, briefly describe your plan for evaluating the success of the work for which you are requesting funding, including how you will collect information, measure success, and identify challenges. IV.
Proposed Activities/Actions ‐ Please indicate which activities the organization will undertake to meet each outcome during the grant period providing a timeline of each project activity. 1.) How are the priorities below reflected in the project’s design? a. Racial and Social Justice b. Meaningful Involvement of Transgender People Living with HIV V.
Technical Assistance – Please state if your organization would like to be considered for technical assistance (TA) as part of this grant. If yes, describe in specific terms the type of TA that will be most beneficial to your organization to reach your advocacy goals (see the description of TA on page 5). Please note that while TA may not be requested, the Review Committee reserves the right to recommend TA services as necessary and grant funds may be contingent upon acceptance of TA. VI. Required Attachments 1. A list of the organization’s Board of Directors with professional or community affiliations and in what capacity the Board of Directors will support this project. If the organization does not have a Board of Directors, please send your fiscal sponsor’s board of directors list. If neither is available, a detailed letter of explanation is required. III.
2. If your organization does not have IRS determined non‐profit status, please include a signed letter of agreement from your fiscal sponsor. 3. Diversity Table – please use the form linked within the Foundation Connect system. The diversity table will show the demographics of your staff, network, and Board and serves as an indication of how your organization reflects the targeted community. As you will see the data are collected in numbers not connected to names of individuals. 4. Memoranda of Agreement or Letters of Support from any key collaborating organizations or vested entities, if applicable. Memoranda of Agreement should reflect the concrete roles, responsibilities and/or expectations of the collaborative relationship between the applicant organization and any other supporting agency. Letters of Support should reflect how/why an organization intends to support the proposed project, how an organization and/or community may benefit from the proposed project and/or how the proposed project is filling a gap identified by a partner organization or community. Updated, May 17, 2017 Phone/Video Conference Call Submissions Applicants must email [email protected] by May 31, 2017, 4:59 pm Eastern Time to schedule a phone/video conference submission appointment. Phone/video conferences will last approximately one hour. Applicants should be prepared to provide the information listed below. All phone/video conferences will be recorded to serve as back up to the signed summary acknowledgement during the review process, as well as used as a tool for applicants to receive feedback. After the phone/video conference, applicants will be sent a written summary of their submission for their approval. Applicants will have one working day to return the summary, acknowledging that it accurately reflects the information they provided during the phone/video conference. Phone/video conference applicants must submit the required attachments described in section VI (below) via email to [email protected] by June 14, 4:59 pm Eastern Time. I. Grant Application Information. Organization Specific Questions 1. Organization contact information (main contact name, email address, phone number, mailing address) 2. Organization Type (CBO/ASO/faith‐based/human rights organization/network/other______) 3. Total Organizational Budget (current fiscal year) 4. Summary of the organization’s mission 5. Geographic area served Project Specific Questions 1. Project Title 2. Total 6‐8‐month amount requested (maximum $20,000) 3. Summary of project or grant request II. Project Description: Applicant should be prepared to succinctly answer the following questions: 1. Describe the transgender leadership that you intend to advance through the proposed project. Please include any data that are specific to your area to help demonstrate the severity of need for this project. 2. Describe the core transgender related policy issues in the area targeted by the project. (region, state, or local government) Why do those issues exist? What has been done in the past to address the issues? What is the direct impact on transgender people living with HIV? 3. Please describe your constituency (organizations, people, community, and/or political leaders) you are trying to impact. 4. What has the organization achieved in the past year relevant to the proposed project? Please describe the organization’s most significant achievement. 5. In what way will the proposed project expand current transgender leadership in your organization, coalition or emerging network? 6. Describe the expected outcomes of the project. Outcomes must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time‐Phased (SMART) and fall under the following categories: Updated, May 17, 2017 a. Achieve advancement of a transgender individual in your organization or group; b. Achieve a position of power by a transgender individual on a community board or group; c. Advance, increase, and strengthen leadership development for transgender people living with HIV within your organization or group; and d. Protect the legal rights and provide legal defense for transgender people living with HIV. III. Evaluation – For each outcome, briefly describe your plan for evaluating the success of the work for which you are requesting funding, including how you will collect information, measure success, and identify challenges. IV. Proposed Activities/Actions ‐ Please indicate which activities the organization will undertake to meet each outcome during the grant period providing a timeline of each project activity. 1. How are the priorities below reflected in the project’s design? a. Racial and Social Justice b. Meaningful Involvement of Transgender People Living with HIV V. Technical Assistance – Please state if your organization would like to be considered for technical assistance (TA) as part of this grant. If yes, describe in specific terms the type of TA that will be most beneficial to your organization to reach your advocacy goals (see the description of TA on page 5). Please note that while TA may not be requested, the Review Committee reserves the right to recommend TA services as necessary and grant funds may be contingent upon acceptance of TA. VI. Required Attachments 1. A list of the organization’s Board of Directors with professional or community affiliations and in what capacity the Board of Directors will support this project. If the organization does not have a Board of Directors, please send your fiscal sponsor’s board of directors list. If neither is available, a detailed letter of explanation is required. 2. If your organization does not have IRS determined non‐profit status, please include a signed letter of agreement from your fiscal sponsor. 3. Diversity Table – please use the form linked within the Foundation Connect system. The diversity table will show the demographics of your staff, network, and Board and serves as an indication of how your organization reflects the targeted community. 4. Memoranda of Agreement or Letters of Support from any key collaborating organizations or vested entities, if applicable. Memoranda of Agreement should reflect the concrete roles, responsibilities and/or expectations of the collaborative relationship between the applicant organization and any other supporting agency. Letters of Support should reflect how/why an organization intends to support the proposed project, how an organization and/or community may benefit from the proposed project and/or how the proposed project is filling a gap identified by a partner organization or community. Updated, May 17, 2017 Video Submissions Organizations applying using the video submission option will video record their responses to the following application questions. The finished video, which cannot exceed one hour in total, must be sent to [email protected] via Dropbox or another method that can handle the transfer of large files. Do not send your video as an email attachment. Video submissions will be sent to the review committee as submitted, and reviewers will be instructed to stop watching all videos at the one‐hour mark. Video submission applicants must submit the video, along with all the required attachments described in section VI (below). Videos must be submitted via Dropbox or a similar method. Attachments may be included in the Dropbox submission or sent to [email protected] by June 14, 4:59 pm Eastern Time. I. Grant Application Information. Organization Specific Questions 1. Organization contact information (organization name, main contact name, email address, phone number, mailing address) 2. Organization Type (CBO/ASO/faith‐based/human rights organization/network/other______) 3. Total Organizational Budget (current fiscal year) 4. Summary of the organization’s mission 5. Geographic area served Project Specific Questions 1. Project Title 2. Total 6‐8‐month amount requested (maximum $20,000) 3. Summary of project or grant request II. Project Description: Applicant should be prepared to succinctly answer the following questions: 1. Describe the transgender leadership that you intend to advance through the proposed project. Please include any data that are specific to your area to help demonstrate the severity of need for this project. 2. Describe the core transgender related policy issues in the area targeted by the project. (region, state, or local government) Why do those issues exist? What has been done in the past to address the issues? What is the direct impact on transgender people living with HIV? 3. Please describe your constituency (organizations, people, community, and/or political leaders) you are trying to impact. 4. What has the organization achieved in the past year relevant to the proposed project? Please describe the organization’s most significant achievement. 5. In what way will the proposed project expand current transgender leadership in your organization, coalition or emerging network? 6. Describe the expected outcomes of the project. Outcomes must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time‐Phased (SMART) and fall under the following categories: a. Achieve advancement of a transgender individual in your organization or group; b. Achieve a position of power by a transgender individual on a community board or group; Updated, May 17, 2017 c. Advance, increase, and strengthen leadership development for transgender people living with HIV within your organization or group; and d. Protect the legal rights and provide legal defense for transgender people living with HIV. III. Evaluation – For each outcome, briefly describe your plan for evaluating the success of the work for which you are requesting funding, including how you will collect information, measure success, and identify challenges. IV. Proposed Activities/Actions ‐ Please indicate which activities the organization will undertake to meet each outcome during the grant period providing a timeline of each project activity. 1. How are the priorities below reflected in the project’s design? a. Racial and Social Justice b. Meaningful Involvement of Transgender People Living with HIV V. Technical Assistance – Please state if your organization would like to be considered for technical assistance (TA) as part of this grant. If yes, describe in specific terms the type of TA that will be most beneficial to your organization to reach your advocacy goals (see the description of TA on page 5). Please note that while TA may not be requested, the Review Committee reserves the right to recommend TA services as necessary and grant funds may be contingent upon acceptance of TA. VI. Required Attachments 1. A list of the organization’s Board of Directors with professional or community affiliations and in what capacity the Board of Directors will support this project. If the organization does not have a Board of Directors, please send your fiscal sponsor’s board of directors list. If neither is available, a detailed letter of explanation is required. 2. If your organization does not have IRS determined non‐profit status, please include a signed letter of agreement from your fiscal sponsor. 3. Diversity Table – please use the form linked within the Foundation Connect system. The diversity table will show the demographics of your staff, network, and Board and serves as an indication of how your organization reflects the targeted community. 4. Memoranda of Agreement or Letters of Support from any key collaborating organizations or vested entities, if applicable. Memoranda of Agreement should reflect the concrete roles, responsibilities and/or expectations of the collaborative relationship between the applicant organization and any other supporting agency. Letters of Support should reflect how/why an organization intends to support the proposed project, how an organization and/or community may benefit from the proposed project and/or how the proposed project is filling a gap identified by a partner organization or community. Updated, May 17, 2017 SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS Written Online Submissions: The online submission system and application are accessed through Foundation Connect. Please use it to log in and access the application. If the applying organization does not have a Foundation Connect account, click the “Register” button to create one. If you have any difficulties with Foundation Connect, please contact Shannon Wyss at [email protected] or (202) 876‐2851. To begin an application; click here To resume and application; click here To complete the diversity table; click here The application MUST be submitted no later than Wednesday, June 14, 2017, at 4:59 pm Eastern Time. However, we strongly encourage completing the application early to allow for unforeseen technical difficulties. Phone/Video Conference Call Submissions: Applicants must contact AIDS United Staff no later than Wednesday, May 31, 2017, at 4:59 pm Eastern Time. No appointments for Phone/Video Conference submission will be made after this date and time. Video Submissions MUST be submitted no later than Wednesday, June 14, 2017, at 4:59 pm Eastern Time. We strongly encourage completing the application early to allow for unforeseen technical difficulties. Approved applicants will be notified of funding decisions by July 19, 2017. Applicants that are not selected for funding will be notified in writing no later than August 1, 2017. Please do not call or email to inquire about the status of your application during the review process. Application Checklist  Grant Application Information  Project Narrative  Board of Directors List with community affiliations  Diversity Table  Any Memoranda of Agreement or Letters of Support Assistance during the Application Process AIDS United is committed to assisting eligible applicants with the preparation of a complete and responsive application to the Transgender Leadership Initiative. Our staff is available to answer any questions and to provide technical support. Shannon Wyss, Program Manager, can be reached at [email protected] or (202) 876‐2851. Include your organization’s name in the subject line of the message. A one‐hour virtual meeting will also be hosted in Adobe Connect on May 11 from 3:00‐4:00pm EST. This meeting will provide clarification about the RFP process and key application submission tips. To register, click here. Updated, May 17, 2017