FY 2027 ILLINOIS BUDGET DOES NOT PROVIDE NEEDED FUNDING FOR THE AFRICAN AMERICAN HIV/AIDS RESPONSE ACT (AAHARA)


FY 2027 ILLINOIS BUDGET DOES NOT PROVIDE NEEDED FUNDING FOR THE AFRICAN AMERICAN HIV/AIDS RESPONSE ACT (AAHARA)


Advocates Call for Government Action to Ensure Sustainable Funding for Black-Led HIV/AIDS Service Providers; Hosting Gathering to Thank Legislators and Community for Efforts and Next Steps


CHICAGO, IL –JUNE 26, 2026 -- Leaders of African American/Black-led HIV service providers are raising concerns that the Fiscal Year 2027 Illinois budget signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker does not include new funding for African American/Black-led HIV service providers. The budget states, “The sum of $7,880,500, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the African-American HIV/AIDS Response Fund to the Department of Public Health for grants,” which merely authorizes the use of remaining funds from the $15 million appropriated in 2020 through the African American HIV/AIDS Response Act (AAHARA), rather than providing new funding. Although the original appropriation was intended to be distributed at $5 million annually over three years, continual delays in contract execution, budget approvals, and reimbursements have limited the timely distribution of funds, leaving substantially less funding available than needed for Fiscal Year 2027 despite legislative efforts to address the disparity. To raise awareness of the resulting state funding shortfall and the impact of recent federal funding losses, African American/Black-led HIV service providers will convene a news conference and community gathering to discuss strategies for securing equitable and sustainable funding for HIV prevention, care, and treatment services across Illinois.



WHEN: Friday, June 26, 2026; 4:00PM-5:00PM


WHERE: Taskforce Prevention & Community Services, 9 North Cicero, Chicago, IL


*4:10 PM Welcome , Dr. Christopher Balthazar, CEO, Taskforce Prevention & Community Services


*4:15-4:20 Purpose/Cause, Creola Kizart-Hampton, Board Chair, BLACHE (Funding Equity for Black-led Healthcare-related CBOs)


*4:20-4:32: Statements by Executive Directors (impact of funding/loss of funding - 3 minutes each)

-Vanessa Smith, South Side Help Center

-Vance White, School of Opulence

-Christopher Balthazar, Board Secretary, BLACHE and CEO Taskforce

-Jamie Frazier, Lighthouse Foundation of Chicago


*4:32 - 4:45 Acknowledgement and Expressions Appreciation for Legislators and Presentation of Certificates of Appreciations

and "Pinning"

-Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford:

-Senator Lakesia Collins, Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Joint Chair

-State Representative Leader Camille Lilly

-LaTanya Law, Retired, Illinois Department of Public Health, Veterans Affairs, Dept of Commerce & Economic Opportunity ++

Comments

( 3 minutes each)


*4:45-5:00 Q&A

Vogue with Senator Lakesia Collins, from 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM.


HISTORY OF UNDER-FUNDING AND 2026 LEGISLATIVE BILL:


The distinction is significant for African American/Black-led community-based organizations (CBOs) across Illinois that rely on AAHARA funding (which was passed into law in 2006, but was either not funded at all or minimally-funded for several years) to provide HIV prevention, testing, linkage-to-care, PrEP education, and supportive services in communities disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS.


Over the past several years, the Black Leadership Advocacy Coalition for Healthcare Equity (BLACHE) and AAHARA grantees, worked with IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra, Deputy Governor Grace Hou, members of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, and other state public health leaders to transfer program administration from IDPH's HIV Division to its Center for Minority Health Services and to preserve access to remaining AAHARA funding through multiple fiscal year extensions.


"Had the original funding been administered and distributed as intended, the entire $15 million allocation would have been available to support HIV prevention and care services in African American communities years ago," said Creola Kizart-Hampton, Board Chair of BLACHE. "Instead, organizations are entering Fiscal Year 2027 without needed funding commitment for AAHARA and with uncertainty regarding how much funding remains available.”


According to advocates, legislation introduced during the 2026 legislative session (SB3615/HB4807 led by State Senator Kimberly Lightford and State Representative Camille Lilly) sought to establish a sustainable funding mechanism for AAHARA through annual appropriations from IDPH’s HIV prevention funding. However, lawmakers considered proposals that referenced funding levels of approximately $7.85 million in SB2814 - legislation ultimately enacted which did not include the language necessary to provide new funding from either IDPH's HIV prevention budget or additional General Revenue Funds, but instead only funding remaining from prior years’ allocation.


African Americans comprise approximately 14 percent of Illinois' population yet continue to represent a disproportionately high percentage of individuals living with HIV and newly diagnosed HIV cases statewide.


COMMENTS OF CBOS IMPACTED ACROSS THE STATE:


“At a time when HIV prevention and care resources are under increasing pressure nationally, Illinois should be strengthening—not weakening—its commitment to community-based organizations thathave longstanding relationships in the communities most affected by HIV," Stated Vanessa Smith, Executive Director, South Side Help Center a CBO which has been providing HIV prevention and care services for nearly 40 years and impacted by cuts to its HIV services by both the State and Federal government. "The failure to provide new funding for AAHARA places critical prevention, education, testing, and treatment-support services at risk.”


Dr. Chris Balthazar, CEO Taskforce Prevention & Community Services, an AAHARA grantee which leveraged funding to support additional Black-led organizations serving Black LGBTQ+ youth and adults, emphasized the broader community impact of the funding shortfall.


“When funding becomes uncertain or is reduced, the impact extends far beyond individual programs—it disrupts trusted community spaces, limits access to affirming care and support, and places additional strain on organizations already doing essential work with limited resources. Sustained, reliable support is not just a financial issue; it directly shapes the health, safety, and long-term stability of the communities we serve” Balthazar stated.


BLACHE is urging state leaders to address the issue during any future special legislative session (including the one potentially being scheduled to address funding for a Bears stadium) or during the Fall 2026 veto session and to establish a permanent and equitable funding structure for Black-led HIV/AIDS service organizations.


"Illinois has an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to health equity by ensuring that funding follows need," stated Dr. Marcus Johnson, CEO, Springfield Urban League, one of the AAHARA grantees impacted by the reduction in funding. "Communities disproportionately impacted by HIV deserve a sustained investment that reflects the magnitude of the epidemic and the effectiveness of community-based solutions."


Dana Williams, CEO, Community Wellness Project an AAHARA grantee located in East St. Louis, IL stated “The absence of new FY 2027 funding for the African American HIV/AIDS Response Act ( will have a significant impact on the East St. Louis metropolitan area, which continues to experience the second highest HIV infection rates in Illinois. As a community disproportionately affected by HIV, particularly among African Americans, reduced funding threatens access to HIV testing, prevention education, PrEP services, outreach, and linkage to care. Tremayne Coleman, CEO of another CBO in East St. Louis Writers, Planners and Trainers, commented “Without continued investment, community-based organizations will face challenges sustaining culturally responsive services that address health disparities, potentially resulting in delayed diagnoses, increased transmission rates, and setbacks in the progress made toward ending the HIV epidemic in the region.”


In addition to AAHARA funding, twelve previously funded African American/Black-led organizations are expected to receive approximately $333,000 each through a separate allocation approved in 2024 and scheduled for implementation during Fiscal Year 2027.


ABOUT BLACHE


The Black Leadership Advocacy Coalition for Healthcare Equity (BLACHE) is a coalition of African American/Black-led community-based organizations and advocates committed to eliminating systemic inequities in healthcare funding, policy, and access while advancing healthCARE equity throughout Illinois.


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