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

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.

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• June 26, 2026