GNP+ is proud to be a part of the HIV Young Leaders Fund (HYLF) Steering Committee (SC), the governing board of the community driven funding mechanism aimed at enabling new leadership in the HIV response among young people most affected by HIV.

The HYLF provides small grants and needs-based technical assistance relevant to the grantees needs. The HYLF also facilitates the sharing of knowledge to facilitate the development evidence informed advocacy.

The annual HYLF Steering Committee (SC) meeting held in October 2010 welcomed new members and formalized many of the processes and protocols that have helped the HYLF become a highly respected funding mechanism in the HIV landscape. (An indication of this respect is the hospitality extended by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to hold the meeting in the Washington DC premises.) During the meeting the SC also mapped out the funding priorities and strategy for the fund over the coming year.

It has been just one year since the HYLF was conceived in November 2009 and in that time several things have been accomplished:

• HYLF has successfully launched its first call for proposals – to which there was an overwhelming response of approximately 2700 in 5 different languages.
• The first Community Review Panel meeting was held in June to select just 23 grantees from all eligible applications. The Fund convened a 12- person global Community Review Panel (CRP) composed of young people working at the national or grassroots level on HIV issues. These young people have the expertise and experience at the country level to decide which applicants were meaningfully addressing an unmet need in their community.
• The HYLF had great visibility and exposure at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna and gained much support and interest from civil society and donors alike.
• The first round grants were disbursed and a clear technical support plan has begun to ensure that all grantees are in a position to capture appropriate information and data from their activities to inform advocacy in the future.
• A strategy has been developed to map the road ahead for this unique funding mechanism to guarantee it is able to “fund the unfundable”.

For a full list of the grantees for 2010 and to see the 2011 funding priorities please check out the HYLF website at www.hivyoungleadersfund.org