After his inauguration in January, Trump passed an executive order slashing the funding for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which has resulted in major setbacks for many HIV/AIDS programs that rely on USAID funding.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said: “A funding halt for HIV programmes can put people living with HIV at immediate increased risk of illness and death and undermine efforts to prevent transmission in communities and countries,” warning that Trump's prolonged pause on foreign assistance could take “the world back to the 1980s and 1990s when millions died of HIV every year globally”.
Now, Elton John has teamed up with American singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile to launch a campaign to offset the Trump administration’s cuts to HIV / AIDS funding.
Sir Elton and Carlile, who released their collaborative album ‘Who Believes In Angels’ on 4 April, are now working together on a joint-venture between the Elton John AIDS Foundation and Carlile’s Looking Out Foundation.
Sir Elton said in a statement: “Without prompt action, decades of progress in the global fight against HIV could be reversed, creating a global health crisis that we have both the power and the tools to prevent.”
“Our mission is more important than ever – we refuse to leave anyone behind – and I’m so fortunate that Brandi is not only a wonderful collaborator and artist, but a dear friend who shares my vision of a world where HIV care is prioritised and protected.”
Carlile said: “It was a lifelong dream come true for me to come together with my hero and friend Elton John to make our album ‘Who Believes in Angels?’, and now, we’re excited to announce that our foundations are also partnering to make our music mean even more.”
She added: “Elton’s activism and work with the Elton John AIDS Foundation was what led me to Elton before I even heard a note of his music. It’s an incredible honour to launch this partnership and raise funds for the life-saving work of the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the Rocket Response Fund at a time when support is needed the most.”
The Elton John AIDS Foundation, which was launched in 1992 and is reported to have raised more than $500million over the past three decades, has worked with USAID to co-fund HIV prevention and treatment programs around the world. In response to the cuts, the Foundation launched the Rocket Fund and Rocket Response Fund in an attempt to fill the gaps left by Trump’s actions.
Carlile’s Looking Out Foundation has committed to matching every donation up to $100,000, claiming it will “double the impact to protect HIV prevention and care services across the US and around the world”.
Carlile and her wife Catherine Shepherd were honored amongst People’s 2023 Women Changing the World for their work with the Looking Out Foundation.
Elsewhere, the Elton John AIDS Foundation was recently banned by Russia, who accused it of taking a negative stance towards countries like Russia and claiming the charity undermines “traditional spiritual and moral values”.
The Elton John AIDS Foundation said it was "devastated" by the decision, which it said would prevent it from providing lifesaving care to people living with HIV in Russia.
"For more than two decades, we have worked in collaboration with federal and non-governmental partners in Russia to provide hundreds of thousands of people with vital HIV services, including testing, treatment, and care," it said in a statement.
“This work is urgent: in 2024, there were over 1.2 million people living with HIV in Russia, with over 430,000 not receiving treatment. Today’s decision by the Russian Federation will undoubtedly endanger lives and disrupt critical HIV prevention efforts for ordinary Russian citizens. At a time when we have the tools and knowledge to defeat HIV, it is heartbreaking to be unable to support them.”
