The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention announced today — National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day — that is is awarding $55 million over five years to 34 community-based organizations, including AID Atlanta and Positive Impact.

The grants amount to approximately $300,000 per organization each year and will be used to expand HIV prevention services for young gay and bisexual men of color, transgender youth of color, and their partners.

AID Atlanta will receive $381,888 per year over five years and Positive Impact will receive $250,000 per year over five years, according to a spokesperson from the CDC.

“On this National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, we are reminded of the urgency of the HIV epidemic in the United States and the dramatic impact among gay and bisexual men, who account for more than 60 percent of new infections,” said Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, in a statement.

“We must also recognize that the epidemic cannot be overcome without effectively addressing the severe and rising toll of HIV infections among gay and bisexual men of color, who continue to be hardest hit by this disease.”

According to CDC estimates released in August, between 2006 and 2009, the annual number of new HIV infections increased 48 percent among young black men who have sex with men.

Among Latinos, gay and bisexual men account for nearly two-thirds of all new infections with nearly half of these infections among Latino men who have sex with men occurring in the 13-29 age group. It's also estimated that 28 percent of transgender people are HIV-infected, according to the CDC.

"The new CDC awards are designed to enable CBOs with strong links to these populations to meet their specific HIV prevention needs. As part of these awards, each organization will be required to provide specific prevention services. These include providing HIV testing to a total of more than 90,000 young gay and bisexual men and transgender youth of color, with a goal of identifying more than 3,500 previously unrecognized HIV infections (over the five-year funding period) — and linking those who are HIV-infected to care and prevention services," states a press release from the CDC.

"CBOs will also carry out proven behavioral change HIV prevention programs and distribute condoms to young gay and bisexual men and transgender youth of color who are at high risk for HIV or are HIV-infected."

The CDC funding is spread out over 19 states and Puerto Rico. The CDC states that 30 organizations are receiving funding for efforts to reach young gay and bisexual men of color, six organizations are receiving funding to reach transgender youth of color and two organizations are being funded to reach both groups of people.

"Geographic distribution of the awards is aligned with the AIDS burden among men who have sex men of color in the United States. For example, 44 percent of the funds will go to CBOs in the South, where 42 percent of AIDS diagnoses among MSM of color occurred in 2008," the CDC press release states.

"The new awards are one part of CDC’s efforts to reduce HIV infections among young MSM and transgender youth of color and supports President Obama’s National HIV/AIDS Strategy which calls for prioritizing prevention efforts for the most-affected populations," the CDC states.

Organizations Funded Under CDC’s New Awards:

Abounding Prosperity, Dallas
AID Atlanta Inc.
AIDS Alabama, Birmingham
AIDS Project of the East Bay, Oakland, Calif.
AIDS Service Center of Lower Manhattan, New York City
AltaMed Health Services Corporation, Los Angeles
Asian Pacific Islander Coalition, New York City
Bronx AIDS Services, New York City
Brooklyn AIDS Task Force, New York City
CANDII, Inc., Norfolk, Va.
Care Resource, Miami
Center of Halsted (Horizon Community Services), Chicago
Columbus AIDS Task Force, Columbus, Ohio
Community Health Awareness Group, Detroit
Community Health Project, New York City
Diverse and Resilient, Inc., Milwaukee
Family Health Centers of San Diego, Inc.
Foundation for Research on Sexually Transmitted Diseases, New York City
Houston Area Community Services, Inc.
Hyacinth AIDS Foundation, New Brunswick, N.J.
Kansas City Free Health Clinic, Kansas City, Mo.
La Clinica De La Raza, Inc., Oakland, Calif.
La Clinica Del Pueblo, Inc., Washington, D.C.
L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, Los Angeles
Legacy Community Health Services, Houston
Lester and Rosalie Anixter Center, Chicago
My Brother’s Keeper Inc., Ridgeland, Miss.
New Orleans AIDS Taskforce
Philadelphia Fight
Positive Impact, Inc., Atlanta
Puerto Rico CoNCRA, San Juan
South Carolina HIV/AIDS Council, Columbia
Us Helping US, People Into Living, Inc., Washington, D.C.
Women Accepting Responsibility, Baltimore