Impact Report 2025
Behind every scientific breakthrough is a belief that progress is possible—and worth fighting for. This report captures how amfAR’s investments in bold, innovative research are accelerating discovery and expanding hope for millions worldwide.
$950M
RAISED SINCE 1985, AWARDING 3,900 RESEARCH GRANTS
…including this year’s five amfAR Target grants—a record in a single funding round—and four Krim Fellowships supporting the next generation of HIV scientists.
54
SCHOLARLY ARTICLES CITING
amfAR-FUNDED STUDIES
…published in 2025, with nearly half in non-HIV fields such as cancer, virology, nanomedicine, AI, and autoinflammatory diseases.
192
RESEARCHERS ON TEAMS
IN 15 COUNTRIES
…were able to work on their projects thanks to amfAR funding in 2025, providing much-needed security in an era of funding cuts and shifting global health priorities.
INVESTING IN SCIENCE PAYS OFF
amfAR-funded studies contributed to two breakthroughs toward an HIV cure.
CONTROLLING THE VIRUS LONG-TERM
amfAR-supported researchers at the amfAR Institute for HIV Cure Research identified a combination of immunotherapies that may allow people to keep HIV suppressed long-term, bringing us closer to a future without daily treatment.
mRNA TECHNOLOGY TARGETS HIV
amfAR grantee Dr. Sharon Lewin (left) of the Doherty Institute in Melbourne, Australia, and her team have used mRNA technology to expose hidden HIV-infected cells—an essential first step toward eliminating the virus from the body.
“amfAR is willing to take more risk than most funders. I think this is a fantastic addition to the ecosystem since without taking a little bit of risk backing new ideas, we won’t have the breakthroughs we need.”
DR. SHARON LEWIN, University of Melbourne, Australia
STEPPING UP OUR ADVOCACY EFFORTS ON THE HILL
Drastic funding cuts by the federal government that threatened to derail 40 years of progress in the fight against AIDS prompted amfAR’s Public Policy Office in Washington, D.C., to step-up advocacy efforts like never before to protect the health of people everywhere impacted by HIV and other diseases.
The office produced an unprecedented number of evidence-based reports and infographics, including a widely read analysis of how many preventable infections and deaths we might expect to see if CDC’s HIV division were abolished.
Policy staff also worked to save National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding from the chopping block—and helped convince the Senate to not only vote against NIH cuts but also increase the agency’s budget.
SUSTAINING OUR FUNDING IN ASIA-PACIFIC NATIONS
During a period of extensive U.S. government funding cuts to HIV research, TREAT Asia sustained its NIH-funded investigator network across 21 institutions in 12 Asia-Pacific countries.
The Bangkok, Thailand-based program also secured a five-year renewal of an NIH funded research training grant on HIV, mental health, and implementation science for early-career researchers in Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand.
TREAT Asia contributed to 33 peer-reviewed HIV research publications and 50 abstract presentations at regional and global research conferences.
“amfAR has been able to step in at critical moments for our survival and our sustainability, with funds that allowed us to get where we needed to go. That makes all the difference in the world.”
JEREMIAH JOHNSON, Executive Director of PrEP4All, an HIV prevention organization and amfAR grantee
Impact is measured not only in milestones reached, but in lives changed and futures made possible. Powered by more than 8,000 donors in 43 countries in 2025, amfAR will continue to advance bold science and drive progress toward a cure.