In BTL's Dec. 2, Vol.1848, you ran a story about a new marketing campaign being developed by AIDS Partnership Michigan under the headline, "Huge donation to encourage HIV prevention in SE Michigan." Referring to the funding for the campaign as a "donation" does not accurately reflect the press release we submitted.
While AIDS Partnership Michigan would be delighted to receive such a generous gift and certainly would encourage it, the truth is that the funding was not a "donation" of any kind. As stated in our press release, the $300,000 actually came to us in the form of a one-year grant from the Michigan Department of Community Health. Obtaining that grant was part of a competitive process required by the state of Michigan to see which organizations can most effectively meet the specific objectives of the state's health initiatives, in this case for a community mobilization project. APM was one of many organizations that submitted a proposal in May 2010 for this state-funded HIV prevention campaign. After reviewing the various proposals, the MDCH awarded that grant to APM and HARC for contract year July 2010 – June 2011, based on the strength of our proposal.
Thank you for your continued interest in our efforts.
AIDS Partnership Michigan
Bill VanHemert, MSW, Community Mobilization Project Manager
Wil Bowen, Community Mobilization Project Associate
