MINNEAPOLIMEDIA HEALTH NEWS | Aliveness Project Losing $450,000 in Annual Federal HIV-Prevention Funding

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (July 24, 2026). The Aliveness Project says it will lose approximately $450,000 in annual federal funding after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declined to renew a grant program supporting community-based HIV prevention.

The south Minneapolis nonprofit has provided HIV testing, prevention, treatment referrals and support services for nearly four decades.

The affected funding supported HIV testing, referrals for pre-exposure prophylaxis and outreach to people who may not regularly receive care through hospitals or traditional medical clinics.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis, commonly called PrEP, is medication used by people who do not have HIV to reduce their risk of acquiring the virus.

Grant supported thousands of HIV tests

The Aliveness Project said the federal funding paid for 6,297 HIV tests.

Fifty-six people tested positive, including 51 people who received new HIV diagnoses. More than 96 percent of those who tested positive were connected with medical care within 30 days, according to figures released by the organization.

Early diagnosis and prompt connection to medical treatment are important for an individual’s health and for limiting further transmission.

The program also screened more than 6,100 people who tested negative and referred them for PrEP.

The organization delivered many of those services outside conventional medical settings. Outreach workers visited homeless shelters, encampments, substance-use treatment programs, bars, community events and other locations.

Organization warns community relationships could be lost

Matt Toburen, executive director of the Aliveness Project, said the funding loss could reverse progress in HIV prevention.

“These cuts mean more people will get HIV who didn’t have to, and more people will die who didn’t have to,” Toburen said in a statement quoted by CBS Minnesota.

The organization argues that community-based providers have established relationships with people experiencing homelessness, people without insurance, people who use drugs and people who may distrust government health programs.

Those relationships can be difficult to recreate quickly through a centralized government program.

Responsibility could shift to state health officials

The Aliveness Project said responsibility for aspects of the funding is shifting to the Minnesota Department of Health.

The nonprofit expressed hope that Minnesota would continue investing in community-based prevention and include local organizations in decisions about how HIV-prevention resources are distributed.

The Minnesota Department of Health had not provided CBS Minnesota with a detailed response about the transition at the time of the report.

The immediate questions include whether the state will replace the lost federal money, which services may be reduced and whether the organization will have to eliminate positions or limit outreach.

The Aliveness Project also offers food assistance, case management, housing help, mental-health support and other services for Minnesotans living with HIV. The organization’s announcement specifically concerns its HIV-prevention funding and should not be interpreted as the immediate termination of all Aliveness Project programs.

News Sources

CBS Minnesota
The Aliveness Project
Aliveness Project mission and programs
Minnesota Department of Health HIV/AIDS information