HEALTH CARE ADVOCATES INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES NEW GRANT PROGRAM TO SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS ADVOCATING FOR LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY

The HCAI Fund is committed to ending LGBTQ+ stigma and discrimination

STRATFORD, Conn., Jan. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Care Advocates International (HCAI), a nonprofit health and advocacy organization, announces the launch of The HCAI Fund. The mission of this grant-giving fund is to provide financial support to 501(c)(3) organizations that strengthen, serve and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community by addressing basic needs, fostering safety and wellness, fighting stigma and discrimination, and promoting equality and education through programs and services.

HCAI has a long history of supporting LGBTQ+ focused organizations. The creation of The HCAI Fund will enable grant requests to be reviewed and awarded two times a year based on the submission and evaluation of a grant application. In 2023, The HCAI Fund will award up to $200,000, across two grant cycles, to qualifying organizations that are approved by the review committee.

Grant applications will be accepted via HCAI's website January 1^st through March 31^st and May 1^st through September 30^th. If approved, applicants will be notified of funding in May and November which is within 30 business days of the last day of the evaluation timeframes.

"At HCAI, we pride ourselves on the daily support that we offer to the LGBTQ+ community," stated Pattie McKnight, HCAI Executive Director. "We created The HCAI Fund with the hope that we would cast a wider net to help more organizations further their missions to end stigma and discrimination and aid the LGBTQ+ community as a whole."

Organizations such as the Jim Collins Foundation, The Youth Continuum and The Silo are just a few of the nonprofits that have benefited from HCAI funding. Their missions to advocate for transgender individuals, fight LGBTQ+ teen homelessness and continue the fight to end HIV are all in line with The HCAI Fund's mission to serve and assist the LGBTQ+ community.

"Since I founded HCAI, one of our top priorities has always been to build a better life for those who are too often left behind," said Gary Blick, Chief Medical Officer and Founder of HCAI. "The HCAI Fund enables our team to go beyond the walls of our medical practice to support other organizations that strive for equity, inclusion and acceptance for all."

Funding will be considered for 501(c)3 organizations whose mission aligns with HCAI, focus on the LGBTQ+ community and that address challenges such as basic needs support including homelessness and food insecurity, substance abuse, equity in any facet of community life, stigma and discrimination and more.

To learn more about eligibility and to apply for a grant through The HCAI Fund visit https://www.hcaillc.com/advocacy-programs/grant-program.

Health Care Advocates International (HCAI) is a nonprofit health & advocacy organization dedicated to serving the needs of the LGBTQ+ community through prevention, programs, education, advocacy & treatment. As a medical practice and advocacy group, HCAI embraces the whole health (mental, physical and emotional) of the individuals who seek their help. The HCAI team's mission is to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) by fighting stigma and discrimination and ending homelessness. With an emphasis on LGBTQ+ and HIV communities, we hope to end HIV as a global health crisis in the developed and developing worlds by 2030.

PRESS CONTACTS:                 Kerry Meehan, [email protected] 
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SOURCE Health Care Advocates International