Founded in 1987, Toronto People with AIDS Foundation (PWA) helps men, women, and children living with HIV/AIDS. PWA connects people living with HIV/AIDS to each other, to provide support and inspire them to live out their dreams. May 11, 2018 marked the 30^th anniversary of the Toronto People with AIDS Foundation.

PWA’s programs fall into four categories: practical support, community access, health and therapeutic care, and dreaming and engagement. In F2018, Toronto People with AIDS Foundation provided 239,009 services to 5,727 individuals, averaging out to almost 42 services used by each person.

The practical support program focus is to financially assist people with the purchase of uninsured prescription medication, supplementary treatments and nutritional supplements. Through the organization, 757 clients were able to access over $150,000 in financial assistance. In F2018, the program provided over 19,000 distinct services to over 1,500 people.

PWA’s community access program connects people to government income programs, treatment access programs and to community food access programs. In F2018, the community access program had 700 appointments related to treatment access programs and over 500 appointments related to financial counselling. PWA provided over 35% of the referrals to the Toronto coordinated access programs which is a large network of Toronto service providers that are all accessed through one application.

The organization’s therapeutic care program provides individuals with free, on-site care, such as acupuncture and massage therapy, to complement their conventional treatments. In F2018, 295 clients accessed a total of 1134 therapeutic care services which consisted of 29 yoga sessions, 703 massages and 402 acupuncture sessions. 

PWA states that emotional health is just as important as physical health when living with AIDS. The dreaming and opportunities program connects clients with volunteers to help people set goals that will contribute to a positive change in their lives. In F2018, 2450 people connected with PWA outreach volunteers for HIV and harm reduction information. The program also organizes social outings such as summer picnics and holiday events to reduce social isolation and to create a sense of community.

Financial Review:  PWA is a medium-sized charity with just under $2m in donations and special event fundraising revenue in F2018. TPAF’s administrative costs are 10% of revenues (excluding investment income) and fundraising costs are 32% of donations and special events fundraising revenue. For every dollar donated, 58 cents go to the cause. This is outside Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. PWA has $2.1m in funding reserves, up 160% from $0.8m in F2016. This will cover program costs for 14 months.

This charity report is an update that has been sent to Toronto People with AIDS Foundation for review. Comments and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated June 10, 2019 by Stefan Tetzlaff.