Dear Greg Griffin,

Director of Development for LGBT Center of Central Florida

On behalf of the University of Central Florida and under the direction of Professor Dustin
Edwards, weve included a prepared grant proposal for the Centers HIV Mobile Unit project.
Within, you will find the necessary details for a funding request that may be made either to the
Dr. Phillips Foundation or to the Contigo Foundation.

This proposal includes the mission, a brief history of the Center, the projects plan as
well as the expected impact, sustainability, and lastly the annual budget of the Mobile Unit.
While highlighting the successes and mission of the Center, the proposal also discusses the
growing threat HIV poses to Central Floridas LGBT community, and the expected impact of a
community level HIV prevention program. Also included is information concerning the Mobile
Units sustainability expectations and budget analysis.

In order to accommodate the submission requirements of both grantmakers, weve

composed the Mobile Unit proposal in a general format. With slight alterations, the proposal
may be adapted to suit the application requirements of either the Dr. Phillips Foundation or the
Contigo Foundation. Additionally, if the Center has found neither Foundation is able to fund the
Mobile Unit at this time, the format of the proposal suits the guidelines of many other grant-
makers who accepting general funding requests.

To be placed under consideration for the Dr. Phillips Foundation, organizations must
submit two Letters of Intent to the Foundation before May 12. Though these letters are omitted
from our proposal, you will find the information necessary to complete each within our general
proposal. This includes the statement of need, project timing, and the projects area of interest.

Wed like to take the time to give our warmest regard and appreciation towards the
Center for allowing us this collaborative opportunity. The creation of this grant proposal has
been a wonderful academic learning experience for our group. Throughout the course of the
project, weve thoroughly enjoyed the chance to both develop a professional relationship with
the Center, as well as to participate in a project that will have a lasting impact within Central
Florida for years to come.

In closing, wed like to thank the Center and Greg Griffin for this opportunity, and hope
you find our proposal meets the needs of your organization.

Our sincerest gratitude and well wishes,

Brenna Callahan, Priscilla Johnson, and Jonathan Leon-Diaz
Mobile amongst Locals: A Community Level Approach to HIV Prevention in Central
Florida

Mission
Bridging the gap between testing, treatment, and awareness, the LGBT Center of Orlando
has supplied the Central Florida community with accessible HIV and STD testing for 16 years.
As a state-certified 501(c)3, the Center works with individuals across a variety of differences to
empower and inspire individuals in Central Florida to achieve their potential. When the needs of
the community change, so too do the programs of the Center. Founded 38 years ago, developing,
altering, and expanding upon community programs has enabled the Center to maintain a
significant influence while generating positive impact within Orlando neighborhoods.
Seeking to meet the needs of Central Floridians while impacting a healthier community,
the Center expanded its onsite HIV/STD testing clinic to a Mobile Testing Unit. Street-certified
and fully operational as a testing unit, the Centers fully-equipped medical van will provide a
way for Orlandos individuals who face challenges accessing HIV services to get tested. By
targeting mobile services to Central Floridas low-income areas like that of Kissimmee, the
Center is able to meet the medical needs of the community, impacting improved community
health through testing and awareness.

Statement of Need

Since the onset of an epidemic within U.S. populations in 1981, the expected impact of
the HIV-virus on its human host has improved from that of guaranteed fatality to chronic disease.
Patients who once were left without medical treatment-who fell victim to social and economic
ostracism, at risk of losing their job, friends, and family; are now leading healthy, often long, and
happy lifestyles.
Identified early, HIV positive patients are treated with antiretroviral medications (ARVs),
slowing HIVs development into AIDS. Taken by both parties, ARVs additionally reduce chances
of transmission, enabling HIV-positive individuals to have healthy, consenting sexual-
relationships without fear of infecting their partner. Among U.S. populations, the introduction of
ARV treatment and increased HIV awareness efforts reduced the number of new diagnoses by
19% between 2005 and 2014. For HIV impacted patients and communities who once were grim
with despair, early testing and treatment has granted long-term hope in the battle against the HIV
virus. An effective method to eliminating the HIV pandemic from spreading is making testing
mobile with easy to access to many populations of the area.
Despite breakthroughs in research, Floridas medical infrastructure is failing its
community, sponsoring a major HIV health risk statewide. Nationally, Floridas population ranks
amidst U.S. states as the 3rd highest for number of individuals who tested as AIDS positive.
Orlando, home to everyones favorite Mouse and a popular family tourism destination, is rated
the 5th riskiest city for contracting the HIV-virus. Those who are particularly at risk of
contracting HIV in the Central Florida area, are populations the Center for Disease Control
identifies as high-risk.
 Fig. 1 Source: CDC. Diagnoses of HIV infection in the United States and dependent areas, 2014. HIV
Surveillance Report 2015;26. Subpopulations representing 2% or less of HIV diagnoses are not reflected in this chart

These communities (men who have sex with men, individuals of low-economic
background, and racial minorities) make up a disproportionate percentage of HIV positive
individuals in the United States. Men who have sex with men (MSM) account for 2% of the
national U.S. population, but 55% of people living with HIV. If rates continue, 1 out of 6 MSM
will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime, and 1 in 7 are living with HIV unaware. As a
metropolitan city with one of the highest LGBT populations in the nation, the risk HIV poses to
the Orlando gay community has negatively impacted the medical welfare of Central Florida.

Fig 2. Data Source: NHBS-HET-1 20062007.

Nationally HIV has a prevalence rate of >1%. Within low-income households prevalence
falls at >2.1%. Individuals facing poverty experience increased difficulties receiving reliable,
consistent, and affordable healthcare, placing them at high-risk for illness. Central Floridas low
income families, 25.6% of Orlandos population and 31.3% of Kissimmees, facing difficulties
with transportation, and cost, may find it impossible to get themselves tested for HIV. As a result
of infrequent testing and the inaccessibility of testing centers and treatment clinics, HIV has
advanced in Central Florida.
Amidst challenges to HIV awareness and accessibility of testing and treatment centers,
Orlandos medical infrastructure is failing the citys under-privileged and minority communities.
Within Orange County, lack of education, awareness, and accessible treatment sponsored a 28%
increase in positive HIV diagnoses between 2015 and 2016. Calling for an end to the fight
against HIV, the CDC has recommended a reinvigorated effort at the community nonprofit level
for building and operating HIV and STD testing prevention services. To effectively reach
individuals unable to make it into a testing center, the fight against HIV would have to get
mobile amongst the locals.
History
In November 1978, the University of Central Florida spearheaded the creation of an
innovative LGBT organization, the Gay Social Services, Inc. (GSS). First of its kind, GSS
initially was open only to college-educated individuals, but these restrictions soon dissipated to
accept a more diverse community. A few short years after its inception, the GSS was renamed
renamed the Gay Community Services, Inc. (GCS), and became known for its LGBT events
within Central Florida.
The Gay and Lesbian Center, was created when a few members of the GCS wanted a
physical space for reunions and activities to be held, the core members of GCS did not approve,
thus the Center was split from GCS. The Center bought a physical space on 1036 Mills Ave in
September 1987. Two years later, in the Center fell to hard times and the two groups, GCS and
The Gay and Lesbian Center reunited.
With the help of some of the founding members if the newly merged organization, a
historical fundraiser named GayEscape cruise was launched that aided the new group to hire the
first two staff members, the Director, Michael Wanzie and the office manager Linda Cartwright.
After eleven years of changing locations, the organization reinvented itself once again under the
name the Gay Lesbian and Bisexual Community Center (GLBCC), and established a permanent
location.
Throughout its operations, the Center has been a beacon of acceptance and inclusion for
the Central Florida LGBT Community. In addition to providing community to those within
Central Florida, the Center has provided free HIV and STD testing for over eleven years to those
who walk through its doors, impacting community welfare and moral.
With the most recent Orlando Pulse Shooting at a LGBT club, the Center stood up to the
plate in collaboration with many other organizations in the area and offered free counseling,
while establishing the foundation for the channels of revenue to aid the victims families with the
funds created to helping them in whatever they need. The Center was the main organization that
took on the role of leadership in the community and strengthened the people in such a time of
need. In its history, the Center has proven that community organizations can provide a fun,
inclusive space of individuals within the community while still making a positive and lasting
impact.
Project Plan

The Orlando Center has created a Mobile Unit meant exclusively for HIV and STD
testing. The Mobile Unit cost a total of $33,000 to make, with custom designed parts for the
mission and purpose of the Mobile unit. The unit is meant to travel to the areas in Central Florida
that can not reach the main clinic of the Center in Downtown Orlando to receive the health care
that LGBT members need. The main focus of the mobile unit is to attend health fairs, bring
community health and HIV awareness, and reach out to the populations that can or will not make
the trip to the Centers main facility or clinic. The areas in Central Florida particularly focused
on include Kissimmee and other neighboring areas of Orlando. The mobile unit is being used as
a part of the greater mission to eliminate HIV and STDs spreading in the Central Florida area,
along with bringing awareness of the threats these diseases bring. The Mobile unit will be in
daily use and contribute to actively eliminate the threat of HIV and STDs in the Central Florida
area.
The Centers Mobile Unit is meant to parallel similar projects in the United States that
have similar missions. Mobile Testing Clinics have been on the road in other areas of the United
States, such an example as the San Francisco Aids Foundations Mobile RV testing clinic. The
Mobile Clinic has been active since June 2013 in the San Francisco area, prompting and
promoting HIV testing every three to six months and announcing their location on their twitter
account for daily updates on where the RV will be, for how long the clinic will stay in the area,
and the future areas the RV will visit. The RV testing unit for the San Francisco Aids FOundation
has increased the number of clients being tested from 1,200 clients to over 2,000 clients to this
day with the help of the mobile unit. From 2013 to 2014 the number of new HIV diagnoses went
down from 382 to 309 in San Francisco thanks to early testing leading to the prevention of HIV.

The Mobile unit has been active for a year, but requires additional funds for it to continue
on in its mission to end the HIV pandemic that plagues the world. The grant provided would
fund all the necessities of the Mobile Unit or would contribute in funding all of the necessities
the project needs to be in daily service for the community.

Community Impact

The Center has helped the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender Community Center of
Central Florida for 38 years. Serving as sanctuary for the LGBTQ community it provides
programs that are meant to strengthen the mental, social, spiritual and intellectual well-being of
the LGBTQ through program services, it also serves to empower, educate, and entertain the
LGBTQ community. The Center aims to build strategic alliances for the purpose of increasing
influence, improving communication and strengthening relationships between the LGBTQ
community and the broader public. The Center aims to celebrate differences by fighting
discrimination, oppression, depression, and inequality. Offering counseling to the LGBTQ , the
families of the community, as well as couple counseling to try to maintain or obtain healthy
relationships within the community. Providing free HIV testing 7 days a week to insure that
people are giving the opportunity to make sure they are healthy and they also provide counseling
for people who are having a hard time coping with the reality that they have a STD. The Center
like many other clinics believe that early HIV testing and treatment decreases the morbidity and
mortality and reduce HIV transmission. While the Centers is effective in treating those who have
access to care, they are aware that there are communities who are affected largely with HIV but
many of the people in these communities are unable to make it to their nearest testing center. The
Center has provided the community with a HIV/STD mobile Van that will go out into
communities and bring free testing to try to reduce the amount of HIV/STD being spread. The
Center plans to take the mobile unit into the Kissimmee area where there is a broad set of people
who are at risk but who havent been able to visit their local clinic. One advantage of mobile
testing is the flexibility to travel to more remote areas where clinics may not offer free or low-
cost HIV testing. Mobile testing can also reach people who are unable or unwilling to visit a
clinic for a test because of concerns about confidentiality or their health insurance status. Mobile
testing units can also offer a more private space for community-based organizations without a
dedicated location for HIV screening. Further, mobile testing units reduce transportation barriers.

Sustainability

The LGBT Center of Central Florida is one of the oldest LGBT organizations in the area,
attributing to its established connections with many other nonprofit organizations that cater to the
LGBT community. The Center has established connections with the Hope and Help Center, the
Zebra Coalition, the MBA Orlando, the Orlando Youth Alliance, Harbor House, Two Spirits
Health Services and many more organizations. These partnerships will grow and aid the testing
mobile unit, uniting these organizations in preventing the spread of HIV and STDs in the Central
Florida area. Once established amongst the community, marketing publicity and public media
attention will continue to aid the development and operations of the Centers HIV Mobile Unit.
While the Center will continue to seek out the aid of federal and community grants to aid its
mission against HIV prevalence, the organization runs a number of high profile fundraising
events which will support >20% of the Mobile Units future operations. Maintained, this
community-level vigilance against HIV; individuals united with non-profits and foundations to
develop impactful solutions to welfare threats, presents hope for Central Florida.

Budget
Mobile Testing Unit

Operating Costs

Gas, Oil and Repairs

$200.00 per week x 52 weeks=$10,400 Oil 3 x $150.00 =$450.00 Repairs= $3,000

Total $13,800

Insurance, Tag, Title

Registration Fees: $400 Insurance Per year: $1600.00 Total $2,000

Special Equipment

Van safety equipment: $2,000

Test equipment and supplies

Supplies for testing programs: $1,000

HIV/STDS Awareness & Prevention Materials

Marketing $1,000 Billboard; $2,0000

Total: $3000
Promotion and Marketing

Mobile testing ads: $1,0000 Mobile Postcard: $500

Total: $1,500

Staffing

Driver/Tester 2 part-time staff at 13.00 per hour = $520 FICA = $40 x 52 weeks =
$29,120

Mobile Unit Administrator

Part time administrator 320 per week x 52 weeks= $320 FICA = $25 x 52 weeks = $17,940

TOTAL FULL YEAR FUNDING REQUEST: $70,940