Lexington HIV prevention nonprofit says ESR grant funding was cut, creating a $96,000 budget gap

Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government’s Extended Social Resource, or ESR, grant round is facing scrutiny after a longtime HIV prevention nonprofit said it was left out of the mayor’s office recommended funding list for the upcoming cycle. The issue was raised by AVOL Kentucky, which said the grant decisions will affect its ability to provide free HIV and STI testing, education, and services for people experiencing homelessness.

Mayor Linda Gorton’s office announced last Monday that the urban county government distributed just over $5 million in ESR Grants to 34 recipients, with awards pending Lexington City Council approval. According to the organization’s leadership, AVOL Kentucky, which has been receiving the grants for at least 10 years, was not on the list presented to council.

AVOL Kentucky’s leaders said the mayor’s office and its committee did not include the nonprofit in the recommended funding. Craig Cammack, described in the report as working with the mayor’s office, told WKYT he did not have details on the specific reason AVOL Kentucky was not included, but confirmed the nonprofit was not part of the committee’s recommended funding.

AVOL Kentucky Chief Development Officer Andrew Shayde said the organization has spent nearly 38 years providing free HIV and STI testing and related prevention services. He said the ESR funds typically support key components of the operation, including staff time, supplies, HIV and STI testing kits, and other program needs.

Shayde estimated that without ESR grants, the nonprofit’s budget faces a $96,000 gap. He said ESR grant money accounted for about 18% of AVOL Kentucky’s prevention budget and that the loss of that funding has already led the organization to reduce service hours and to lay off one employee, as it searches for replacement funding.

The report also said AVOL Kentucky has already provided more than 2,500 HIV and STI tests so far this year, and that the figure is higher than at the same point last year, though the full comparison was not completed in the excerpt. Shayde said the funding uncertainty will increase pressure on the nonprofit to find new donors, noting that the economic climate is affecting giving.

City council approval remains the next procedural step for the ESR grants, and the nonprofit’s future grant eligibility would depend on how the council acts and whether future funding rounds or alternative allocations address the gap described by AVOL Kentucky. For now, AVOL Kentucky said it must adjust its operations immediately to manage the shortfall.