Minority Aids Initiative: Consolidation of Fragmented HIV/AIDS Funding Could Reduce Administrative Challenges

MAI was established in 1998 in response to growing concern about the impact of HIV/AIDS on racial and ethnic minorities in the United States. According to the most recent CDC data, there were an estimated 23,734 AIDS diagnoses in 2011 among persons of minority races/ethnicities, accounting for 74 percent of total AIDS diagnoses in the United States and dependent areas; these data reflect an overall trend present since 1994. National HIV/AIDS data indicate that since 1994 minorities have become a significant majority of persons with HIV/AIDS. In 2011, Blacks/African-Americans accounted for 13 percent of the U.S. population, but accounted for 49 percent of AIDS diagnoses; Hispanics/Latinos accounted for 17 percent of the population, but accounted for 21 percent of AIDS diagnoses; and Caucasians/Whites accounted for 74 percent of the population, but accounted for 26 percent of AIDS diagnoses.