Designing a tourism pride fund to increase financing for private sector service delivery to key populations
The Caribbean tourism industry presents a valuable opportunity to mobilize resources for organizations that deliver critical HIV services to key populations and face declining donor funding. With funding from USAID’s Sustainable Financing Initiative, SHOPS Plus assessed the feasibility of creating a private fund to generate resources for the organizations. The project identified an active and specialized LGBTI travel industry with champions interested in exploring online solicitation of LGBTI travelers to the Caribbean when booking trips.
SHOPS Plus is currently working with Tides Foundation, an experienced fund manager, to design, market and launch the fund. To ensure local leadership of this initiative, the project identified the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition as a potential grant manager. Private foundations serving Caribbean populations have also expressed interest in collaborating. Once the Tourism Pride Fund is operational and attracting traveler donations, the expectation is that the fund will be self-sustaining.
Learn more about public-private engagement, HIV, and health financing.