ACRIA - AIDS Community Research Initiative of America

Welcome to ACRIA (AIDS Community Research Initiative of America) and our 14th Annual Holiday Dinner Silent Auction. All works have been donated to raise much-needed funds for our-lifesaving work. Founded in December 1991, ACRIA is a collaborative and independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that studies new treatments for HIV/AIDS and related diseases, and conducts a comprehensive HIV health literacy program. ACRIA conducts research into experimental HIV therapies, modalities with potential to minimize or eliminate the side effects of antiretroviral drugs, and key behavioral questions of importance to HIV-positive individuals, researchers, and care providers. Our Research Department has tested over 80 HIV medications and therapies, several of which have become important components of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). ACRIA has also completed several behavioral research protocols. Our most prominent efforts of late have been directed at defining the emerging needs and circumstances of the rapidly growing HIV-positive population 50 years of age and older, now more than one-third of those living with HIV, culminating in the pioneering Research on Older Adults with HIV (ROAH) study. Our HIV Health Literacy Program (HHLP) aims to ensure that all individuals living with HIV have the knowledge and resources they need to gain access to the best possible care and to make informed decisions about using lifesaving therapies. Since 1997, this program has provided a broad range of individual counseling, client and staff workshops, and technical assistance and capacity building to HIV service providers. Besides Achieve, our quarterly prevention, treatment and policy publication, and its predecessor, ACRIA Update, we publish a line of six educational booklets, all in English and Spanish, and all available free and in bulk, on the same basis as Achieve. Since 1993 ACRIA has been raising money for its life-saving work via its renowned 'Artists Responding to AIDS Unframed' fundraisers. ACRIA quickly became the acknowledged leader in gathering prominent artists to raise funds for AIDS research. ACRIA presents an increasingly rare and exceptional opportunity to buy work from some of the world's leading artists at prices that are well below market. Savvy art buyers have turned to ACRIA to get the inside track on the art world at affordable prices. Past ACRIA events have featured the work of then rising artists like Jeff Koons, Eric Fischl, Damien Hirst, Tom Sachs, and Spencer Tunick to name just a few. ACRIA's art editions/fundraisers have raised over $3 million for the cause and we continue to grow the program and partner with market leaders like The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Liveauctioneers.com to bring our exposure and message to a wider audience.