amfAR Funding Principles to Guide Applicants for Research Grants 

A major priority of amfAR’s research program is discovering the scientific basis of a cure for HIV. The urgency of our goal demands that we direct our funding to studies that uncover vital knowledge that is directly applicable to curing HIV in people living with HIV/AIDS.

In determining research priorities, amfAR considers the availability of funding, the current scope of
knowledge, and whether the research is necessary and sufficient to accomplish our goal.
Questions such as those below guide amfAR’s consideration of research proposals:

• Is the proposed research addressing a fundamental question that would propel several cure-focused approaches forward with the answer?
• How strong is the evidence that the overall approach has the potential to cure HIV?
• Do we already have sufficient answers to this research question?
• Would it be possible to develop a cure for HIV without the knowledge the researcher is seeking to acquire?
• Are personnel numbers and costs appropriate?