WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 2, 2025 — The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) has received a $1.5 million award from the Gates Foundation to launch Common Ground for Global Health, a new initiative aimed at revitalizing bipartisan support for U.S. global health programs, with a focus on maternal, newborn and child health, and HIV.
Reaching a New Generation of Policymakers
For more than two decades, U.S. leadership has driven historic health gains through programs like the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Today, however, shifting priorities and waning investments threaten to undermine that progress. Common Ground for Global Health seeks to engage a new generation of policymakers with the tools and evidence needed to reinforce America’s global health leadership.
“While PEPFAR’s reauthorization remains in question, we want to use this moment to reacquaint Congressional members and staffers with the devastating global toll of the HIV epidemic,” said Sarah Barnes, EGPAF’s maternal, newborn and child health advisor, who will lead the initiative. “Through this work, we aim to bring to life the stories of the 26 million lives PEPFAR is credited with saving — through the experiences of today’s children, women, and families affected by HIV — and to show the real-world impact of U.S. investment in global health.”
Lives are Still on the Line
EGPAF was founded by a mother who lost her daughter to pediatric HIV and fought to save her son and all children living with HIV. Over three decades, we’ve contributed to a 95% reduction in U.S. pediatric HIV while serving more than 33 million pregnant women globally. EGPAF has helped cut global pediatric infections by half and can now prevent mother-to-child transmission 93% of the time with proper treatment. Unfortunately, today, total resources available for HIV are at their lowest level in over a decade and 9.3 million people with HIV still lack treatment. One person dies every minute.
Where Policy Meets People
Common Ground for Global Health will blend policy education with first-person storytelling to demonstrate the value of U.S. programs fighting pediatric HIV and AIDS. Planned activities include congressional learning sessions, briefings, and the collection of personal stories that bring global health data to life.
“We are deeply grateful to the Gates Foundation for making it possible to pair rigorous policy analysis with the powerful stories of the children and families PEPFAR has helped reach and protect,” said Yolanda Brignoni, vice president for strategic engagement at EGPAF. “This initiative will help ensure U.S. investments continue to save lives, strengthen communities, and advance American leadership.”
