National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC)

Background

NMAC was founded in 1987 in protest of the first American Public Health Association AIDS workshop that was held the prior year and did not include a non-white panelist. ² The founders included Paul Kawata, who remains executive director. ²

In 2018, Kawata described the Trump administration as a “very difficult time” while acknowledging having engaged in discussions with Trump administration officials. ³

Activities

NMAC conducts various programming, including education about HIV treatment; a fellowship for young professionals; and a capacity-building effort for HIV-positive people to play a greater role in the design of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program. ^{4 5 6}

Along with other left-leaning AIDS-focused organizations, NMAC criticized the Trump administration’s efforts to scale back the Affordable Care Act. ⁷ In 2023, NMAC joined more than 200 other organizations in a letter to retail giant Target, in support of Target continuing to sell LGBT-themed merchandise to children. ⁸ NMAC condemned the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. ⁹

Funding

The organization’s total funding jumped from less than $4 million in 2019 to more than $7 million in 2020 before falling to approximately $5.4 million in 2021. ¹⁰ Executive director Paul Kawata’s compensation totaled more than $400,000 in 2021. ¹¹ The organization offers memberships, with standard individual membership starting at $125 per year; and organizational membership costing $2,500 annually for the largest organizations. ¹²