CANFAR is a national, independent organization advancing HIV knowledge and science.
Fueled by fundraising, we invest in and foster effective research, build awareness, and cultivate partnerships to share expertise and encourage joint action. We have given more than $26 million in grants to HIV/AIDS research projects. Together, these nearly 575 projects have helped achieve breakthroughs in HIV prevention, testing, access to treatment, combatting stigma, and the search for a cure.
HIV in Canada today*
Canada saw a 3.3% decrease in diagnoses in 2024 since 2023.
The national rate of new HIV diagnoses for 2024 was 5.5 per 100,000 population.
*HIV in Canada: 2024 surveillance highlights from Public Health Agency of Canada
CANFAR's National Ambassadors
CANFAR’s National Ambassador Program engages diverse people from various backgrounds to spread awareness across the country about HIV stigma, and is vital to engaging Canadians through stories of people living with, and impacted by, HIV.
Latest news
Matt Hyams on PrEP, purpose, and the friends who changed everything
In August 2014, if you’d heard of pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, you were probably the only person in your friend group who had. The clinical evidence existed in the USA, where the medication, Truvada, was already available and anecdotally had been used on the “scene” as a prophylactic. But the public health messaging, the prescriber familiarity, the coverage, and most critically, the cultural conversation hadn’t yet arrived in Canada. As I spoke more openly about PrEP, I lost friends who saw it as pharmaceutical avoidance of curing an epidemic they’d fiercely advocated for from the start, and others who saw people on PrEP as risky sexual deviants.
“Starting Home Fires” HIV awareness campaign launches during National Indigenous History Month to promote HIV awareness
As communities across Canada recognize National Indigenous History Month and prepare to mark National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21, Indigenous leaders and HIV advocates are launching Starting Home Fires, a new Indigenous-led HIV awareness campaign designed to reduce stigma, increase knowledge, and support community-driven conversations about HIV.
CANFAR Responds to Manitoba’s HIV Public Health Emergency Declaration
“This declaration is an important acknowledgment of the urgency of the HIV crisis unfolding in Manitoba,” said Dr. Paul Sandstrom, CEO of CANFAR. “HIV is preventable, treatable, and manageable—but only when people can access the services and the supports they need. Across Canada, too many communities still face barriers to testing, stigma, racism, geographic remoteness, delayed lab results, and gaps in care. Addressing HIV requires an equity-focused response grounded in community leadership.”
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MAKE A DONATION
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Become A Volunteer
Help us realize our mission to end HIV by helping at events and more.
CANFAR Legacy Project
Become a member of our 2SLGBTQIA+ group in your area.
Recent Work & Funded Projects
Our Healthbox
Smart vending machines distributing sexual health and harm reduction supplies in under-resourced communities in Canada. A joint project with ReachNexus and the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions.
I-AM.HEALTH
Improving access to HIV self-test kits through a national website. You can order HIV self-test kits for free and get connected to status-neutral care after you take the test.
Thank You To Our Partners
