Something just isn't adding up regarding the San Francisco AIDS Walk.

Last Sunday's 17th annual AIDS Walk brought in a total of $3.1 million for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and 33 other AIDS organizations serving clients in five Bay Area counties. At first glance, one would think that by any measure, the AIDS Walk was a successful event, and organizers claimed just that. But upon further examination, it turns out â?" as we report this week â?" that of the $3.1 million raised, only $370,000, or 11 percent, will be going to organizations other than SFAF. That's a paltry amount by any standard and demonstrates that the formula for dividing up the funds must be changed so that a greater percentage of the money goes to those 30-plus community organizations.

Yes, the Bay Area is mired in an economic slump and yes, virtually every nonprofit has suffered. A lot of well-off dot-commers lost their jobs and, hence, no longer have the money to donate to charitable causes. Businesses have been downsizing and reducing the amount of corporate giving. And, when it comes to AIDS, there may be a certain amount of donor fatigue. But as we well know, AIDS is not over and people living with HIV or AIDS still need help dealing with myriad issues, from being able to afford their medications to securing housing, food, and benefits counseling. The Bay Area has responded to the epidemic with more generosity than most parts of the country, and for that, donors, volunteers, and service providers are to be commended. AIDS service organizations are increasingly being asked to do more with less, which is why the disparity in the AIDS Walk funds is so troublesome.

Of the $3.1 million raised at this year's event, SFAF officials told us that $720,000 is earmarked for other groups. But upon further questioning, we learned that a huge chunk of that amount â?" $350,000 â?" actually goes to needle exchange, which is run by SFAF as a separate nonprofit entity. That leaves just $370,000 for the rest of the organizations. In 2002, the AIDS Walk brought in $3.5 million; of that, SFAF itself received $1.35 million, and $820,000 was left for other nonprofits, but again, most of that money went to needle exchange, leaving just $470,000 that went to the others. At press time, SFAF did not know how much it will receive from this year's AIDS Walk, but if the past is any indication, that amount will be well over $1 million.

For the last couple of years, at least, caps have been placed on how much AIDS Walk money nonprofits could apply for. The grant process is run by the Horizons Foundation. This year the cap was $10,000, but many organizations received award letters for substantially less.

It's time for SFAF to revamp the process it uses to distribute AIDS Walk revenue, and it's time for SFAF to distribute more of the funds to groups other than itself. After many years of high overhead costs associated with the Pallotta Teamworks AIDS Ride, SFAF did the right thing last year in breaking away and starting its own event. Now, the foundation needs to take a good, hard look at the AIDS Walk and make changes for next year's event.

First off, the money allocated for needle exchange should be cut, and SFAF should include those funds in its take from the event. In other words, continue to fund needle exchange, but make the money come from SFAF's share of the revenue. That would restore several hundred thousand dollars to the pool of money distributed to the nonprofits. If that had been done this year, an additional $350,000 would have been available and SFAF's claim that $720,000 was given to local groups would have been accurate.

Another possibility is that the foundation could just determine that a flat amount â?" say $1 million â?" would be allocated to other nonprofits next year. That would be an increase over previous years, and agencies could receive more money.

Either way, something needs to give. When award checks are as small as $2,500 (and some were this year), and the event raises $3.1 million, it begs the question of accountability.

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Cynthia Laird is the Bay Area Reporter’s News Editor

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