Aidsmap and NAM Publications has made the decision to transfer its assets to the Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) and National AIDS Trust (NAT).
Our Legacy
Since our inception in 1987, NAM has been dedicated to providing reliable and comprehensive information about HIV and AIDS. Our flagship platform, aidsmap, has served as a vital resource for individuals, healthcare professionals, and communities worldwide. We take immense pride in our contributions to HIV education and advocacy over the past 37 years.
Financial sustainability
Our sector is grappling with funding limitations and unfortunately, our core work no longer attracted the level of funding required for it to be financially sustainable, with increasing cuts to the funding of these core activities over recent years. Over the last few years we have tried to diversify our funding sources, and have ceased certain activities, but despite some successes this was insufficient to keep the organisation sustainable for the medium and longer term and maintain the quality of our work given the fixed overhead costs involved in operating the organisation.
Our board has had a long standing policy of ensuring that the organisation is able to meet any outstanding liabilities and given the conclusion we were not financially sustainable we made the difficult decision to close whilst we were confident that we could meet these liabilities, such as providing contractual notice and redundancy pay to all of our people, alongside our commitments to our suppliers and funders.
In addition, we hoped that there may be some remaining assets to support the continuation of our work in some way for a successor organisation whilst recognising that these remaining assets would be a fraction of those which had been historically used to operate and support our activities.
Following this decision, we spoke to all our major funders alongside a number of other organisations who reached out following our announcement, however none of these organisations were able to provide the level of recurrent financial support to keep the organisation operating sustainably.
At the time of our announcement, we were approached by a number of interested organisations and asked for written proposals on how we could keep the remaining assets relevant and sustainable. There were also a number of other activities to identify future potential options for the organisations assets, this included:
- A small working group was also set up by interested organisations which had the involvement of the vice-chair of aidsmap.
- Communication and discussion of the development of proposals through the UK-CAB email group which includes over 100 organisations who work in the HIV.
The Decision-Making Process
An initial decision was made by Trustees in respect of assets held through the HIV-Lens project, following careful consideration of the options and feedback from others involved with the project the Trustees decided to transfer these assets to the National AIDS Trust (NAT) with the view to maintain this project through working with existing funders and partners.
Following this we received two proposals for the charity’s remaining assets. These were considered at two meetings of the board, the first resulting in a decision to request further information and clarification on these proposals to ensure that they aligned with the aim of the Trustees to best preserve our legacy, alongside giving trustees more time to reflect on these proposals.
This was followed by a second meeting at which our board had a frank and open debate on who would be best to continue and preserve our legacy alongside the specific legal responsibilities of Trustees in this situation as placed on them through the Charity Commission.
We have a passionate and committed board and whilst we did not all reach the same conclusion, a majority of the board believed Terrence Higgins Trust was the best option to continue our work.
Why Terrence Higgins Trust?
THT is a leading HIV charity with a robust infrastructure and a longstanding commitment to the HIV community.
Their multi-year plan to celebrate aidsmap's resources, ensure their longevity and attempt to build on aidsmap’s great work reflects the trustees ambitions for aidsmap’s legacy.
We thank THT for taking this on and look forward to seeing how THT's stewardship will honour NAM's legacy and continue to serve the diverse needs of the HIV community.
Our Commitment Moving Forward
While this transition marks the end of NAM as an independent entity, our trustees remain committed to the aidsmap mission. As a board, we will work closely with THT to ensure a seamless transfer and we encourage the wider sector to come together and support them during this transition period and beyond.
Gratitude
We extend our deepest gratitude to our dedicated staff, partners, and the countless individuals who have supported NAM over the years. Your unwavering commitment has been the cornerstone of our success.
Looking Ahead
As we embark on this new chapter, we are optimistic about the future. Following transfer, we believe that the resources developed by NAM will continue to inform, empower, and inspire individuals worldwide.
Sincerely,
The Board of Trustees
NAM Publications