Finalist
Gilead Community Awards: Driving Health Equity and Strengthening Communities
Summary of work
With charities facing immense challenges over the past few years and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating health inequalities for vulnerable populations, Gilead recognised a need to bring together diverse community groups – working across HIV, liver diseases and oncology – to focus on a common goal, working towards health equity for all. This resulted in the inaugural Gilead Community Awards, taking place on 8-9 November 2023 in Madrid, Spain. It was a two-day, in-person event, convening almost 100 grantees (non-profit groups who had received a grant from Gilead) from Australia, Canada and Europe. The event was driven and co-created by the community, to meet true unmet needs and have long-lasting impact, with a strong focus on diverse community representation, with the aim of inspiring change and bringing the most vulnerable populations to care. The event centred on bi-directional learning via expert speakers, peer-to-peer learning and best practice sharing and included an awards programme that recognised and celebrated the exceptional contribution of Gilead grantees. Based on a live poll at the closing session of the event, 99% of attendees said they will implement changes as a direct result of the meeting, with the aim of making a positive difference to their community.
Judges’ comments
Grants for charities are a good investment and have an impact, and the judges felt that this was a good international CSR programme and that Gilead is an authentic partner for health equity. The judges liked the strategy, how it was planned and the clarity around what they planned to do. They felt that the event had a good awards strategy and had a positive impact in terms of motivation and education. It showed good best practice and had an innovative approach.
