Elton John started his AIDS foundation in 1992; it has since raised more than $565 million for HIV programs in 90 countries

Elton John’s fight against HIV and AIDS has grown into a global charity effort, with the Elton John AIDS Foundation reporting that it has raised more than $660 million since its founding in 1992.

The foundation says the money has supported more than 3,236 projects across 108 countries, helping people affected by HIV and working to improve access to prevention, treatment and care.

The charity was started by John more than three decades ago, during the height of the AIDS crisis. What began as a personal response to loss has since become one of the singer’s most important charitable efforts.

The foundation’s current work focuses on communities that can face major barriers to healthcare, including young people, LGBTQ+ communities and people who use drugs.

John founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992 in the United States. A U.K. foundation followed in 1993.

His decision to take action came after he lost friends to AIDS. Among those who deeply affected him was Ryan White, an Indiana teenager who became widely known for raising awareness about HIV before his death in 1990.

John also lost his friend Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of Queen, who died from an AIDS-related illness in 1991.

The foundation ranks among the top philanthropic funders of HIV work worldwide. According to its website, the foundation is the top non-profit funder of HIV programs in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. It also ranks high for support aimed at people who use drugs and for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.

Money from the foundation goes to projects in many places. Examples include research and treatment efforts in Eswatini, care for pregnant women in Lesotho, and reviews of end-of-life care around the world. It has backed more than 3,000 projects in recent counts.

The group focuses on people who face extra barriers. These include young people, LGBTQ+ communities, and people who use drugs. Stigma and limited access to health services remain big problems in many areas.

According to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, David Furnish chairs the foundation board. He has worked closely with John on the effort for years. The pair have spoken about the need for continued action. 

John said: “I lost so many friends to AIDS in the ’80s and ’90s; brilliant, beautiful people who deserved so much more time. The Foundation became my way of channeling grief into action.”

Furnish added: “It’s given our lives deeper purpose and connected us to something far greater than ourselves.”

The Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Award Party has run for decades. Guests watch the Oscars, enjoy dinner and music, and take part in auctions. One recent party raised millions in a single night.

Another regular event is the An Enduring Vision gala in New York. It honors long-time supporters and features awards, dinner and performances.

The foundation has also partnered with the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation on joint grants. One set of grants went to groups in the southern United States, where many people live with HIV.

Recent work includes efforts to expand access to PrEP, a medicine that can greatly lower the chance of getting HIV. Injectable forms that last longer are part of current plans. The foundation has set higher fundraising goals to keep programs going amid cuts in other aid.

John and Furnish stress that science and young people give reason for hope. Tools like long-acting PrEP exist. Younger advocates push against stigma. The foundation continues to fund partners who deliver services in hard-to-reach places, including through drones that carry medicine.

The Elton John AIDS Foundation remains active more than three decades after it began.

Related: Frank Sinatra paid for a 10-week world tour out of his own pocket in 1962, performing from Tokyo to Israel; the concerts raised more than $1 million for children’s charities