The 2026 HIV Faith Ambassadors Cohort will bring together ten (10) faith leaders- who are committed to advancing education, awareness, and advocacy surrounding HIV within Black faith (Interfaith) communities. This initiative invites participants into a sacred and strategic space to wrestle with complex realities, reimagine faith-rooted responses, and re-story the ongoing HIV/AIDS narrative.

Grounded in a healing-centered, faith-based approach, this cohort will explore how theological frameworks have historically contributed to stigma and how those narratives can be re-examined and transformed. Participants will be trained by leading scholars, medical professionals, and community-based health advocates to deepen their understanding and leadership in this critical area.

Participant Stipend included:  (inclusive of travel and accommodations for participation).

Wake Forest University School of Divinity’s Faith COMPASS (COMmitment to Partnership in Addressing Health Disparities in Southern States) Center is a Gilead Sciences funded project that advances the capacity and organizational resiliency of faith communities to address HIV/AIDS in the US South. Through transformative storytelling, informative educational offerings, strategic grantmaking, and broad dissemination, we partner with faith organizations to shift narratives away from stigma toward life-enhancing possibilities. Our aim is to collaborate with Christian and interfaith partners to deepen their understanding of and engagement with their communities’ health challenges and opportunities.