The AIDS Funding Collaborative (AFC) was preceded by the Cleveland Community AIDS Partnership (CCAP) – one of the original 8 U.S. philanthropic partnerships of the National AIDS Fund. The Community Partnership model was established to support local philanthropic responses to HIV/AIDS and the lack of public resources.  There were over 30 like partnerships established nationally over the next two decades. Community Partnerships serve as conveners, technical assistance providers, community builders, and advocates for sound health policy.

In the early 1990s, CCAP suspended its grantmaking to focus on a systemic and policy approach to addressing HIV/AIDS. Along with the Cuyahoga County Board of County Commissioners, the Mayor of Cleveland, and United Way of Greater Cleveland, the CCAP funders committed to fund, convene, and appoint participants for a Citizen’s Committee on HIV/AIDS.  The mission of the Citizen’s Committee was to “develop an action plan that will enhance advocacy, coordinate responses and increase visibility of HIV/AIDS issues in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County.”