AIDS service groups losing almost $1 million grants

ATLANTA - Errors in applications have led to a loss of almost $1 million in federal grant money to two metro Atlanta AIDS service organizations. <br> <br> AID Atlanta is telling 371 clients to find a new clinic for blood work and medicene after losing $500,000 from the Ryan White CARE Act resulting from a glitch on its application. <br> <br> Project Open Hand, a home-delivered meals program for AIDS patients and other critically ill individuals, has a $400,000-plus budget shortfall because it turned in an application six minutes after the noon, Nov. 30 deadline. <br> <br> AID Atlanta executive director Tony Braswell said Tuesday that the organization had changed its primary care physician and could not include requested proof of the nonprofit status of its new physician by the deadline for a 270-page application. <br> <br> AID Atlanta, with an annual budget of $7 million, is helping affected clients transfer to health care facilities in Fulton, DeKalb and Cobb counties. The organization&#39;s HIV testing, counseling, case management, education and other outreach services are unaffected. <br> <br> Project Open Hand, which has a yearly budget of $5.2 million, is not anticipating any immediate changes in client service. The organization is placing higher expectations on its ``Masquerade 2002&#39;&#39; black tie fundraiser set for Feb. 23 and plans to step up other fund-raising efforts. <br> <br> ``It is the absolute single biggest staff error I&#39;ve seen in my five years here,&#39;&#39; executive director Stephen Woods said. ``It was a foolish mistake and there was simply no excuse.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Both organizations may have another opportunity to receive funding from the federal Ryan White CARE Act later this year if there are left-over unallocated funds. <br> <br> Jeff Cheek, who administers the federal money to the Atlanta area AIDS charities, said that while minor problems are common during the grant application process each year, ``This is the first time we&#39;re been unable to contract with a normally funded organization because of problems of this magnitude.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Both Braswell and Woods worry about the public perception of their organizations&#39; mistakes in light of a continued leveling off of AIDS-related donations. <br> <br> ``We are taking this very seriously, especially given the current fund-raising challenges. We screwed up but it will not happen again,&#39;&#39; Woods said.