Earlier this year, the City of Philadelphia announced it was seeking proposals of plans to combat monkeypox, offering grants to any proposal chosen. On Oct. 31, the city announced eight winning proposals to be awarded funding.

Funding was spread across three tracks: monkeypox vaccination services, collaboration that supports vaccination services, and community engagement for monkeypox vaccination.

From the City’s press release, the organizations that with chosen proposals are:

Track 1:

• Bebashi Transition for Hope
• Courage Medicine
• Drexel Medicine
• Mazzoni Center
• Philadelphia FIGHT
• (Note that It Takes Philly/the Ala Stanford Center for Health Equity was funded for Track 1 activities through a separate funding mechanism)

Track 2:

• Galaei/Urban Affairs Coalition

Track 3:

• COLOURS Organization/Urban Affairs Coalition 
• Prevention Meets Fashion

Funding opportunities were designed with the promotion of equitable access to vaccines, seeking to provide timely and relevant information to the population.

Particular attention is to be given to those who cannot easily be reached or cannot be reached at all through traditional and social media.

As of Nov. 2, 2022, there have been 535 cases of monkeypox identified in Philadelphia. A breakdown of the demographics currently reporting the most cases are Black (61% of cases), cisgender male (76%, 17% listed as unknown), and between the ages of 30 and 39 (42%).

More than half of those reporting monkeypox have been Black, but only 27% of monkeypox vaccines have been administered to Black Philadelphians. Whites have received 52% of vaccines; 91% of recipients are male, and 38% between the ages of 30 and 39.

The number of new cases since the first week of August has been declining, with only a handful of cases being diagnosed a week as of late.

Those interested in learning more can find more information on the Health Department’s Philly Keep on Loving page on the virus here.