The Queensland government will provide $25.1 million over three years to help community groups combat HIV, sexually transmitted diseases and other blood-borne viruses.
Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said the funding, spread over four grants, was awarded after 15 applicants from community-based agencies were assessed.
Four of those applicants – the Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland, the University of Queensland, Hepatitis Queensland and Queensland Positive People – joined forces to create the Consortium for Queensland and received a single grant.
The other three successful grant applications came from Queensland Injectors Health Network, Respect Inc and Youth Service Providers Inc.
Mr Springborg said the non-government organisations would receive $8.4 million a year in the areas of prevention and testing, treatment and management, and workforce development.
"The NGO sector plays a significant role in the delivery of community-based care for populations at risk," he said.
"This process is about cementing their funding and coordinating their activities for the next three years.
"Each of the successful applicants has expertise and strong links to the at-risk populations.
"They work with government agencies, but with added capacity to respond and adapt to specific community needs."
The new funding contracts will come into effect on October 1.
Among those to miss out on funding were the Pharmaceutical Guild of Australia, which received separate funding for needle supply, and Anglicare.
It is understood Anglicare's submission, which dealt with palliative care funding, was unsuccessful because fewer people were dying of AIDS.
Anglicare declined to comment.
Mr Springborg said the service agreements with the NGOs were to reduce the transmission of HIV, viral hepatitis and other sexually transmitted diseases and also minimise their impact through preventative measures.
The agreements would also increase access to testing and increase the treatment of the diseases.
"These successful organisations will contribute on the front line of Queensland's response to sexually transmissible infections and blood-borne viruses," Mr Springborg said.
"Better coordination and communication between government and non-government agencies and between providers and the general community will strengthen our capacity to deliver effective, outcome-focussed programs."
The public "request for offer" grant process was adopted from the recommendations of former Auditor-General Glenn Poole in the wake of the $16.6 million "fake Tahitian prince" scandal.
It was Queensland's single largest fraud case, for which former Queensland Health employee Joel Morehu-Barlow is serving a 14-year jail term.
