Beauty news: M·A·C donates $148,301 NZD to Positive Women Inc via The M·A·C AIDS Fund

Today the M.A.C AIDS Fund – M.A.C Cosmetics’ philanthropic foundation – presented Positive Women Inc. with a $148,301 NZD grant to support their efforts in working with women and families living with HIV and AIDS in New Zealand.

This donation will aid in the administration costs of the organisation which provides a support network for women and families living in New Zealand with HIV or AIDS.  The grant will also provide direct assistance to improving the lives of New Zealand women and their families affected by the virus through the Seminar Program initiative, which provides latest information on HIV for the wider community and women living with HIV.  The program helps to reduce the isolation that many women living with HIV experience due to HIV relate stigma and discrimination.  This donation comes directly from the New Zealand sales of M·A·C’s #VIVAGLAM lip products. 

This is the eleventh year that Positive Women have received funding from the M.A.C AIDS Fund, with 100 per cent of the selling price of M.A.C’s #VIVAGLAM line of lip products going directly to the fund to benefit grantees. To date, the company has raised more than $400 million (USD) to fight HIV and AIDS internationally. Locally, M.A.C has raised over $2 million (NZD) for the MAF and has donated the majority of those funds locally to New Zealand non-profit organizations fighting the epidemic here in New Zealand. 

“Just like the first million raised in New Zealand, our $2 million milestone is due to the enormous commitment from our VIVA GLAM spokespeople, M·A·C Makeup Artists, and dedicated customers,” says M·A·C Brand General Manager, Tanya Jackson.  “The M·A·C team are driven to set and reach our next fundraising goal and continue our grant-making to support New Zealanders affected by HIV and AIDS.”

The grant presented today to Positive Women also marks another momentous milestone as it means that the M·A·C AIDS Fund has to date donated just over $1 Million NZD to Positive Women Inc.  M.A.C New Zealand has been working with Positive Women since 2004.  Past grants to Positive Women have included funding projects such as their Digital Storytelling initiative where courageous NZ women living with HIV found their voice and shared their story, their De-stigmatisation Campaign encouraging people to forget the stereotypes of the virus, and the making Altered Lives, a short film about four New Zealand women living with HIV.

M·A·C New Zealand also works closely with other local HIV organizations to provide them with financial support to service people living with HIV and AIDS in New Zealand.  Grants have funded other projects such as Body Positive’s Rapid HIV Testing campaign encouraging people to get tested for HIV and the setup of the INA HIV and AIDS Foundation whose goal is to improve the quality of life for those affected by HIV and AIDS within the Maori, Indigenous and South Pacific communities in New Zealand. 

Helping to drive fundraising for the M·A·C AIDS Fund have been a cadre of celebrity spokespeople.  Each connected with a specific shade of VIVA GLAM Lipstick, these spokespeople have made public appearances and appeared in advertisements to raise money and awareness for the fight against HIV and AIDS.  The inaugural VIVA GLAM spokesperson was performer, RuPaul. Since then, others have joined the ranks, including k.d. lang, Mary J. Blige, Sir Elton John, Shirley Manson, Lil’ Kim, Missy Elliott, Boy George, Linda Evangelista, Chloë Sevigny, Christina Aguilera, Pamela Anderson, Debbie Harry, Lisa Marie Presley, Eve, Dita Von Teese, Fergie, Cyndi Lauper, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Miley Cyrus. Currently the face of the M·A·C AIDS Fund is glam girl, Ariana Grande pictured below. How beautiful is that lip?
“The celebrities who have joined us over the years embody the spirit of M·A·C and the M·A·C AIDS Fund – 
Every Race, Every Sex, Every Age,” says M·A·C AIDS Fund Chairman and Estee Lauder Companies Group President, John Demsey. “By bringing these new faces to VIVA GLAM, we have been able to keep not only the brand but the cause fresh 
for consumers, helping to drive the M·A·C AIDS Fund to new levels.”

Above, Tanya Jackson, Brand General Manager M.A.C New Zealand, presents $148,301 NZD  to National Coordinator Positive Women Incorporated, Jane Bruning.