The world's greatest problem is AIDS, and the most effective organization to date to combat AIDS is the Global Fund. Unfortunately, the Global Fund depends on donations, principally from governments, and governments have short attention spans. With this comes Friends of the Global Fight, a DC-based advocacy group with the mission of increasing donations to the Global Fund. It will do this through working with legislators and also raising the Fund's profile with the general public. The organization is new and still getting the kinks out (low profile, early generation Web site -- and a somewhat peculiar name), but it has three potent things going for it: star power (Jack Valenti, the new President, is well-connected in both DC and Hollywood), competent leadership (Anil Soni was Richard Feachem's well-regarded deputy at the Fund), and a narrow mission that is clear to measure and vital to achieve. They are bound to play an important role.