[3] The organization supports its work through proceeds from special events, cause-related marketing projects, and voluntary contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations.

The organization has been well-known in Hollywood since 1993, when it began hosting the annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Award Party.

[7] White's personable and compassionate persona helped to reduce stigmatizing attitudes towards people living with HIV,[8] an effort that EJAF continues.

John also lost his friend Freddie Mercury, a fellow musician best known as the lead singer of the rock band Queen, who died of AIDS-related bronchial pneumonia in 1991.

[11] The Elton John AIDS Foundation funds programs across all aspects of the disease, including prevention, testing, treatment, palliative care, education and global health initiatives.

However, part of EJAF's strategy to effectively support people affected by HIV is to fund a broader scope of projects; their grants are not exclusively held by initiatives that are specifically HIV-focused.

[21] Recent award recipients include Patricia Hearst, Steve Tisch, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

She also engaged in plenty of individual advocacy; she testified before Congress multiple times to support AIDS-related legislation, including the Ryan White bill for AIDS funding in 1986. in The two celebrities supported each other's organizations often; Taylor spoke at various EJAF events, and John performed at many ETAF fundraisers, starting from the very first ETAF benefit concert in Madison Square Garden on October 11, 1992.

The five initiatives funded by the combined effort were:[27] With the exception of a three-year period during which the IRS had to press EJAF to get their tax forms (1996–1999), the foundation has been deemed generally transparent and financially trustworthy.