SBC Foundation Awards $34,000 in Technology Funding to Nonprofit Organizations in Green Bay
Girl Scouts of Lac Baie Council, Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, and YWCA of Green Bay Receive Grants to Help Meet Their Missions Via Enhanced Technology Resources
Green Bay, Wisconsin, December 14, 2004
The SBC Foundation, the philanthropic arm of SBC Communications Inc., today announced it has awarded $34,000 in SBC Excelerator technology grants to three nonprofit organizations in Green Bay. SBC Excelerator is a major philanthropic initiative that connects the nation's neediest residents — including at-risk youth and underserved urban families — to important community resources. The program empowers nonprofits to use technology to expand the reach of services and heighten the impact those services have on people in the community.
This year, the SBC Foundation provided $5 million in 2004 SBC Excelerator competitive grants to 436 nonprofit organizations throughout the SBC 13-state region. This includes $265,000 in grants to 24 organizations in Wisconsin. The competitive grant program is part of an overall $8 million 2004 SBC Excelerator initiative. Now in its third year, SBC Excelerator has provided more than $27 million to nonprofit organizations around the country to build stronger communities and improve lives by supporting improved technology resources.
"These nonprofit organizations make a profound difference in our communities and in the lives of people across Wisconsin," said Paul La Schiazza, president of SBC Wisconsin. "Nearly one hundred nonprofit organizations have used SBC Excelerator grants to build their technology capabilities and deliver more services at the local level."
SBC Excelerator was founded on the idea that technology access and resources can improve the lives of people in communities across the nation. The 2004 SBC Excelerator grants were awarded to organizations that connect people with little to no access to technology, including at-risk youth, and underserved urban families. The program provides access to important resources in the community, such as Internet access, hands-on computer training, math and reading classes, and job skills programs.
The 2004 SBC Excelerator grants provide nonprofit organizations with the necessary tools to better equip the communities they serve through:
Interactive, Web-based applications that support activities such as service delivery, volunteer recruiting and e-fundraising;
Technology training programs for nonprofit staff members;
High speed access to the Internet and email;
Network connectivity enabling easy sharing of database applications and information systems
In Green Bay, the three SBC Excelerator grant recipients include the following organizations:
YWCA of Green Bay: Received a grant of $5,000 to support the implementation of a server to produce daily reports, class enrollment, donation records, reduce customer dissatisfaction and increase administrative capacity and program outreach.
Girl Scouts of Lac Baie Council: Received a grant of $4,000 to support program and service outreach to the community by providing staff training sessions, classroom training for girls, including non-Girl Scouts, to educate community on Internet safety.
Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce's Advance program: Received a grant of $25,000 to support the purchase of new workstations and monitors, and provide incubator tenants with a fully networked environment to assist with economic development projects.
"Rep. Phil Montgomery has been a leader in promoting innovation and technology investment in the Green Bay area," said La Schiazza. "SBC is proud to join him in his efforts to build a strong, tech-driven local economy."
"Access to the latest in advanced information technologies is key to creating a strong, future-oriented business climate," said Rep. Montgomery. "I'm excited about the new benefits and services these grants will bring to Green Bay area businesses and residents."
"Through our Advance program, the Chamber of Commerce works to bring greater investment and economic opportunity to the Green Bay area," said Paul Jadin, President of the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. "The 2004 SBC Excelerator grant will help us use technology to provide our incubator tenants with a high-tech environment in which to serve their clients within the community."
In 2004, the SBC Foundation distributed more than $8 million in SBC Excelerator grants to community-based organizations. Earlier this year, the SBC Foundation announced three national SBC Excelerator grants to the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the National Urban League and the AMBER Alert Plan.
LULAC received a $1 million SBC Excelerator grant to support its Empower Hispanic America with Technology initiative, which will provide computer equipment and high-speed Internet access, technology curriculum and technology support to LULAC community centers throughout the 13-state SBC territory. The National Urban League received $1,070,000 in SBC Excelerator funds to launch 12 Digital Empowerment Academies, which will offer technology job skills training to African Americans in low-income communities. Finally, the AMBER Alert Plan received nearly $1 million in funding for law enforcement agencies in each of the SBC 13-state region to enhance the technology used to locate missing children.
To qualify for an SBC Excelerator grant, an organization's major focus and project must emphasize education, community development, health and human services, or arts and culture. Grant funds will be applied toward data communications services, hardware, software, technology training, personnel, and application development.
The SBC Excelerator program is the largest special grants program ever undertaken by the SBC Foundation, one of the top corporate foundations in the nation, according to The Foundation Center. The 2004 SBC Excelerator program marks a significant part of the SBC Foundation's 20th anniversary year. Since 1984, SBC Communications and the SBC Foundation have contributed more than $1 billion to nonprofit organizations across the country. According to Business Week magazine's 2003 Special Report on Corporate Philanthropy, SBC Communications ranks as one of the largest providers of corporate philanthropic funding in America.
The SBC Foundation is the charitable giving arm of SBC Communications Inc. The SBC Foundation supports efforts that enrich and strengthen diverse communities nationwide, particularly those with an emphasis on education and technology and those that benefit underserved populations. SBC Foundation-backed programs are designed to increase access to information technologies, broaden technology training and professional skills development, and effectively integrate new technologies to enhance education and economic development. The Foundation Center has consistently ranked the SBC Foundation among the nation's top six corporate foundations. In 2002, the SBC Foundation launched SBC Excelerator, a multimillion dollar competitive grants program that funds nonprofit organizations in their efforts to digitally connect communities.
SBC Communications Inc. (www.sbc.com) is a Fortune 50 company whose subsidiaries, operating under the SBC brand, provide a full range of voice, data, networking, e-business, directory publishing and advertising, and related services to businesses, consumers and other telecommunications providers. SBC holds a 60 percent ownership interest in Cingular Wireless, which serves more than 46 million wireless customers. SBC companies provide high-speed DSL Internet access lines to more American consumers than any other provider and are among the nation's leading providers of Internet services. SBC companies also now offer satellite TV service. Additional information about SBC and SBC products and services is available at www.sbc.com.
