SAN JOSE, Calif., March 15, 2005 - Today, the Cisco Systems Foundation announced its 2005 San Jose Impact Grants that support non-profits within a 50-mile radius of Cisco's headquarters. In this grant cycle, $735,000 in funding will aid 71 organizations that provide essential services to the Bay Area community. These non-profits offer technology and art education for youth and adults, health services for low income families, and food and shelter for the area's homeless.
"At Cisco, we believe in building strong communities in which every individual has access to quality education, the means by which to live, and the opportunity to succeed," said Sylvia Allen, Cisco Systems' Senior Director, Corporate Responsibility. "As a company, we are proud to support these local non-profits who share our values, our vision and our goal to build lasting solutions that will improve the lives of those in the community."
One of the grant recipients was Resource Area for Teachers (RAFT), a non-profit organization located in San Jose that provides over 5,000 Bay Area teachers with supplies, hands-on interactive learning materials for their students, and professional training workshops. RAFT has benefited from Cisco Impact Grant funding, as well as support of Cisco and its employees who have donated products and time.
To mark the company's 20th anniversary in 2004, Cisco's 35,000 employees volunteered the equivalent of one day each in their community and effectively gave back more than 20 years (175,200 hours) worth of volunteer service. Over 4,000 hours were donated to RAFT by 1,000 employees from Cisco's San Jose headquarters. While at RAFT, the Cisco employees filled backpacks with school supplies for low income children, organized supplies for distribution, helped refurbish old computers and assembled educational kits that teachers use for classroom lessons. In a normal year RAFT produces 14,000 educational kits; but, with the help of Cisco's employees, that number doubled to 28,000.
"We are extremely grateful for the many ways Cisco has assisted us over the years," said Mary Simon, RAFT's Executive Director. "Without their active hands-on support, our program would not reach nearly as many children and teachers as it does today."
Through Tech Soup, a Cisco partner organization that connects non-profits with donated and discounted technology products, RAFT has obtained Cisco hardware and software that supports their internal network and server as well as their teacher training center. The products donated by Cisco allow RAFT to operate more efficiently and reach more children in need. Cisco also donates paper and other office goods that go directly to schools that lack basic supplies.
"Our work with RAFT is a perfect example of how Cisco takes advantage all of the company's assets in our philanthropic giving," said Cisco's Allen. "Instead of only providing funding, Cisco also donates company products and employee expertise to ensure long-term sustainability."
The San Jose Impact Grants reflect the Cisco Foundation's dedication to providing basic human needs to overcome the cycle of poverty, granting access to education to foster opportunity, and promoting responsible citizenship. The Foundation awards grants to Bay Area organizations twice a year - once in the spring, once in the fall.
Since the inception of the grant awards in 1993, the program has awarded more than 975 community grants amounting to approximately $14 million to Bay Area non-profit organizations.
The following is a list of organizations awarded funding:
| Organization Name | City | State |
|---|---|---|
| AIDS Alliance The Center For AIDS Services | Oakland | Calif. |
| African Immigrant & Refugee Resource Center | San Francisco | Calif. |
| After-School All-Stars Of Greater San Jose | San Jose | Calif. |
| At The Crossroads | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Bay Area Community Services | Oakland | Calif. |
| Bill Wilson Center | Santa Clara | Calif. |
| Boys & Girls Clubs Of Oakland | Oakland | Calif. |
| California Academy Of Sciences | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Catholic Charities CYO | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Chabot Space & Science Center Foundation | Oakland | Calif. |
| Challenge Learning Center | Mountain View | Calif. |
| Community Breast Health Project | Palo Alto | Calif. |
| Community Housing Partnership | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Community Partners For Youth, Inc. | San Jose | Calif. |
| Crisis Support Services Of Alameda County | Oakland | Calif. |
| Day School Summerbridge | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Digital Clubhouse Network | San Jose | Calif. |
| Edgewood Center For Children And Families | San Francisco | Calif. |
| El Camino Hospital Foundation | Mountain View | Calif. |
| Eldergivers | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Foundation For A College Education | East Palo Alto | Calif. |
| Girls For A Change | San Jose | Calif. |
| Hospice Of The Valley | San Jose | Calif. |
| Industry Initiatives For Science & Math Education | Santa Clara | Calif. |
| Innvision The Way Home | San Jose | Calif. |
| Institute On Aging | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Jewish Family And Children's Services | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Junior Achievement Of Silicon Valley & Monterey Bay, Inc. | Santa Clara | Calif. |
| Kidpower*Teenpower*Fullpower International | Santa Cruz | Calif. |
| La Clinica De La Raza - Fruitvale Health Project, Inc. | Oakland | Calif. |
| Larkin Street Youth Services | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen | San Jose | Calif. |
| Mercy Housing California | San Francisco | Calif. |
| National Kidney Foundation Of Northern California | San Francisco | Calif. |
| New Connections | Concord | Calif. |
| New Horizons School | Santa Cruz | Calif. |
| North Peninsula Neighborhood Services Center, Inc. | S San Francisco | Calif. |
| Opnet Community Ventures, Inc. | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Pacifica School Volunteers | Pacifica | Calif. |
| Peninsula Stroke Association | Palo Alto | Calif. |
| Project Cornerstone | San Jose | Calif. |
| Project High Expectations Learning Program | Sunnyvale | Calif. |
| Project Match Inc | Milpitas | Calif. |
| Rebuilding Together Silicon Valley | San Jose | Calif. |
| Recording For The Blind & Dyslexic | Palo Alto | Calif. |
| Refugee Transitions | Oakland | Calif. |
| Resource Area For Teachers | San Jose | Calif. |
| Resources For Indispensable Schools And Educators | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Rotacare Bay Area, Inc. | Gilroy | Calif. |
| San Francisco Jazz Organization | San Francisco | Calif. |
| San Jose Conservation Corps | San Jose | Calif. |
| San Jose Museum Of Art Association | San Jose | Calif. |
| San Jose Repertory Theatre | San Jose | Calif. |
| Santa Clara Family Health Foundation | Campbell | Calif. |
| Save San Francisco Bay Association | Oakland | Calif. |
| School Health Clinics Of Santa Clara County | San Jose | Calif. |
| Second Harvest Food Bank Serving Santa Cruz And San Benito Counties | Watsonville | Calif. |
| Sensory Access Foundation | Sunnyvale | Calif. |
| Shalom Bayit | Oakland | Calif. |
| Shih Yu-Lang Central YMCA | San Francisco | Calif. |
| Society Of Women Engineers, Santa Clara Valley Section | Sunnyvale | Calif. |
| St. Vincent De Paul Society Of Santa Clara County | San Jose | Calif. |
| The Better Health Foundation | Oakland | Calif. |
| The Imagine Bus Project | San Francisco | Calif. |
| The Morgan Center | Santa Clara | Calif. |
| The Unity Care Group | San Jose | Calif. |
| Transaccess | San Jose | Calif. |
| Tri-City Homeless Coalition | Fremont | Calif. |
| University Of California, Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz | Calif. |
| Wardrobe For Opportunity | Oakland | Calif. |
| Yes Reading | Menlo Park | Calif. |
About the Cisco Systems Foundation
The Cisco Systems Foundation was established in 1997 by a gift from Cisco Systems, Inc. As Corporate Philanthropy's primary cash investment vehicle, the Foundation provides grants to select organizations with long-lasting, local or global impact. More information on the Cisco Systems Foundation is available at www.cisco.com/go/foundation.
