News Release

Cisco Systems Foundation Awards $765,000 to 66 Bay Area Non- Profits

Teach for America, Local Teacher Training Program, To Receive Funding
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Aug 10, 2005

SAN JOSE, Calif., August 10, 2005 - Today, the Cisco Systems Foundation announced a new round of San Jose Impact Grants that will support 66 non-profits within a 50-mile radius of Cisco's headquarters. A total of $765,000 will be awarded to non-profit organizations who provide services such as teacher training, technology and art education for youth and adults, health services for low income families, and food and shelter for the area's homeless.

With this latest round of grants, Cisco has awarded just over $1.5 million to area non-profits during the past fiscal year.

"At Cisco, we are dedicated to building stronger, more productive and self-sustaining communities," said Michael Yutrzenka, Executive Director, Cisco Systems Foundation. "We continue to be impressed by the tireless work and dedication of these Bay Area non-profits, and we are proud to support them in their endeavors."

One of the grant recipients is the Bay Area office of Teach for America, a national non-profit organization that recruits perspective teachers from top colleges, trains them and places them in the nation's highest-need public schools in urban and rural areas. Since its inception in 1990, more than 12,000 college graduates have joined Teach for America and have directly impacted the lives of 1.75 million students nationwide. Currently, there are 145 Teach for America teachers working in 59 public schools in Bay Area communities including Oakland, San Jose, East Palo Alto, San Francisco, and Contra Costa County.

"We believe our nation must channel its most promising future leaders toward the fight to eliminate the gap in educational outcomes that persists in our country along socio-economic and racial lines," said Wendy Kopp, President and Founder, Teach For America. "The Cisco Systems Foundation's generous financial assistance will enable us to recruit and train outstanding recent college graduates of all academic majors to teach in the Bay Area's most under-resourced communities and to become lifelong leaders in pursuit of educational excellence and equity."

In addition to Teach for America, Cisco awarded grants to two other non-profits that provide training for area teachers. The Bay Area School Reform Collaborative hosts professional development workshops for principals and teachers to expand and enhance their skills for leading and sustaining improvement in student achievement. These workshops will potentially impact the education of over 340,000 students in largely under-served and poorly-performing school districts.

Community Resources for Science (CRS) recruits and trains professional scientists to serve as volunteer classroom assistants in Alameda County elementary schools. These volunteers help to improve science curriculum, demonstrate real-world science applications and serve as role models for students who otherwise may not be interested in science.

"Quality education is a key to social and economic success," said Cisco's Yutrzenka. "By training teachers, these non-profits contribute to the greater good of the community."

The San Jose Impact Grants reflect the Cisco Systems 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. Since the inception of the grant awards in 1993, the program has awarded more than 1,040 community grants amounting to approximately $14.5 million to Bay Area non-profit organizations.

The following is a complete list of organizations awarded funding in this most recent round of grants:

Organization Legal Name City State
AnewAmerica Community Corporation Berkeley Calif.
Aphasia Center of California Oakland Calif.
Bay Area School Reform Collaborative San Francisco Calif.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Santa Clara County San Jose Calif.
Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula Menlo Park Calif.
Building with Books Oakland Calif.
Center for Excellence in Nonprofits Milpitas Calif.
Children's Empowerment, Inc. San Francisco Calif.
Cleo Eulau Center Palo Alto Calif.
Community Health Awareness Council Mountain View Calif.
Community Resources for Science Berkeley Calif.
Community School of Music and Arts Mountain View Calif.
Compass Community Services San Francisco Calif.
Continuum HIV Day Services San Francisco Calif.
East Palo Alto Mural Art Project Stanford Calif.
Eden I&R, Inc. Hayward Calif.
EHC LifeBuilders San Jose Calif.
El Camino Youth Symphony Association Palo Alto Calif.
El Centro de Libertad Redwood City Calif.
Emergency Shelter Program, Inc Hayward Calif.
Family Service Agency ofSan Mateo County San Mateo Calif.
Francisco Connection San Francisco Calif.
Franklin McKinley Education Foundation San Jose Calif.
Fresh Lifelines for Youth, Inc. ("FLY") San Jose Calif.
Friends for Youth, Inc. Redwood City Calif.
Future Families, Inc. San Jose Calif.
Girl Scouts of Santa Clara County San Jose Calif.
Girls Incorporated of Alameda County San Leandro Calif.
Golden Gate Community Inc. San Francisco Calif.
Happy Hollow Corporation San Jose Calif.
Homeless Garden Project Santa Cruz Calif.
Homeless Prenatal Program San Francisco Calif.
Huckleberry Youth Programs San Francisco Calif.
International Institute of San Francisco Redwood City Calif.
Japanese Community Youth Council San Francisco Calif.
Jeremiah's Promise, Inc. Palo Alto Calif.
Law Foundation of Silicon Valley San Jose Calif.
Los Cenzontles Mexican Arts Center San Pablo Calif.
Marine Science Institute Redwood City Calif.
Meals On Wheels of San Francisco San Francisco Calif.
Mission Dignity/San Francisco Foundation Community Initiative Funds San Francisco Calif.
Mission Neighborhood Centers, Inc. San Francisco Calif.
Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence San Jose Calif.
Nuestra Casa E. Palo Alto Calif.
Pacific Autism Center for Education Sunnyvale Calif.
Palo Alto Art Center Foundation Palo Alto Calif.
Partners in School Innovation San Francisco Calif.
Peninsula Family Connections San Carlos Calif.
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra San Francisco Calif.
Public Allies, Inc. Milpitas Calif.
Resources for Community Development Berkeley Calif.
Rubicon Programs Inc. Richmond Calif.
Sacred Heart Community Service San Jose Calif.
Santa Cruz Women's Health Center Santa Cruz Calif.
Southwest YMCASaratoga Calif.
Springboard Forward Mountain View Calif.
St. Joseph's Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Hayward Calif.
St. Vincent de Paul Society San Francisco Calif.
Sunset District Community Development San Francisco Calif.
Support Network For Battered Women Mountain View Calif.
Teach For America - Bay Area Emeryville Calif.
Telegraph Hill Neighborhood Association San Francisco Calif.
The Bread Project Oakland Calif.
The Peninsula Bridge Program Menlo Park Calif.
Upwardly Global San Francisco Calif.
Women's Audio Mission San Francisco Calif.